Actor Lee Min-woo revealed about his five-year hiatus.
In the 7th episode of MBN 'Let's Go Go' Season 5 aired on the 16th, MC Ahn Jung-hwan and Hong Hyun-hee met with four historical drama specialists, Kim Seung-soo, Lee Min-woo, Jo Hyun-jae, and Jung Eun-pyo, to discuss various topics.
That day, they headed to Jo Hyun-jae's house located in Seongdong-gu. The house was on the first floor. It was situated on a royal floor that is suitable for raising children. With a drawing full of children's imagination welcoming them at the entrance, the spacious living room and kitchen that were neatly organized caught their attention. Furthermore, the master bedroom was filled with wedding photos tailored specifically for the master bedroom and various trophies that proved his popularity.
However, upon seeing the master bedroom, Hong Hyun-hee wondered, "(Your wife) has been in this room for quite a while, hasn't she?" and Jo Hyun-jae replied, "Since the birth of the second child." This shocked everyone since Jo Hyun-jae's second child is currently three years old. He then shared, "I think to myself, I want the children to grow up quickly, and that their mom will return." Watching this, Jung Eun-pyo advised, "Couples must sleep together. They need to consolidate and sleep together quickly. We have never slept apart. Even when raising children, we used to put them in a baby bed and then come to the couple's bed. We did that even when we fought."
He also shared the love story with his wife, who is a former professional golfer. He said, "A close senior mentioned he would give a golf lesson on the field, and I was supposed to meet a golfer, but that person couldn't make it. So, the one who came as a substitute was my current wife." He added, "I saw her for the first time and she had an aura. While we were doing the round, I thought about it for about two weeks. Whether to contact her or not. I thought it over carefully and then called her," which created a sweet atmosphere.
Later, while enjoying various dishes like Jo Hyun-jae's signature Surasang and Shinsunro, Lee Min-woo mentioned his five-year disappearance. He stated, "In my early 40s, I thought I must be a person like a house built on sand. Humans should grow by stepping up, but I think I didn't have that. I didn't go to school properly either. So, I realized that I didn't grow up building relationships with friends my age, but grew up in the adult world. My perspective of the world was very different from those around me. I couldn't even play with kids. I didn't experience childhood or adolescence at all," he confessed.
Having debuted as a child actor at the age of 5 and living in the entertainment industry, Lee Min-woo noted, "I worked non-stop. I have never had a break in my life. Then I thought maybe I was doing something wrong and that something was seriously broken, so I stopped. I stopped and did nothing. Just exercised," adding, "I did nothing for exactly three years. After taking a break without doing anything, I thought I wanted to work again as I recovered, but then COVID-19 hit. So unintentionally, I spent two years like that."
About his current state, Lee Min-woo reflected, "I believe I've filled some parts that previously had no steps, although it was a short time." He added, "In fact, they say that is a symptom of burnout. When everything is set aside. I just stopped too." Additionally, when asked if he didn't experience adolescence, he responded, "As child actors, we do not have the authority to refuse casting. Suddenly, we're called from the 6th floor while recording. If a high-ranking person says, 'I talked to them, so go there and shoot starting tomorrow,' we have to go. We don't even know what kind of drama or role it is. If they tell us to shoot, we have to shoot. It's not only child actors; adults experienced the same thing."
Jung Eun-pyo also reminisced about his identity crisis as an actor. He shared, "I went out to sell fish-shaped pastries with my son once, intending to go out just once, but my son did so well that I ended up doing it for 4 to 5 years. So, I found myself in a situation where I was neither an actor nor an entertainer, when I got offered a role in 'The Moon Embracing the Sun'," adding, "I got the role until the 6th episode, and it was such a good role. I was cast somehow, but I felt uneasy. I was memorizing the script desperately in the bathroom at 3 a.m. I was that desperate."
He further explained, "When shooting a drama, sometimes time overruns, and they want to cut out the scenes I've memorized. So I negotiated and acted. The director was so pleased that about two scenes were saved. I thought as long as I'm desperate, opportunities will come my way." He added, "I was troubled as an actor because of 'fish-shaped pastries', but the director actually liked it and cast me because of that. So I think I got through that crucial moment as an actor quite well."
[Photo] OSEN DB / Broadcast Capture
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