MBC Plus’ latest coming-of-age series, “My Idol, My Debut”, follows a devoted fan whose life takes an unexpected turn when they travel eight years into the past in a desperate attempt to prevent a tragedy surrounding their beloved idol. However, as they set out to rewrite fate and protect the star they admire, they find themselves pulled into the world of entertainment, becoming an idol trainee and experiencing the challenges, dreams, and discoveries that come with chasing the same stage they once watched from afar.
We caught up with Lee Jin-hyuk, who takes on the role of E. Sun in the drama, for an exclusive interview! Read on to learn more about his experience bringing the character to life, his journey as an actor, and what viewers can look forward to from “My Idol, My Debut”.
| Q: Hello, Lee Jin-hyuk! For readers who are meeting you for the first time, how would you introduce yourself in your own words? |
| Lee Jin-hyuk: Hello, I’m Lee Jin-hyuk, and I play E. Sun of BOY TO THE MOON in “My Idol, My Debut”. Great to meet you! |
| Q: You have experienced different stages of the entertainment industry. What is one lesson you have learned that continues to guide you today? |
| Lee Jin-hyuk: Perseverance, more than anything. I’ve come through a lot of hard stretches going back to my trainee days, and what they taught me is that working hard matters. But what you need even more is the perseverance to keep at it and not give up. |
| Q: Since “My Idol, My Debut” is a story about dreams and the journey of becoming an idol, what does the word “dream” mean to you at this stage of your life? |
| Lee Jin-hyuk: For me, a dream is still in the present tense – still unfolding. The way I picture it, a dream is something bright and radiant, and I want to share mine with my fans. I hope that feeling reaches viewers through this drama too. |
| Q: What was your first impression of “My Idol, My Debut”, and what made you want to become part of this drama? |
| Lee Jin-Hyuk: The drama follows trainees pushing toward their idol debut. Of course, you could never fit every step of what they go through into one show, but I thought their hunger and their passion would come through to viewers clearly enough. I went through those years myself, so I was curious what it would look like, an ex-idol playing a trainee all over again. It felt like I could build on my own experience and show people something new, and that’s what decided it. |
| Q: What was it like creating the chemistry and teamwork between the members of BOY TO THE MOON? |
| Lee Jin-Hyuk: Chang-min, who plays Jae-ha, and I didn’t cross paths much during filming, but we already knew each other from before. We became closer through this project, and we talked a lot about what kind of rhythm we’d have to build to come across as members of a real group. Jin-gyu and Ho-hyeon joined later, so there wasn’t much time to work on the chemistry, but they’re such pros that we found it naturally on-set within a single day. |
| Q: If BOY TO THE MOON were a real idol group, what role do you think you would naturally take within the team? |
| Lee Jin-Hyuk: Just like in the series, I think I’d have been the cheerful one of the bunch. And of course, I’d have been handling the visuals too (haha). |
| Q: What was the most enjoyable part of filming “My Idol, My Debut”? |
| Lee Jin-hyuk: E. Sun has so much energy and he’s such an oddball that I think the other actors had fun with him too. A lot of the cast were around my age, so the set itself was bright and easy, and that made the whole shoot so enjoyable. |
| Q: What is something you hope fans will discover about Lee Jin-hyuk through “My Idol, My Debut”? |
| Lee Jin-hyuk: This role called for a completely different kind of acting from anything I’d done, so I’m hoping fans find a new side of me and think, “Oh, Jin-hyuk can do this too.” |
| Q: After taking on different roles as an artist, what kinds of characters or stories would you like to explore in the future? |
| Lee Jin-hyuk: I’d love to play a villain in a genre piece. On the complete opposite end, I’d really like to be the lead in a deep, intense romance as well. I haven’t yet done either, so I’m curious how I’d turn out in them. |
We would like to thank L’July Entertainment for the opportunity for this interview!
Photo courtesy: L’July Entertainment
