Lee Min-ho says his biggest takeaway from 〈Assassins(Deul)〉 was seeing Heo Jin-ho, Yoo Hae-jin and Park Hae-il up close

※ This interview with actor Lee Min-ho about 〈Assassins(Deul)〉 continues from Part 1.

In the film, you worked with Shim Eun-kyung, who plays Lee Kang-ja, the character who assists Yeong-il in Japan. What was it like acting with her?

Shim Eun-kyung is actually very shy. We did not have long conversations. I’m not the type to talk through every choice with a scene partner. I prefer to feel things out and give a raw reaction, so I mostly observed her. She’s a stranger, just like the character. Yeong-il has a mission he must carry out without anyone knowing, and when he encounters Shim Eun-kyung’s character there comes a moment when his guard starts to drop. There was originally a scene where, while driving, he offers her a candy, but it was cut. I thought those small moments were how the film showed the characters’ feelings and chipped away at the wall between them.

Yeong-il is the only person connected to the innocent victim Choi Seung-hwa (Choi Yu-ri) in the film. How did you try to fold that into your portrayal?

About that feeling — and I wonder if it’s okay to say this — when the Russia–Ukraine war first broke out the focus fell largely on the war and the geopolitical situation. If you look a little closer, the people who were truly harmed are the civilian victims who aren’t mentioned. That made me realize how important it is for people who have a platform, or who are in a position to address those issues, to speak for people who are overlooked and rarely mentioned. I think I projected a lot onto the role Choi Yu-ri plays. But I felt it would be over the top to have Yeong-il move solely out of a sense of debt, so I tried to have that feeling buried among other emotions and expressed subtly.

At the script stage, I heard Yeong-il had a smaller role than he does now, but you still decided to join the film.

I didn’t receive the version where his part was extremely small. I think it was withheld strategically. (laughs) The version I did see was smaller than the role in the final film, but I felt Yeong-il was alive and breathing, so I thought it was enough and signed on. Director Heo Jin-ho isn’t very talkative. He said something like, "I’m not perfect either, and what matters is whether something is true based on what we show." That’s his style. So until the second shoot he had clear demands, but after that he seemed to trust me completely.

This is a lead role for you, but you were working alongside senior actors. Did the set feel different?

At first I worried I needed to blend in well among them. After the first day of shooting and checking the monitor, I gained confidence. After that I tried to be free while drawing on the steadiness of the director and the veteran actors. I received a lot of affection. Coffee trucks came by often. They seemed to enjoy the coffee. (laughs) And the veteran actors asked me a lot of questions — asked out of curiosity and affection. If there’s no affection, people don’t ask questions.

You mentioned Yoo Hae-jin told you that you raised thoughts he’d never considered and called you a very smart actor. What did you talk about?

It was probably about this. I’ve been interested in AI for several years. Yoo Hae-jin said he spends a lot of time in nature and doesn’t come into contact with new things very often. (laughter) I think this is an era when you need to be better at asking questions than at exclamation points. Exclamation points are something AI can do better than humans now, so we must be good at questioning to remain meaningful as humans and as actors. When I talk about this, I think Yoo Hae-jin felt it too. For example, he’ll watch a vlog of someone making coffee. A vlog showing a person’s hands might run ten or twenty minutes, but when a robot arm appears to make the coffee, viewers stop watching. In that sense, although technology can ultimately replace many things, I think we will return to craving and wanting things that convey a human warmth.

Which villain in the film left the strongest impression on you?

Probably Park Hoon, who plays Kim Sang-pil. (laughs) But I don’t think the film contains anyone who qualifies as a clear-cut villain. Even he is a character doing his best to survive in that position. I don’t think there’s an outright monstrous villain in the work, but I’m curious to see how audiences will feel.

Last year, you headed to theaters with 〈Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint〉, but the result was somewhat disappointing.

I’m disappointed, too. As a big plan, there was an arc where Yoo Joong-hyuk (played by Lee Min-ho) and Kim Dok-ja (played by Han Hyo-seop) switch positions in Part 2, and I wanted to do that part but couldn’t. The second story is where relationships get deeper and more entangled — where the story I really wanted to tell appears. It’s an IP that represents Korea, so if there’s any way to revive it, I’d like to participate.

What kinds of characters do you want to play going forward?

