[STAR DIARY] Lee Min-ho - Part 4

In 2008, Lee Min-ho appeared in one project after another; producer Lee Jae-dong's mini-drama "I Don't Know Very Well But..", drama "I Am Sam" and films "Public Enemy Returns" and "Our School E.T."

"Personally, 'I Don't Know Very Well But..' left a very strong impression on me. We shot it for three weeks, travelling all around the country. It was a single-episode drama about two rebellious outsiders going on a trip together, but I myself could feel that my acting was improving while working on it. Although I got apprehended a lot [by the director] I felt like I was doing something right acting-wise. It felt like I had moved up to a different level."

"Public Enemy Returns" was Lee Min-ho's first feature film. "Even though I wasn't a complete newcomer at the time, I think I was excited because it was my first movie. And I was very glad to work with people that I admire like director Kang Woo-suk and actor Sul Kyung-gu. I felt like I was receiving their energy and that I had become a movie star and it felt great. Working on a film was different from working on a drama. I loved the get-togethers after work too."

He said he had fun shooting his next project, "Our School E.T." because his co-stars were people that he was close with. "Director Park Kwang-choon told me that he enjoyed watching 'Mackerel Run.' So a lot of the actors who were in 'Mackerel Run' worked on 'Our School E.T.'" (laugh)

This is when he became very close friends with actor Kim Su-ro. "Kim Su-ro was very good to me. He took care of me like he was my actual teacher. That's why I think I was able to feel comfortable during the shoot."

When Kim Su-ro appeared on KBS2 variety show "Win Win" on March 16, he said, "I recognize a star when I see one. When I was doing 'Our School E.T.', I knew that Lee Min-ho would become one of the top actors in the country." He also added, "Min-ho is also one of the nicest people I know. He has become a top star now but he still calls me often. He is so adorable that it almost drives me crazy." He joked that "once you've become a top star, it is not easy to call [old friends]. But Lee Min-ho still calls every now and then. When he calls me, my whole family freaks out." He jokingly said.

Lee Min-ho revealed a surprising incident that had happened during the shooting. "All the actors and crew were eating seafood ramen at a restaurant and suddenly a gang member shows up. He starts a video call on his phone and shoves it in front of Kim's face. When my manager told him not to do that, he grabbed my manager's head and threw the boiling seafood ramen into his face. My manager even got burns on his face. Kim calmed the gangsters down and so nothing else happened but I was really shocked."



Reporter : Ko Jae-wan star@
Editor : Lynn Kim lynn2878@