Lee Jong Won: From IU’s Leading Man to ‘The Hot Male Lead’ in ‘Knight Flowers’

In the final episode of MBC’s Friday-Saturday drama “Knight Flowers,” which aired on the 17th, the ultimate villain, Seok Ji Sung (played by Kim Sang Joong), met his final fate by being demoted to a commoner. Jo Ye Hwa (played by Lee Ha Nee) and Park Soo Ho (played by Lee Jong Won) found happiness by overcoming their past pains and embracing their lives fully.

Not only did the drama achieve its highest viewership rating of 18.4% nationwide according to Nielsen Korea, but it also set a record as the highest-rated MBC Friday-Saturday drama of all time.

Lee Jong Won, who rose to fame as Park Soo Ho in “Knight Flowers,” challenged his first historical drama since his debut.

He portrayed a character with a selfish appearance, unparalleled swordsmanship, and abilities but carried the scars of his parents’ murder due to conspiracy. While living cautiously, he formed a love line with the widowed Ye Hwa, played by Lee Ha Nee, and led the center of the drama together.

Lee Jong Won naturally portrayed Park Soo Ho’s role with stable acting and showcased fresh yet seamless chemistry with Lee Ha Nee. With a height of 184cm, his modeling background served as a weapon to pull off cool action scenes, establishing himself as a reliable male lead.

Lee Jong Won’s journey to becoming an actor was not entirely smooth from his days dreaming of being a model, but he has steadily achieved his goals bit by bit.

He dipped his toes into acting with the web drama “Back to the Future” in 2018 and gradually built up his filmography.

After appearing in Lee Seung Hwan’s music video for “For Your Ears Only” in 2018, he began to seriously pursue his dream of becoming an actor.

He accumulated a solid filmography through various web dramas and dramas such as “XX,” “The Spy Who Loved Me,” “(I Don’t Know Much, but) We Are Family,” “Hospital Playlist 2,” “Golden Spoon,” and most recently, “Knight Flowers.”

In 2021, he made his mark as the male lead in IU’s “Strawberry Moon” music video, leaving a lasting impression on domestic and international fans.

In an interview with Xsportsnews in 2022, Lee Jong Won said, “The shoot felt like a dream, and it still does. To me, IU seemed like a character from a fantasy, someone who existed only in dreams. Just appearing in the music video was deeply meaningful. It gave me a lot of strength.”

The work that truly brought Lee Jong Won’s name into the spotlight was the MBC drama “Golden Spoon,” where he starred alongside BTOB member and actor Yook Sungjae as the two main leads.

In “Golden Spoon,” he played Hwang Tae Yong, the heir of a conglomerate who suddenly gets entangled in the life of Lee Seung Cheon (Yook Sungjae), a dirt spoon. He then continued to exhibit synergy with Lee Ha Nee in “Knight Flowers.” Viewers are looking forward to Lee Jong Won’s next steps, anticipating his name and face to be firmly imprinted in their minds.

Source: Nate