Before he dominates the TV screens of Filipinos soon, it’s about time to get to know Sang Heon Lee
After captivating the hearts of many as Min Ho in XO, Kitty, Sang Heon Lee is bound to steal more hearts, with Filipinos the main target of the heist. After his breakthrough role in the Netflix series, a project in the Philippines was not in the bingo card of both Lee and his fans. But as good things could come unexpectedly, MEGA had the chance to sit down with the actor in the midst of a busy schedule for his upcoming series. And before we see him on Secret Ingredient with Julia Barretto, he gave us a closer look on who he is beyond his craft.
A passion turned project
In his previous interviews, the 27-year-old would proclaim himself as a foodie, both experimenting on the side of eating and making food. What better way to satisfy his gastronomic cravings than staying in a country whose dishes spoke for its colorful culture? His coming to the Philippines was familiar to him, even though this was his first, and hopefully not the last, project in the country. Like the country, he was also a melting pot of traditions and practices from different worlds being Korean-born and Hong Kong-raised.
Indeed, he had a number of favorites from the array of Filipino flavors. Right off the bat, he mentioned the vegetable dish gising-gising. “It’s so good with garlic rice, and some chicken or beef adobo,” he noted. If you want a rundown of the establishments he was fond of, he gave us a few choices: Andok’s, Chooks To Go, Jollibee, and Mary Grace.
“I like sisig and street food. Balut. I think the Philippines has a lot of good [choices], especially mangoes,” he concludes.
When it came to getting his hands dirty in the kitchen, it was brought out of the need to explore and experiment. “I can’t always order and go around eating in restaurants,” Lee says. “I’ve grown interested in the flavors [involved in] cooking, in dishes. I just got naturally interested [in it].”
A move to keeping it up
For an artist, underscoring one’s health came hand in hand with not just feeling but also looking good. To tone his muscles and keep himself on the move, Sang Heon Lee would dedicate his time to wall climbing. A sport casually introduced by his friends, it now became a passion enough for the actor to document his climbing activities on Instagram.
“It’s been two and a half years since I started rock climbing,” he looked back. After trying his shot in the gym for the Korean trend called “body profile,” he wanted to look for another way to move his body. “Ever since that, I stopped going to the gym because I hated it,” he chuckles.
Spending a considerable amount of time in the Philippines, he also visited a number of climbing spots here. “It was fun, definitely surprising!” he comments. “I was surprised by the heat here. It’s a different vibe here, so I enjoyed that a lot.”
The secret ingredients to his craft
Wrapping up the interview, we circled back to the reason why he was here—his craft. Now that he is set to play more roles after Secret Ingredient, there are more roles to build. How does he form his characters and even his own mood as Sang Heon Lee? Through music. “I listen to songs anywhere and everywhere I go,” he says.
He would also turn to series and films to build his part as a character in reality. “They inspire me to work harder to become a better actor. [Films and series help me] to become more adventurous and explorative. It’s research. They also motivate me to work harder for this career.” Going into specifics, he emphasizes his inclination to the films of Quentin Tarantino and Guy Ritchie. “It’s that noir, comedy-action that I love,” he cites.
Truthfully, Sang Heon Lee has a long way to go in his career. But even if he can call this chapter a part of the beginning, he has already picked up lessons along the way. “I think, other than the obvious fact of listening to your parents, listening to your friends, and all that, just try to be you. Don’t lose yourself,” the actor advises. “Don’t be afraid to fail or be discouraged by other people around you. You can’t please everyone. It’s okay to fall because you would have to rise up again. Also, you don’t have to be particularly nice to everyone. Again, you can’t please everyone. Naturally, you just don’t have to be a rude person in general. But at the same time, you have to be nice to everyone.”
“Don’t be afraid to fail or be discouraged by other people around you. You can’t please everyone. It’s okay to fall because you would have to rise up again
– Sang Heon Lee
Read more about Sang Heon Lee and his future plans in MEGA’s March 2024 issue, now available on Readly, Magzter, Press Reader and Zinio.
Photography ALAN SEGUI. Creative direction JONES PALTENG. Styling RYUJI SHIOMITSU, Grooming PAMM MERRERA. Hair KIM ROY OPOG. Multimedia Artist ANDREW ENCAPAS. Sittings Editors MIA CASTRO, BAM ABELLON, and LAURD SALEN. Photography Assistants JEO LUIS JINGCO and LYNDON KYLE ASUNCION. Styling Assistant BITHIA REYES and SHAIRA ABRAHAM. Interns AARON DE CHAVEZ and SAMANTHA TOBIAS, Special thanks to MEGAN SILVERMAN of AVENUE ARTIST MANAGEMENT and JEFFREY CHASSEN of VISION PR LOS ANGELES, STUDIO SEGUI and NIKKI MARTEL.
