'Bon Appétit, Your Majesty' Lee Chae-min "I want to say I came to the present through the power of love"

Actor Lee Chae-min, who gained public recognition through the tvN weekend drama 〈Bon Appétit, Your Majesty〉, expressed both the pressure and gratitude regarding the success of the work.

In a wrap-up interview held at a cafe in Gangnam, Seoul on the 30th, Lee Chae-min said, "When I first received the proposal for the work, I felt a lot of pressure," and added, "I acted with the mindset of burning myself to not harm the work, giving it my all."

This drama, based on a web novel, is a time-slip fusion historical drama where Michelin 3-star chef Yeon Ji-young (Im Yoon-a) falls into the Joseon era and grows closer to the tyrant King Lee Heon (Lee Chae-min) through cooking. It gained immense popularity with its delicious food descriptions and cartoonish special effects, concluding on the 28th with a high viewership rating of 17.1%. It also ranked first globally in the non-English TV category on Netflix for two consecutive weeks.

Lee Chae-min stated, "I didn't expect it at all, but I've received more love and attention than I thought, and I'm spending happy days every day," and added, "Many people recognize me, and I've received a lot of offers to work together." However, he humbly remarked, "The results achieved by this work cannot be seen as solely my achievement," saying, "I think I just rode on the efforts of many people."

Lee Chae-min, who has five years of acting experience, joined the project ten days before filming after Park Sung-hoon, who was originally cast as Lee Heon, suddenly dropped out. He recalled, "When I first heard the casting news, I thought, 'Why has this position suddenly been arranged for me?' and I worried that as a newcomer, I might cause trouble in a project with great directors and seniors."

As it was his first time participating in a historical drama, he had to learn everything from the historical tone of speech to horseback riding, calligraphy, and dance in a short preparation period. Lee Chae-min said, "I learned horseback riding every day for ten days and practiced calligraphy," adding, "Thanks to the help of many seniors, we continued group readings until the early stages of filming." He also mentioned, "Since it was my first historical drama, I watched many historical dramas in a short time to think about which tone would suit me best."

His horseback riding skills reportedly improved significantly. He said, "By the end of filming, I was able to ride well alone without a stunt double, but I also felt a sense of regret about that," and added, "I am originally clumsy and very shy about dancing in front of others, but I worked hard to learn dance at an academy for the scene where I had to perform the Cheoyongmu dance."

Interpreting the character 'Lee Heon', inspired by the tyrant Yeonsangun of Joseon, was also a challenging task. Lee Chae-min stated, "Lee Heon was the character I had the deepest pain with and required a lot of energy among the roles I've played so far," and expressed his anxiety, saying, "I was worried if I could express this depth in a short time." He added, "Every day I looked at the script and the mirror, thinking about how to smile to look more treacherous, and on the other hand, how to act to make the tyrant look lovable."

He described Lee Heon as "a mad tyrant, but I thought he also had a childlike innocence and a warm heart," and said, "Fortunately, people around me told me that depending on how my face looks, I can appear sharp or innocent, so I tried to believe those words and start from myself."

The emotional acting in the latter half of the drama was reportedly even more challenging. Lee Chae-min shared, "The more scripts I received, the greater the pressure I felt," and said, "If I couldn't shed tears, I thought it would be a very difficult scene for me." He expressed gratitude, saying, "Fortunately, on set, seniors like Im Yoon-a and various staff members gave me a lot of time until I could capture the emotions, which helped me a lot in acting."

Acting out the taste of 'food', which is a key element of this work, was also a new challenge for him. Lee Chae-min said, "It was really not easy to act," and added, "There were many embarrassing moments, but since it was a drama where food was the main character, I approached it with a heavy sense of responsibility." He mentioned, "I researched how to eat in a way that looks delicious yet comfortable by watching food-related animations and YouTube videos."

Regarding the scene where he eats deer tongue dish and suddenly plays in a reed field, he said, "That was the moment I felt the most 'reality check'," and added, "But this scene received a hot response on set, and I think Lee Heon's madness was well expressed, so I was most satisfied with it."

Among the foods he tasted on set, he found the 'Beef Bourguignon' presented by Yeon Ji-young during the first competition with the Ming Dynasty to be the most impressive. Lee Chae-min recalled, "I originally loved eating, but the Beef Bourguignon short ribs were so delicious that even after the 'cut' sign, I kept passing the food around."

He emphasized that the chemistry and romance with his co-star Im Yoon-a played a significant role. He said, "Im Yoon-a is someone I respect greatly for her values, and there is so much to learn from her as an actor and as a person," and added, "I followed her lead in the romantic scenes, and I am just grateful that it was well received. I think her role was significant."

The drama concluded with a happy ending where Lee Heon travels to the present and reunites with Yeon Ji-young. Amid various opinions among viewers about Lee Heon's time-slip method, Lee Chae-min said, "I want to say I came through the power of love," and added, "I acted thinking that the Book of Fate helped because of my love for Ji-young."

Having gained attention through 〈Bon Appétit, Your Majesty〉, he emphasized the uniqueness of this work. He said, "Every work I participate in is precious, but this work was special because I met respected seniors and directors, which has motivated me for my future acting career," and added, "It has become a driving force for me to engage with even greater passion."

Regarding his next project, he expressed interest in roles in chaebol families or noir works. He stated, "Before being a good actor, I want to be a good person, and I will strive to not lose my original intention."