Lee Do Hyun Talks About His "The Glory" Character, Chemistry With Song Hye Kyo, And More

Mar 17, 2023

“The Glory” star Lee Do Hyun has joined Cosmopolitan for a new pictorial and interview!

First released this past December, “The Glory” is hit writer Kim Eun Sook’s newest project that tells the story of a former victim of brutal school violence who swears revenge on her bullies after becoming the elementary school homeroom teacher of her bully’s kid. Song Hye Kyo stars as the vengeful protagonist Moon Dong Eun, while Lee Do Hyun plays the complicated male lead Joo Yeo Jeong.

Joo Yeo Jeong is a character with a lot of narratives: he is a plastic surgeon who plays Go, experienced the painful loss of his father, and voluntarily becomes an accomplice in taking revenge of a woman he loves. When asked about how he felt reading the script for the first time, Lee Do Hyun recalled, “There was no ending in the script, so every scene was like a mystery for me. There were so many questions about the character, so I asked writer Kim Eun Sook [about the character], but she told me, ‘Don’t worry. It will all be revealed later.'”

Lee Do Hyun added, “I hoped viewers found Yeo Jeong mysterious as well. Even in romantic scenes, I had to act without overdoing it but also not be too stingy with expressions [at the same time]. When starting filming, I discussed with Song Hye Kyo, the director, and the writer to adjust the level [of emotions]. Most parts were improvised on the spot, but the tuning process was fun.”

When asked about his chemistry with Song Hye Kyo, Lee Do Hyun shared, “I’ve learned a lot [from her]. Screen acting is different from stage acting, so there are a lot of restrictions on the movement because the [camera] angle is fixed. It was always difficult for me to move as little as possible but to extract the maximum energy [within the shot]. Song Hye Kyo is an actress who is really good at that. Her emotions are conveyed so well without having to express herself. This is a bit contradictory, but I thought, ‘She is a real acting master.'”

Lee Do Hyun shared that his tone of voice is the fruits of his practice and effort. He commented, “My high school friends ask me a lot about why my voice changed. I went through a lot of training and picked up various vocal techniques while preparing to apply for the theatre and film department. It’s not like my original voice is gone completely. But it’s like the tone of voice I mainly use has been settled down with this tone. If I were to take on a flippant character, I might act with my original tone of voice. Being able to change my tone of voice depending on the characters has become my weapon.”