[CELEB] Lee Joon's first Korean historical drama 'Bloody Heart' finds local success

Singer-turned-actor Lee Joon's first shot at the sageuk (Korean historical drama) genre in the new KBS series "Bloody Heart" is proving to be a success. With praises abounding for Lee's detailed acting in the series, "Bloody Heart" marked a..

Lee Joon during a scene in the ongoing KBS series "Bloody Heart" [GNG]

Singer-turned-actor Lee Joon’s first shot at the sageuk (Korean historical drama) genre in the new KBS series “Bloody Heart” is proving to be a success.

With praises abounding for Lee’s detailed acting in the series, “Bloody Heart” marked a local viewership rating of 6 percent after its first week of episodes last week, according to Nielsen Korea.

“Bloody Heart” is about the conflicting romance between Lee's Lee Tae and Yoo Jung, portrayed by actor Kang Han-na.

Lee Tae is the 12th king of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) whose sole goal is to stay in the throne and get rid of the enemies who killed his mother. However, his vision of power becomes blurred when he is reunited with a former lover from his childhood, Yoo Jung. The story is entirely fiction.

Lee Tae is a very complex character who bears the sadness of losing his family and loved ones and vengeance toward his enemy while still maintaining his stateliness as a king. He also has a kind, warmhearted side which he reveals only to the people he cares about.

During the press conference for the series last week, Lee said that he was worried about portraying such a multifaceted character.

“Going into filming, I knew that as the drama progressed, the events and characters would get intertwined and things would get complicated, so I thought a lot about the ways I could express those feelings,” said Lee.

The first two episodes saw the relationship between Lee Tae and Yoo Jung progress, starting from childhood. The two are clearly in love, but Lee Tae, unlike Yoo Jung who expresses her feelings for Lee Tae straightforwardly, hides his true emotions and pushes Yoo Jung away. The episodes also displayed political disputes regarding Lee Tae’s position as king.

The still-cuts of episode three, which were released by the series’ production company GNG on Monday, captures Lee Tae looking at Yoo Jung with a hint of sadness while Yoo Jung’s expressions display slight frustration.

Lee said that he had avoided roles in sageuk in the past because he had a fear of the genre.

“But I gained confidence from fellow actors who had been cast in this series ahead of me, especially Jang Hyuk,” said Lee. “He helped me a lot in the drama series ‘IRIS II: New Generation’ nine years ago. I knew that if he was on set, I would learn a lot again.”

Actor Jang Hyuk is the antagonist in the series, playing the role of a vice premier named Park Gye-won. Jang and Lee worked together in 2013 during the action-romance drama series on KBS, “IRIS II: New Generation.”

Other cast members of “Bloody Heart” include Heo Sung-tae who had been part of the hit Netflix series “Squid Game” (2021), and Park Ji-yeon who is better known as a musical theater actor.

“Bloody Heart” is directed by Yoo Young-eun, who is best known for KBS melodrama series “How to Buy a Friend” (2020), and written by Park Pil-joo whose works include KBS romance series “First Love Again” (2016) and KBS romantic comedy “House of Bluebird” (2015).

The series airs every Monday and Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. It is also available for streaming on Disney +.

Lee Joon [ILGAN SPORTS]

Lee Joon Date of birth: Feb. 7, 1988 Zodiac sign: Aquarius Birthplace: Songpa District, southern Seoul Debut: October 2009 as a member of MBLAQ Agency: Praine TPC

Lee Joon debuted as a member of Kpop boy band MBLAQ. The band saw success in the early 2010s with songs “Mona Lisa” (2012) and “Stay” (2011). Though the band has not officially disbanded, it has not been active since 2018. Lee made his acting debut in the MBC sitcom “Here He Comes” in 2008. He has since then acted in dozens of dramas and films including Netflix’s “The Silent Sea” (2021), tvN’s “Immortality” (2021) and film “Lucky” (2016).

This information was confirmed by Praine TPC on May 6, 2022.

Lee Joon during a scene in the Netflix sci-fi series "The Silent Sea" (2021) [ILGAN SPORTS]

BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]