Lee Na-young recently starred as Yoon Ra-young in ENA’s Monday-Tuesday drama “Honour”, which concluded on March 10. Marking her first-ever genre project in 28 years since debut, the drama tells the story of three female lawyers confronting a massive scandal from the past. It is based on a Swedish series of the same name.
In the drama, Lee Na-young transformed into a lawyer representing victims of sexual crimes, delivering a powerful and layered performance. She convincingly portrayed a character with a shocking backstory—giving birth to a daughter after dating violence 20 years ago—earning widespread praise. Alongside Jung Eun-chae and Lee Chung-ah, she also showcased strong “woman-chemistry,” contributing to the show’s success, which ended on a high note with ratings nearing 5%.
In a recent interview, Lee Na-young expressed her gratitude: “The response was hotter than I expected. I’m very thankful.” She added, “Since Honour isn’t a simple story, I had many concerns, but I’m happy that viewers related to it. It was also my first time doing a genre piece, so I worried even more. But everywhere I went—whether exercising or out and about—people kept asking me to spoil the next episode. I was grateful that viewers stayed engaged and curious until the end.”
Speaking about her role, she explained, “I usually meet people related to my character when preparing, but this time I couldn’t. Instead, I studied materials on my own and discussed emotional expressions with the director and writer. Yoon Ra-young had to hide her trauma until episode 8, so I thought deeply about that. Viewers might have wondered, ‘Why is she acting like that?’ Her emotions were intense, but I tried not to show them fully. I wanted to avoid one-dimensional expressions and maintain restraint.”
Lee also reflected on the message of the drama: “I learned a lot while filming Honour. I realized how difficult the word ‘comfort’ is. For people carrying pain, it’s not about forcing them to move on or saying ‘it’s okay,’ but about waiting and listening. That’s the message we wanted to convey. It’s something we all need for life—that it’s okay not to recover quickly. Even if we carry the weight of life alone, we can still heal.”
She showed affection for her co-stars, saying, “I had admired them before, so it felt amazing to finally meet them.” She continued, “We were all a bit shy at first during script readings, unsure of how to interact. Since we played friends of 20 years, we didn’t want it to feel forced. Fortunately, our personalities matched well, and the bond formed naturally. Even in the final scene where we walked arm-in-arm, we were joking about what to eat for lunch—things like ‘Let’s have gamjatang.’ We all love food and got along well.”
When asked if they had become close friends in real life, Lee replied honestly, “It hasn’t been that long, so I can’t say for sure yet. But we’ve already planned to meet again at the end of March.” She added, “When we meet, we talk about everyday things. But since I rarely meet other actors, when I see them again after a few days, they suddenly feel like celebrities.”
Lee also revealed that her husband Won Bin watched Honour as a regular viewer. “Since I didn’t tell him the storyline, he kept trying to guess, asking things like ‘Is this what happens?’ while watching my reactions. But I didn’t spoil anything,” she said, laughing.
She added, “We watched a few episodes together live, but I felt too embarrassed to continue. We don’t usually discuss projects in detail—just casually say things like ‘That scene worked well.’ We’re more like friends who tease each other.”
As for their son, whom they welcomed in 2015, Lee shared, “He wanted to watch Honour, but it’s rated 15+, so I didn’t allow it. He finds it fascinating that his mom appears in shows, but since he mostly watches cartoons, he doesn’t fully understand what acting is. When he sees movies or TV, he often asks, ‘Is that real?’”
Lee Na-young and Won Bin have long been known for their “mysterious” image, often described as celebrities among celebrities. Won Bin, in particular, has been on a 16-year hiatus since his 2010 film The Man from Nowhere. Addressing this, Lee said, “He still has a strong passion for acting. We’re both grateful that people continue to remember and show interest in him.”
Regarding her own “mystique” label, she laughed it off: “Look at me now—do I seem mysterious at all? People who meet me don’t think that way, but once they leave, they still write that I have a ‘mystique.’ Maybe they just want to put me in that category.”
She continued candidly, “Everyone has their own standards, and there are moments when you feel embarrassed about yourself. I don’t use social media simply because my standards are a bit high, not for any special reason. I’m just not used to it. In daily life, I take dance lessons, relieve stress, and live quite normally.”
Sources: Daum