Having debuted in 2014 with the film ‘We Are Brothers,’ Lee Hyo-je is now in his 12th year in the industry. He has grown from being someone’s child actor into a reliable young actor who can now anchor a production.
On May 13, Lee Hyo-je sat down with Newsen for an interview to celebrate the release of the Netflix young adult horror series ‘Kirigo’.
The project that truly put Lee Hyo-je on the map was undoubtedly the film ‘The Throne.’ His portrayal of the young King Jeongjo (the Crown Prince, played as an adult by So Ji-sub) is still remembered for the heartbreaking scene where he cries out, “Can a child not even give a glass of water to his father!”
Lee Hyo-je shared with a smile, “‘The Throne’ is a project I’m truly grateful for because it introduced me to a great director and made me known. It’s still fascinating to see videos comparing my look in ‘Kirigo’ to how I was in ‘The Throne’.”
However, as a former child actor, he faced concerns regarding how his appearance had changed over time. Lee Hyo-je confessed, “I thought the days of relying on my image were over. Instead, I vowed to be perfectly prepared in terms of acting and steadily built up my skills.”
There was even a time when he questioned his career as an actor. Shortly after entering middle school, the attention from seniors who came just to stare at him became a major source of stress. After a six-month hiatus to contemplate his path, he rediscovered the joy of acting in his third year of middle school while preparing for an arts high school entrance exam.
Lee Hyo-je recalled, “I found it so joyful to act alongside peers my own age. That was the turning point where I gained confidence in acting.” He later attended an arts high school before transferring to a general high school to balance his studies and acting career.
For this latest project, rather than chasing grand achievements, he simply hoped to be remembered as an “actor who is sincere about acting.” His bold decision to gain 20kg was also a way to prove that he is an actor who does not fear change.
He added, “As the projects do well, many unexpected results are coming my way. Personally, I want to continue showing new sides of myself through various works and characters. I want to be remembered as an actor who is sincere about acting and isn’t afraid of change.”
