Lee Ki Woo Dishes On His "Miraculous Brothers" Character And Experience While Filming

Jun 27, 2023

Ahead of the “Miraculous Brothers” premiere, actor Lee Ki Woo has taken the time to introduce his character, reveal how he prepared for the role, and more!

JTBC’s “Miraculous Brothers” is a mystery drama about the miracles made through time and the search for truth by Yook Dong Joo (Jung Woo), an aspiring writer with tons of debt, and a mysterious boy named Kang San (Bae Hyun Sung), who has unique powers. The drama will be the 11th collaboration in 24 years between director Park Chan Hong and writer Kim Ji Woo.

Lee Ki Woo plays Lee Myung Seok, the president of a publishing company and the younger brother of Tae Kang Group’s chairman Lee Tae Man (Lee Sung Wook). He is a second generation chaebol who has both good looks and a clever brain. However, despite having everything, he feels inferior to his college classmate Yook Dong Joo.

Introducing his character, Lee Ki Woo shared “Myung Seok is a second generation chaebol who seems like an ordinary person and friendly on the outside, but in actuality, he is full of pretense, hypocrisy, and a sense of privilege.” He added, “In fact, Myung Seok wanted to be a successful writer, but he couldn’t afford to, so that’s why he feels jealous and envious of Dong Joo, who has become a best-selling author, and even shows insecurities and pettiness that are uncharacteristic of a chaebol.”

He continued, “In fact, Myung Seok is also a person who desires to rise further and get to the top of the group. He voluntarily took over the publishing company in order to revamp the image of the group that has been tainted with scandalous rumors such as slush funds and management issues.”

On how he was able to portray such a two-faced character, the actor revealed that he pondered on how to portray the character for so long but figured it out after discussing with the director. He shared, “I thought about it a lot because it was the role of a villain.” Revealing how he received help from the director, he shared, “The director told me that it was okay to be insecure and petty, so when I feel envious and jealous of Dong Joo, I should comfortably do whatever I want. So I thought hard about how to make Myung Seok seem mean and how to express his inferiority complex.”

Lee Ki Woo, who previously worked with director Park Chan Hong and writer Kim Ji Woo on the 2016 drama “Miracle,” recalled that there was “so much fun and happiness” on the filming set back then. He went on to reveal why he pondered on the portrayal of his “Miraculous Brothers” character for so long and also revealed what the atmosphere on set was like. He shared, “I wanted to show director Park Chan Hong and writer Kim Ji Woo an improved performance.” Regarding the filming set, he commented, “Once again, it was fun and enjoyable,” adding, “Above all, the respect for all actors in front of the camera, regardless of the size of their roles, made me feel grateful and rewarded, so I was very determined not to interfere with the work of the director and writer, whom I trust and respect.”

Wrapping up, Lee Ki Woo shared, “We think of miracles as fantasies, but they actually exist around us, and magical things that change the world happen because of those miracles. In the drama ‘Miraculous Brothers,’ a miracle in which fantasy becomes reality occurs. I hope that this story can provide a glimpse of hope in the midst of all the absurdity and harshness of life.”