Lee Min Ho on BLACKPINK’s Jisoo and the fear that made him ‘fiercely resist’ Omniscient Reader multiple times

Lee Min Ho returns to films after a decade, but Omniscient Reader wasn’t an easy yes. He tried walking away multiple times, until the story’s values finally pulled him in.

Lee Min Ho on Omniscient Reader, Jisoo & The Pressure to Reinvent

Lee Min Ho’s Reluctant Yes: Why He Almost Said No to Omniscient Reader

Lee Min Ho is making his movie comeback after 10 long years with Omniscient Reader: The Prophet. In the film, adapted from the globally popular webtoon, he plays, Yoo Joong Hyuk, the protagonist inside the novel being read by Ahn Hyo Seop’s Dokja, an average office guy who suddenly finds the world morphing into the plot of a book. When Lee first got the offer, he didn’t jump at it. In fact, he admits he tried to turn it down multiple times. At a recent press interaction in Samcheong-dong, the Pachinko star opened up about the pressure of signing onto the role, and also addressed his character’s link to BLACKPINK’s Kim Jisoo.

Lee Min Ho on ‘resisting’ Omniscient Reader before finally saying yes

For Lee, who’s delivered multiple hits in his long career and starred in some of the most talked-about K-dramas, the pressure was real. “To be honest, I felt pressured taking on the project because I didn’t want to hear people say, ‘this role is so Lee Min-ho,’ like it’s just more of the same,” he told reporters in Seoul. “I felt the pressure.” Despite having taken on unconventional roles before, the actor admitted, “Playing Joong-hyuk came with its own weight.”

Also read: Lee Min Ho admits he ‘could fall any moment,’ says problems arise from personal desires, pins all hope on Omniscient Reader

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He said he tried to walk away from the offer “fiercely” multiple times, but the team kept circling back. What finally got him to say yes wasn’t the visuals, the cool factor, or even the top billing. It was the character. “Joong Hyuk felt like a character who reflects certain values I want to live by. And I thought, if a major Korean IP like this can connect with more people, and if I can be part of that, then maybe it’s worth it,” he said. The novel barely features his character early on, but his presence has the most impact, and that’s where the risk lies.

There’s always pressure with adaptations, and with fans already upset about how little screen time he gets compared to his usual roles, Lee made it clear, every scene he shot is in. That’s all there was. “I agreed that including too much backstory beyond what’s already there could water down the film’s direction,” he said. “So I didn’t really push for more screen time or talk much about how big or small my role would be.”

Also read: Ahn Hyo Seop reveals how ‘senior’ Lee Min Ho treated him on Omniscient Reader set: ‘I’ve admired him for years, he made me feel…’

Lee Min Ho on BLACKPINK Jisoo

When the casting for Omniscient Reader was announced, one of the most thrilling bits for fans was seeing Lee with Jisoo, it felt like a dream pairing come true. But for Lee, he had no clue about the connection until they were actually mid-shoot. Jisoo plays Ji Hye, supposedly Joong Hyuk’s love interest, or maybe a protégé. Reflecting on that on-screen relationship, he said, “I had no idea how we were connected,” and laughed. “I was flying blind.”

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Lee’s known for leading-man roles, from Boys Over Flowers to The Heirs and more. In Omniscient Reader, he’s a myth. The shadow. The backbone. No charming dialogue. No romance. Not even a full backstory. “How does this one guy carry the weight of an entire world’s mythology without even explaining who he is?” he said. But that’s the challenge he signed up for. With a ₩30 billion budget (that’s nearly $22 million USD), Omniscient Reader hits theatres July 23.

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