'Typhoon Family' Lee Jun Ho (35): 'I'm coming to accept my age'

Recently, Lee Jun Ho sat down for an interview for tvN's recently concluded Saturday–Sunday drama Typhoon Family.

Typhoon Family follows Kang Tae Poong (Lee Jun Ho), a novice CEO of a trading company with almost no employees, no money, and nothing to sell, navigating the 1997 IMF crisis. 

In the K-drama, Lee Jun Ho played Kang Tae Poong, who becomes the head of his father's trading company.

Although the series has ended, it has left lingering emotions for Lee Jun Ho. "Typhoon Family is a project I prepared for about a year. It's never easy to send off a project, but this one, in particular, is hard to let go of because of the deep affection and time I invested in it. The lingering feelings remain."

Talking about his on-screen character, Kang Tae Poong, Lee commented, "Tae Poong is honest, doesn't hide his emotions, and he's bold in his drive [to push forward]. Seeing those qualities made me think, 'If only I had had this kind of mindset earlier, wouldn't my twenties have been a little easier?' He's a character with very diverse emotions, and he's a character who allows [an actor] to show many different sides within a single project, so I was left with a deep attachment to him."

For a series set in the late 1990s, Lee Jun Ho also put meticulous effort into the accuracy of the details pertaining to the times and character portrayal. "For the hairstyle, I referred to the styles of Lee Jae Hoon from the group Cool and singer Kim Min Jong. I based it on the styles that sunbaes at the time actually wore." Regarding the hair highlights, he added, "I actually wanted to try dyeing for real. In the end, we used hairpieces to create the look."

Lee Jun Ho even mastered the Seoul dialect as it was spoken in the past. "If the way of speaking is overdone, it can come across as comical. So I prepared all the more thoroughly. I actually referred to interview clips from the news."

Typhoon Family wrapped up on a high note. According to Nielsen Korea, its final episode ended with its highest nationwide rating of 10.3%. Expressing his satisfaction, Lee said, "I'm relieved it ended at 10%. I had hoped for it. We finally surpassed it, so I was able to wrap it up feeling good."

Kim Min Ha, the female lead of Typhoon Family, revealed that she had long been a fan of Lee Jun Ho. Regarding this, the 35-year-old actor shared, "Min Ha told me she has been a fan. I am really grateful. It didn't feel like there was much of an age gap, and when we talked, she felt like a colleague or a friend. So when she said she was a student when I was working, I felt a bit of cognitive dissonance." "At first I thought, 'You grew up watching me?' but now it's starting to register. I didn't want to believe it at first, but I'm coming to accept my age."

Lee also spoke candidly about what Typhoon Family means to him and his thoughts as an actor. He said, "I think it became a project that allowed me to show a [different] layer of myself. This came after The Red Sleeve and King the Land, and I wanted to tell a completely opposite kind of story. I had already shown myself as king and chaebol, which I wanted to do after returning from military service, so I wondered what kind of lighter image I could show at this age."

He continued, "As time goes by, I find myself thinking more about just letting go. There's that saying, 'Spring comes when you ease up.' I spent a lot of time pondering what that really means." He admitted that he learnt a great deal through Typhoon Family, which came to him during such a period.

Lee's reflections extended to his life as an actor. "I don't think it's something you can do just because you like it. Living a new life as an actor is a valuable experience and opportunity. I fully understand how truly fun yet challenging it is to create a character and live as him. That's why, as I build the character, I feel a thrill every time I watch the show."

He added, "My dream is to become an actor who makes people want to look back at what kind of performance I gave. Acting is a job that brings out emotions like 'this is so fun' or 'this is touching,' right? I think that's the motivation." "I'm thankful for the opportunities that have let me keep working on projects. Of course, filming can be stressful, but once the project is out, the stress is released. I [once said that] I'd rather work than rest and do nothing."

Typhoon Family is streaming on Netflix.

Source (1)