Lee Jae-wook reveals he turned down ‘Alchemy of Souls’ role at first: “It was too difficult”

South Korean actor Lee Jae-wook has recently opened up about his leading role on the hit fantasy K-drama Alchemy of Souls, revealing that he had initially turned down the project.

• READ MORE: ‘Alchemy of Souls: Light And Shadow’ review: hyped fantasy K-drama sharpens its focus

Following the conclusion of Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow over the weekend, the 24-year-old actor spoke to South Korean media outlet XSportsNews about the hit fantasy series. During the interview, Lee shared that he originally turned down the project due to the complexity of the series’ fictional history and lore.

“I was flustered,” the actor revealed, as translated by Soompi. “As you know, it was an incredibly difficult set-up and the situations were novel, so it was hard to imagine. It was a script with new spaces and settings.”

“To be honest, I turned it down at first. It was too difficult and I wondered whether I’d be able to pull this project off well,” Lee went on to explain, adding that he eventually decided to take on the role of series lead Jang-uk to challenge himself.

“From the actor’s perspective, I’m incredibly satisfied with the results. Also, isn’t this a drama you don’t know when you’ll encounter again? I’m counting on the fact that I concluded well,” Lee added.

In a five-star review of Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow, NME’s Tanu I. Raj praised its pacing and storyline, writing: “The successor to Alchemy of Souls is emerging as a focused show, where filler only offers much-needed respite or contributes to character dynamics. In being cognisant of the misses the first time around, this so-far satisfying sequel looks set to do justice to the original story without pandering to increased viewership.”

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