"I Realized It When I Became the Real Boss"... Lee Junho Proves His Success with 'Typhoon Company' with Three Consecutive Hits

Actor Lee Junho has done it again. Following MBC 〈The Red Sleeve〉 (17.4%) and JTBC 〈King the Land〉 (13.8%), tvN 〈Typhoon Company〉 recorded a peak rating of 10.3%, setting a remarkable record of 'double-digit ratings for all works after military service.'

In an interview held at a cafe in Seongdong-gu, Seoul on the 2nd, Lee Junho said, "I hoped that viewers would feel that the character Kang Taepung was a strong support for them. I wanted them to think it would be nice to have someone like a typhoon in their family or company."

〈Typhoon Company〉 depicts the story of Kang Taepung, who suddenly became the president of Typhoon Company after losing his father due to the 1997 IMF financial crisis, overcoming adversity and growing alongside his company members.

Lee Junho stated, "Since I did not directly experience the IMF era, I could not fully understand my parents' hardships at that time. I thought this work was a story that connects those who experienced the IMF era with those who do not know about it."

Recalling his childhood memories, he said, "When I was young, my parents worked, so I spent a lot of time alone. At that time, the ladies from the upstairs and downstairs would take care of the children, and I naturally mingled with neighborhood friends. The romanticism of that time was that people could share affection without calculation," and emphasized, "I hoped that viewers would also feel the romance and warmth of that time."

Regarding the pressure of the title role(the protagonist whose name is in the title), he replied, "Rather than the pressure of having to carry the work, I felt a strong need for the character I was portraying to resonate clearly with the viewers." He explained, "Kang Taepung is an honest character who gets angry like fire when he is mad and smiles brighter than anyone else when he laughs," adding, "I thought that the unfiltered expression of Taepung's emotions needed to be well conveyed in my acting for the viewers to believe in this character."

Having recently established a one-person planning company and become a real company president, he laughed, saying, "In fact, running a company like Taepung is not easy." He continued, "There were frustrating moments where I thought, 'Why would he make such a choice?' because Taepung prioritizes people too much, but I thought that such a trait was a legacy I received from my father, who always said 'people come first,' and I acted accordingly."

Lee Junho, who had a deep affection for the work, suggested various ideas and ad-libs on set. "The scenes in the early part of the drama where I pierced rebar or frying pans with safety shoes, and the scene where I wrote wishes on the soles of my shoes were ideas I proposed, and thankfully, they were all accepted," he recalled, adding, "As I comfortably exchanged lines with the other actors, ad-libs naturally came out."

He revealed that in the later part of the drama, the scene where Kang Taepung drinks soju at his father's favorite restaurant was originally not a tearful scene, but while reflecting on what his father might have felt in the first episode, natural emotional acting came out.

The 16-episode 〈Typhoon Company〉 progressed with a somewhat long breath and repetitive developments, which disappointed some viewers, but Lee Junho said, "I acted believing in the production team's opinion that not only the historical issue of the IMF era but also the presence of a villain who could evoke public outrage was necessary."

Lee Junho said, "Although I received a lot of praise for this work, the compliment that there was no actor Lee Junho, only the real Kang Taepung, is the one that remains most in my memory," adding, "This work made me feel a layer lighter and allowed me to fully embrace the character's emotions."

Regarding his future goals, he stated, "Regardless of the work or genre, my biggest goal is to become an actor that makes people want to watch just because I am acting."