LEE JUN-HO: STRIPPING AWAY THE LEGACY TO FIND THE ACTOR

FROM PLAYING A SUPERHERO IN NETFLIX'S 'CASHERO' TO TAKING ON A VILLAIN ROLE IN THE UPCOMING FRANCHISE FILM ‘VETERAN, LEE JUN-HO DISCUSSES HOW SEEKING OUT NEW NARRATIVES BECOMES HIS ULTIMATE CREATIVE RESET.

- By DEBASHREE DUTTA

To truly understand the metamorphosis of Lee Jun-ho, you have to look past the charming smile that defined an era of K-drama romance. The 2PM star-turned-actor is currently orchestrating a deliberate shift toward roles that demand blood, sweat, and a fair amount of psychological darkness. Far from the polished soundbites of a global idol and stripping away the layers of chaebol-cool that have followed him since King the Land (2023), Lee opens up to Rolling Stone India about the weight of his own legacy.

“I think it’s simply a natural progression,” he says with the calm of a man who has outgrown his comfort zone. In a refreshingly frank interview, he chooses to bypass the usual PR-friendly scripts to discuss the raw hunger driving his new era, which is as much about finding himself as it is about finding a new character. This isn’t a pivot away from his roots, but a reach for a higher peak. “I’m drawn to creating new characters and enjoy exploring new projects as a way of delivering new messages. Even if, in hindsight, the characters or messages overlap, the act of pursuing creativity is what is truly important to me.”

This pursuit of a “steeper mountain” has led him to the high-stakes world of Cashero (2025), where he plays Kang Sang-woong, a superhero whose bank balance dictates his power. It’s a role that requires a punishing level of physical discipline, but for Lee Jun-ho, the action is just another form of dialogue. “I want to show the audience that I’ve become the character entirely, from head to toe, portraying the finest details,” he explains. He’s meticulous about the weight of every movement, insisting that “nothing should feel hollow or without purpose. If I can convince the audience that I’m truly one with the character, I believe it would also allow them to be fully immersed in that moment until the very end.”

Lee loves that