Lee Joon Gi Reveals He Wants To Do Romcom K-Dramas But Never Gets Offers
One of the more popular period K-dramas that aired back in 2016 that was unique from the others was Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo. What made it unique was the fact that it did not do well domestically in South Korea but was a breakout hit internationally. It is one of the most watched K-dramas in China and was even the most watched K-drama during its airing on DramaFever. To be blunt, Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo is the one K-drama that really expressed the divide between international and domestic K-drama fans as well as showed Korean networks they can thrive outside of Korean viewership if business is done correctly.
Pertaining to K-drama fans, however, it reignited a love affair with the male lead Lee Joon Gi. They could not get enough of him wanting to know more and more of the Hallyu heartthrob. As they got to know Joon Gi more, they wondered why he hasn’t been in any romantic comedies or romcoms. We now know why as Lee Joon Gi himself has admitted he wants to act in a romcom but is never given any offers.
Lee Joon Gi made his thoughts known on the April 1 KST episode of My Ear’s Candy on the Total Variety Network (tvN). According to Korean news outlet Naver, Joon Gi roamed the Seoul streets during a rainy day while having a conversation with Park Min Young. The crew took pictures of Joon Gi in romantic settings marveling just how perfect he looked if he were to act in the specific genre especially the comedic kind. Eventually, they asked him why he hasn’t acted in a romantic comedy. Lee Joon Gi immediately responded with the following.
“It’s not that I haven’t been in any, it’s that I don’t get any offers for romantic comedies.
“I get a lot of hero fantasy projects. Because I’ve done a lot of action scenes, I think my image as an actor has become set as an action star in the eyes of many. It’s frustrating, especially as I get older.”
In some ways, Lee Joon Gi has been pigeon-holed in suspenseful melodramas especially those that are period pieces. It probably started with his breakout role as Gong Gil in The King and the Clown. The K-movie was very entertaining and ranked as one of the most popular K-movies in South Korea’s history. Since then, he’s been in numerous serious period pieces including Iljimae, Arang and the Magistrate, Gunman in Joseon, Scholar Who Walks The Night, and of course Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo.
Though he is always in such K-dramas, he is technically no stranger to romantic comedies. He was the second lead in My Girl, one of the most popular romcom K-dramas to air back in 2005. He appeared in the very popular She Was Pretty back in 2015 too.
Right now, Lee Joon Gi is working on the upcoming K-drama adaption of Criminal Minds. He also played Commander Lee in the final movie in the Resident Evil series titled Resident Evil: The Final Chapter and Jun Hao in the Chinese production Never Said Goodbye.
For those who are interested to see Lee Joon Gi in action, his latest K-drama Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo is available to view in its entirety exclusively for premium members on DramaFever depending on region.
[Featured Image by Viki]
