Charming Lee Byung-hun
"I once told the scriptwriter to refrain from scripting my character to
perfection. A drama centered around a love affair is so run-of-the-mill
and the dramatic scenes merely helps to garner high ratings. The ultimate
reason for a viewer to follow the show to the end is the perfect leads."
Although it has an ordinary storyline, "Beautiful Days" has became an
obsession for many female viewers. The arranged love triangle among the
characters played by Lee Byung-hun, Choi Ji-woo and Ryu Si-won reflects
the popularity of each of the cast. Lee Byung-hun's portrayal of the
handsome and suave Lee Min-chul who has his heart set on Choi Ji-woo's
character has won him the hearts of many female fans.
The role of Lee Min-chul was originally meant for another actor but
after a meeting by the SBS management team, it was unanimously agreed
that the role be given to Lee Byung hun. As such, the scriptwriter had
to modify the role several times to better suit Lee Byung-hun. This was
also the reason for emphasising the importance of Lee's role in the love
triangle with Choi Ji-woo and Ryu Si-won.
"My role encases a great amount of charisma, it extends even to the decisive
style that is clearly visible even in the speech, as such, I faced great
pressure initially. I told the scriptwriter not to create a character that
embodies only the good qualities. I'm glad that even Min-chul's speech
and gestures differs as the story progresses. Such changes reflects the
gentleness in him that has arised because of his attitude towards love."
The acceptance of Lee Min-chul by many female viewers could be due to
the absence of such men in reality. Such attention was extended to his
tinted hair and fringe, his impeccable dress style of black suits, red
and blue-shaded ties and his white dress-shirts. All these further
enhances the character.
With the success of "Beautiful Days", Lee Byung-hun naturally became
the most interviewed artiste. However, wanting to retain the air of
mystery as an artiste, he was only willing to answer questions pertaining
to his career. As he has been slated to attend a film awards event this fall,
we wonder about the air of mystery that we will sense through the camera lens.