“Young Il’s role wasn’t particularly substantial at first, but I think more scenes were added to the script after Lee Min Ho showed interest.”
Director Hur Jin Ho, who helmed the upcoming film The Assassin(s), which hits theaters on September 23 ahead of the Chuseok holiday, made this comment about Lee Min Ho’s character, rookie reporter Young Il. His remarks suggest that Lee Min Ho found his own way to make an impression among acclaimed actors Yoo Hae Jin and Park Hae Il. What makes his performance even more notable is that The Assassin(s) is a period film. The fact that an actor born in 1987 was able to naturally immerse himself in the atmosphere of 1974 and deliver a convincing performance is worthy of positive recognition in itself.
The Assassin(s) follows the investigation into the suspected assassination of South Korea’s First Lady on August 15, 1974, and the forces behind the shocking incident. It is the latest project from Hive Media Corp, the production company that has previously turned its lens toward turbulent chapters of Korean history through films such as 12.12: The Day and The Man Standing Next, as well as Disney+’s Made in Korea.
Although the story deals with the historical tragedy of an attempted assassination of the First Lady, a newspaper lies at the heart of the film. The central narrative follows reporters determined to uncover the truth behind a situation that seems impossible to comprehend. Jae Hwan (Park Hae Il), the head of the social affairs desk at Dongsung Ilbo, refuses to bow to outside pressure and confronts a ruthless military dictatorship and censorship, while rookie reporter Young Il (Lee Min Ho) supports him and puts everything on the line to bring the truth to light.
Lee Min Ho stands at the intersection of two descriptions: “star” and “actor.” After rising to become a Hallyu star through the drama Boys Over Flowers, he has remained at the top for nearly two decades. The equation “Lee Min Ho’s casting equals a drama getting a broadcast slot” still largely holds true. He has approximately 33.49 million followers on Instagram, reflecting how his meticulous self-management over the years has helped solidify his status as a star.
However, as he gradually approaches his 40s, Lee Min Ho has been taking increasingly deliberate steps into the realm of acting. The big screen, in particular, has become an area he continues to challenge himself with, demanding greater nuance and detail in performance. Following Gangnam Blues (2015), he returned to film a decade later with Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy last year, and this year he is once again putting himself to the test with The Assassin(s). He also does not appear overly concerned about screen time. Rather than insisting on being the sole leading man, he seems increasingly interested in becoming a well-fitting piece of a genuinely good project.
His performance in Apple TV+’s Pachinko, which was widely described as a “rediscovery of Lee Min Ho,” is another important milestone. The series tells the multigenerational story of a Korean immigrant family that leaves the Korean Peninsula around the time of liberation and eventually settles in Japan and the United States. Lee Min Ho played Koh Hansu, a self-made businessman in Japan whose sole driving force is his ambition for success. During the Japanese colonial period, Hansu marries a Japanese woman and has three daughters, but later meets Sunja (Kim Min Ha), a young woman from Busan’s Yeongdo, and begins a secret relationship with her. His role was not particularly large, and the character was closer to a villain than a hero. Nevertheless, he exuded an irresistible charm and even earned the nickname “sseu-rangkkun,” a Korean wordplay combining “trash” and “lover.”
At the time, U.S. outlet Forbes praised his performance, writing that “Lee Min Ho’s intuitive performance beautifully captures the dark turmoil in Koh Hansu’s soul, his struggle to build power, and his frustration over what he cannot have.” Compared with his previous roles, the outlet also described it as “Lee Min Ho’s best performance.”
These continuous challenges have opened a new path for Lee Min Ho. After watching Pachinko, director Hur Jin Ho became interested in the actor while preparing The Assassin(s). In other words, Lee Min Ho’s persistent efforts to knock on new doors eventually caught the director’s attention. In a media interview, Hur Jin Ho explained his casting decision: “I had seen Lee Min Ho extensively through his dramas, and I had thought a lot about the appeal he possesses as an actor. I found him very impressive in Pachinko. I wondered whether he might reveal another kind of charm when playing a more realistic character.”
Hur Jin Ho continued, “The role of Young Il was initially not as substantial as you might expect. But Lee Min Ho showed interest, and around that time, I thought it would be good to introduce a young reporter character, so I think we added a little more of that element to the script.”
Period dramas are also not unfamiliar territory for Lee Min Ho. The year 1974, when The Assassin(s) is set, predates his birth. However, having already experienced period settings through Pachinko and Gangnam Blues, he was likely familiar with the demands of portraying a character shaped by a different era.
The film serves as a powerful statement that Lee Min Ho no longer intends to remain simply a young star. More importantly, the fact that he has actively made these choices reveals his passion for acting. For Pachinko, he even deliberately went through the audition process. At the time, he candidly said, “When you’re in Korea, you might think, ‘Do I really need to audition?’ But I was so satisfied that I came to believe auditions should exist for the sake of making a perfect project. Preparing, investing my time and burning myself out in order to be chosen felt valuable.”
After taking on Koh Hansu in Pachinko through that process and now returning as Young Il in The Assassin(s), Lee Min Ho appears to have matured further as an actor. Between the two labels of “star” and “actor,” the balance is gradually tipping a little more toward the latter.
Sources: Daum | ize