'If you want attention, steal something bigger': Lee Jae-wook discusses his 'ambitious and intense' character in K-drama The Impossible Heir

If you encounter a school bully, the last thing you may want is to join forces with them.

But that's what Han Tae-oh (played by Lee Jae-wook) in the upcoming K-drama The Impossible Heir does.

The story begins with Tae-oh using his wits to get his abusive stepfather thrown in jail. After moving to a new town with his mother, he attracts the attention of the town bully, Kang In-ha (Lee Jun-young) with his stellar grades.

Instead of cowing, Tae-oh suggests helping In-ha, who is the illegitimate child of a conglomerate head, to rise up the ranks and eventually get to the top of his father's empire.

"Han Tae-oh is a highly ambitious and intense character," Jae-wook said in an interview shared with AsiaOne. "He is persistent, and once he sets his mind to a task, he pursues it until it's accomplished."

Tae-oh is also skilled at keeping a poker face, the 25-year-old added, which led Jae-wook to change his acting style to "avoid expressing too many emotions" in favour of subtlety.

When it came to encompassing Tae-oh's ambitions, Jae-wook shared his favourite, albeit brutal, line from the character: "If you want attention, steal something bigger. Don't waste your time on such petty trash."

Despite the brutal and cutthroat nature of the plot, Jae-wook and Jun-young, 27, enjoyed their time as castmates with each other and the female lead, Hong Su-zu.

"We had so many conversations together discussing our character dynamics," Jae-wook said. "The series has so many twists and turns that we had to constantly chat to make sure we were all portraying our characters to the best of our abilities.

Jun-young disagreed: "Rather than having particular discussions about how to portray our character dynamics, we made an effort to build a close friendship off-screen.

"It paid off because it translated into great on-screen chemistry. It was great becoming such good friends with my castmates."

Su-zu, 30, plays the mysterious Na Hye-won who is equally as ambitious as Tae-ho and has a similarly tragic past as him, which draws her to Tae-ho. She is also attracted to In-ho's power.

Caught between the two men, she makes a decision that changes everything. The "complex web of lies, betrayal and ambition" the trio are caught in threatens to tear them apart.

"I was drawn to the character because she is a proactive and ambitious female character," she said. "I loved how smart, driven and confident she is, despite her family background."

However, with The Impossible Heir being Su-zu's first lead role, she was "scared and concerned" as to whether she could pull the role off.

Nevertheless, after studying the script intently and having conversations with the director "to make adjustments" before every shoot, Su-zu overcame that fear.

"Every moment in this process taught me so much — I felt grateful throughout," she added.

The Impossible Heir is available Feb 28 on Disney+.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCz0gP8Y2ag&ab_channel=DisneyPlusSingapore[/embed]

drimac@asiaone.com

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