Below is the Interview with Lee Do-hyun, the winner of the “2021 Asia Artist Awards”.
Lee Do-hyun is an actor who can be described as a white drawing paper. H4 has the charm of expressing any character excellently like a drawing paper that can be decorated with various colors. He began to dream of becoming an actor in earnest when he was a sophomore in the Department of Theater at Chung-Ang University. Lee Do-hyun confessed, “I went to an acting academy in high school because of the goal of being admitted to college, not to become an actor,” adding, “I liked the job of an actor after performing while I was a college student.” He first appeared on the TV network as the child version of the character Lee Joon-ho (played by Jung Kyung-ho) in the 2017 tvN drama “Prison Playbook.”
-When did you dream of becoming an actor?
▶I started dreaming about acting while I was in college. In my second year of high school, I just wanted to act, so I went to an acting academy without my father knowing. Since the first semester of my second year of college, I wanted to become a movie star, so I prepared my best to step into the outside world. I looked for what kind of media acting academies there are, made audition profiles, and went to look for an agency. I used to be a part-time hair model. I collected those photos and created my own profile and spread them everywhere I went. Looking back at those pictures now, they are really cute. Ha ha.
-You haven’t gone to the army yet, right?
▶ I haven’t. I think it’d be nice to meet my fans before I join the army. I hope the pandemic ends soon. On the other hand, I’m curious about how I will look after serving in the military. I want to grow more and come back. The military doesn’t bother me much. I actually want to go there. I think it will be an opportunity for me to become more mature and change myself. Since I am still working and focusing on what I am given, I have not decided the timing of my enlistment in detail. But I will have to go when the time comes.
-We think you can play more diverse characters after returning from the military.
▶ My goal is to reach 100kg in the military. I’m just curious what kind of image I will have. When will I ever reach such weight? If I have to film later, I will just go on a diet according to it. I’m 74kg right now.
-Are you interested in variety shows?
▶ I remember going on “Knowing Bros” and “Running Man.” It was so hard. Even though the seniors made me feel comfortable. They’re also a job that I’m amazed by. I don’t think it makes sense to be able to maintain such “high tension” all day long. In addition, everything they say is fun. When I receive a question, I would be so worried about it being edited out that I couldn’t speak properly and couldn’t express my answer according to my original personality. I want to do well, but I’m not confident that I’ll do well. While watching “Hangout With Yoo”, I think Sang-yi is really amazing. He was funny and blended in so well.
-What do you do during the break?
▶ I kept sleeping after finishing the filming for “Melancholia”. I didn’t know that I would sleep this much. I kept sleeping to make up for the days that I couldn’t do so. Unlike the pattern that I maintained during the 7 months of the filming, I eventually became so lazy. These days, I turn my house into a gym to start working out again and enjoy walking around with my dog. My hobby is snowboarding. My CEO gave me a board as a gift this winter, so I went around playing it a lot. I can do it by myself and often go alone at night.
– I can see that you often show special affection for your family at awards ceremonies. You said you got inspired and motivated by your younger brother when you act. (His younger brother is known to have a developmental disorder)
▶ I tend to observe everything around, but my brother is very special. His ways of expressing feelings and speaking are so special, and I learn those parts technically while observing him. The way he shows emotions is also very unique. For example, when everyone else is emotional, he would stay calm. He tends to get angry at strange things. Watching him helps me learn a lot of things and love him even more. My brother has to express himself differently from others… I think that’s why I become softer when looking at him.
-What kind of actor do you want to become?
▶ Not long ago, I went on a trip with my father and my company manager. While moving in the same care as my father, the manager asked, “Do you regret that time?”. My father was quite well off in the past because he made lots of money while working in the construction industry. However, as father received a lot of appointments in other regions, he gave up everything to take care of his children’s education. My family then faced difficulties. But my father said, “Do-hyun will do well, so I wouldn’t change my decision. Even if he had a chance to go back, he would still give up on his job in the construction industry”. So it has also become my goal. It is to not make the viewers, my fans and my family regret loving me. I have set a new goal of living a life like that and becoming that kind of actor.”
