When it comes to acting, Lee shares that he is constantly pushing himself to his limits. More than anything, he explains that he works on “self-objectification and put a lot of effort into growing it”.

Of course, it’s not always easy to be fully immersed in a role. For Lee, becoming a character takes a lot of research especially when the character is in a professional field. For example, he explains that in preparation for his role as Park Hoon in Doctor Stranger—one of the hardest roles he had to play—he would watch YouTube and observe actual surgeries to understand the role better.

“I would say about half of the process involves self-reflection and the other half involves discussions with the team I work with,” he continues. As Doctor Stranger is a medical drama, Lee shares how he had to spend late nights memorising medical terminologies.

The Hallyu star is comfortable playing a character on stage and also has no problems being his true authentic self. He shares that while he has played multiple roles throughout his career, he has never felt himself losing his sense of identity. Instead, he feels as if he is gaining an experience of living as someone else.

One of his favourite roles was playing Cha Eun-ho in Romance Is A Bonus Book. “Although Cha doesn’t have superpowers or any fancy elements like other characters, I feel more attracted to him due to his personality, demeanour and attitude towards the people he loves,” Lee explains. He had gained life lessons on his “personality, demeanour and attitude” through his experience playing Cha.

Looking back, while Lee is satisfied with where he is as an actor, he is also constantly looking to improve himself. “I don’t always have confidence in everything… I feel it is necessary to keep improving,” he says.

Even today, Lee enjoys watching dramas—after all, “great works” are what inspired him. “I am more inspired by the charm of the work rather than by any one person,” he shares. Lee’s hard work doesn’t go unnoticed, especially with his large fan base cheering him on. He adds that the energy from his fans is also something that motivates him.

With his passion and determination for his craft, there is no doubt Lee will continue to make waves in the industry. While he hints that he is still choosing his next project, he wants to first focus on spending more time with his fans—his latest fan meet is one of the ways he is doing so. His long-awaited fan meeting tour Dear My With kicked off in July and sees Lee touring 11 Asian cities, including Singapore on October 4. “I want to remember the fans more, so there will be more opportunities for closer connections,” he explains.

After seven years, Lee is excited to return to Singapore. Apart from meeting his fans, he’s looking forward to eating chilli crab and exploring the island. “Singapore is a very clean and elegant country. That’s why it is very impressive,” he adds. 

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