Popular South Korean actor Lee Dong-wook has been keeping somewhat of a low profile after tvN drama 'Goblin,' where he played a grim reaper, ended on January 21. He was on an Asia fan meeting tour called 'For My Dear' recently and appeared in a few magazine interviews and photo shoots. No new drama or movie project of the actor has been announced. The actor has now revealed why he hasn't chosen a television or cinema project yet.
As noted by website Soompi, Lee Dong-wook sat down for an interview and photo shoot with High Cut magazine recently. Here the actor revealed that he has turned down many acting offers because they were mostly fantasy dramas and the actor didn't want to straightjacket himself in the genre. "If I were to play a similar character [to the one I did in 'Goblin'], taking on the same image, I'd feel like I were digging myself into a hole. I don't think it would be right to [go about my career that way]," the 35-year-old actor said.
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The actor also pointed out that even though he played only two wealthy characters in the past, in 'My Girl' and 'Scent of a Woman,' people thought he had played many such characters. "If an image sticks to you after just two roles, then I feel I should be careful to avoid that. I actually got offered a lot of roles in fantasy works after 'Goblin,' but I eventually turned them all down. I want to play a character that's nothing but real for my next role."
Lee Dong-wook's portrayal of the melancholic grim reaper; the harvester of souls to the afterlife, was so successful that it popularised the character in Korean culture once again. A new drama was created by OCN titled 'Black' which will concentrate on the grim reaper itself. Actor Song Seung-heon will be portraying a different and darker version of the grim reaper in this new drama.
As noted by Soompi in another article, Song Seung-heon's grim reaper will be more apathetic towards death and will follow strict instructions, collect souls and protect death itself. Unlike Lee Dong-wook's character, Song Seung-heon's version is completely incapable of understanding human emotions and is projected to be a colder character.
Mystery drama 'Black' will air after OCN's upcoming drama 'Save Me.'
