“To be honest, I turned it down at first”: Lee Jae-wook sheds light on his experience with Alchemy of Souls and more

Korean superstar Lee Jae-wook recently dished on his experience with Alchemy of Souls, dynamic with his co-stars, and various anecdotes from behind the scenes.

The actor also thanked viewers for being so patient and giving the show so much love that it became an international superhit.

Proceeding to talk about the challenging nature of Alchemy of Souls and his initial reaction to the script, the actor revealed that he had initially rejected the show since it was so complex that he thought he would not be able to do justice to his character. He elaborated:

“To be honest, I turned it down at first. It was too difficult and I wondered whether I’d be able to pull this project off well. However, I think I came to do it solely out of my desire to take on a new challenge.”

He added:

“From the actor’s perspective, I’m incredibly satisfied with the results. Also, isn’t this a drama you don’t know when you’ll encounter again? I’m counting on the fact that I concluded well.”

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“Jin Bu-yeon came in and opened up our relationship once more.”: Lee Jae-wook dishes on the viral kiss scene and working with his co-stars

Alchemy of Souls has become a raging success both within Korea and among international Hallyu fans. However, one scene of the show has received more attention than the rest of the show due to the sizzling on-screen chemistry between the stars.

While discussing the viral kiss scene from Part 2 of Alchemy of Souls, which was shared between Lee Jae-wook and Go Yoon-jung, in the interview with South Korean media outlet XSportsNews, the actor said that the objective of the scene was to show that Jin Bu-yeon was breaking Jang Wook’s boundaries.

As per the actor, the director instructed Lee Jae-wook to get into the role of the female lead so that Yoon-jung is able to lead the scene and assert her dominance. He said:

“During rehearsals, the director said ‘I am Bu Yeon’ and pushed me around. I think the director wanted to express that Bu Yeon had taken a step into Wook’s boundaries. Since Jang Wook was so closed-off, I believe that they directed a scene where Jin Bu Yeon came in and opened up our relationship once more.”

The Extraordinary You star went on to dish on his experience working with two different female leads. According to Lee Jae-wook, the transition from Jung So-min to Go Yoon-jung as the female protagonist did not pose much of an issue for him, as both actresses fit their roles perfectly.

Speaking about working with the Playful Kiss star, Lee Jae-wook said that So-min is a veteran actress and her heightened skills and professionalism were evident during the shoot of the first part of the show. For the Law School star, the actor was all praise and said:

“Yoon Jung is an incredibly bright person. It’s to the point where her positive energy is out of this world. It’s not easy to film without losing your smile but she made me think, ‘The entire set atmosphere can change just because of one person.'”

Part 2 of Alchemy of Souls concluded on January 8, 2023.