By next year I’ll be firmly in my 40s, so I have a desire to emphasize an adult kind of sexiness. (laughs) I need to start building that adult sexiness myself next year. (laughs) I want to think about what "sexy" means in this era. I think I’ll end up playing characters that feel more like weeds than like well-kept flowers.

Your past work and recent projects have a different tone. Do you have criteria now for choosing projects?

Over the past five years, I generally decided not to do romantic comedies. I’ve also prioritized projects where the story comes first rather than any single character being highlighted. That’s why I’ve been drawn to works like 〈Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint〉 and 〈Pachinko〉, where focus shifts among many actors and there’s a larger story that ties everything together.

You were widely loved for romantic comedies in the past, and some fans still quietly hope you’ll return to rom-coms. What do you think about that?

I asked Director Heo once what he’d want to do for a final film and he said he’d like to do a melodrama. I think love stories are something we should carry with us regardless of age — they’re part of us until the end. But the kind of rom-com where you fall in love at first sight like in your twenties… if Lee Min-ho were to fall in love at first sight now, it wouldn’t fit his age. (laughs) Maybe it’s time for a different kind of love story. Rather than youthful, fiery rom-coms, any romance or rom-com I do now should include the sensibility of my current age. If I simply repeat the rom-coms of my 20s now, I don’t think I’d generate new energy. Still, I think I’ll keep telling stories about love — it’s an important, intuitive, and powerful subject in life.

If you were to make your final work, what genre would you choose?

I’d like to shoot a real documentary. I think it would be valuable to leave something unprocessed. In the AI era the question of what it means to be human keeps coming up. We live within a fixed time and we know there will be an end, so we feel loneliness and emptiness. Each person uses their allotted time differently, but as a living being of this era I wonder how I would arrange my ending and leave a raw account of it. That alone would prove my times and existence in a meaningful way, even if it doesn’t attract attention.

You’ve been ranked the most beloved Korean actor by international fans for 13 years running (according to the "2026 Overseas Hallyu Survey"). Why do you think fans around the world love you so much?

I think it comes down to emotion. The roles I did in my 20s portrayed clumsy, pure love, and I think that feeling transcends culture and experience. Looking back, I’m glad I left that emotional imprint. Back then there was a lot of talk like, "Focus on romance, do more films, that’s how you become a movie star." But I’m not young anymore, and I don’t want to live to suit someone else’s taste or perspective. There’s an absolute premise that I should become a better person to meet those expectations. "Being a good person" can sound clichéd or boring, but I believe it contains a lot. Fundamentally, I want to be someone who can embrace more people, and that would let me portray and hold more characters and stories. Living without worrying about others’ opinions and in the direction I want to feel is my personal life approach.

How is Lee Min-ho different before and after he started acting?

Before I started acting I was somewhat starved. If you call me a person focused on success, then after experiencing love and having to take responsibility I became someone who wrestles more with essential questions. Even now, when I’m thrown into a situation I prioritize and consider what action would be best.

Yoo Hae-jin jokingly called you his 'little brother' (laughter). What was it like working with him?

We don’t have many scenes together, but in certain fleeting moments I felt a life and intensity in his eyes. That raw feeling is something he’s carried for decades. I think it’s very difficult to keep that wildness and rawness while living. In interviews he often says he wants to remain raw, and in that sense I feel Yoo Hae-jin views life very instinctively. He seems to value nature and time alone, and I wanted to capture that side of him — I was very inspired by it.

You’re heading to the Toronto International Film Festival now. How do you feel about that?

We’ll have to go and see. (laughs) I’ve traveled overseas on many schedules since I was young, but I haven’t experienced a film festival, so I’m excited. It’s my first time. I’m going not just as Lee Min-ho alone but with people who love 〈Assassins(Deul)〉; I think it will be a warm time with people who love the film.

What is the greatest achievement you took away from this film?

Feeling the chemistry and energy of Yoo Hae-jin and Park Hae-il up close was the biggest gain. Not just for me, but being able to sense the rhythm and energy of such respected actors close at hand was an enormous experience. That includes Director Heo Jin-ho as well.

The Chuseok box office is expected to be very competitive. Are you confident?

Still, with Yoo Hae-jin, who this year became a '10-million admissions' actor, leading the cast and a variety of performers, I think people will pay attention. For me, the greatest satisfaction would be hearing that the film feels fresh.

Finally, is there anything you’d like to say to the audience?

Please show 〈Assassins(Deul)〉 lots of love. (laughter)