'Doctor Cha Jeong-sook' Min Woo-hyuk "I became a husband recognized by Lee Se-mi, I don't envy anyone"

“People say to my wife, ‘It would be nice to live with Roy.’ Then she would say, ‘My husband is not Roy.’ (Laughs) These days, I don’t envy anyone. .It's not easy to be recognized by my family. I'm so happy that my wife is proud of me."

Actor Min Woo-hyuk, who we met on the 2nd at a cafe in Gangnam-gu, was next to his wife, Lee Se-mi, a show host from the girl group LPG. The two, who are both married and co-representatives of their agency, did not hide their affection for each other even after 12 years of marriage.

JTBC's Saturday and Sunday drama 'Doctor Cha Jeong-sook', which ended on the 4th, is a work that contains the life story of Cha Jeong-suk (played by Uhm Jung-hwa), who became a resident in her first year from being a housewife for 20 years. In the play, Min Woo-hyuk took on the role of Roy Kim, a hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgeon, who has a straight romance toward Cha Jeong-suk, and succeeded in sniping women's hearts.

To Min Woo-hyeok, 'Cha Jeong-suk' is Lee Se-mi, his current wife. Min Woo-hyuk was able to exist today because of his wife's support from both sides. It was Lee Se-mi who quietly believed in him when he quit baseball due to an injury and endured a long life as an unknown singer and encouraged him to become a musical actor.

Min Woo-hyuk said, "When I think about the reason 'Doctor Cha Jeong-suk' has been so successful, it seems that housewives who got married, had children, and had career breaks while raising children sympathized with Cha Jeong-suk. I know how hard it is. The current CEO (wife) is just like that. She quits what she was doing and works hard for me. Seeing those things makes me feel grateful."

Min Woo-hyeok joined the LG Twins as a foster player in 2003, but retired six months later due to an injury. He said, "The timing was bad. I worked hard on all the training, but if a match date was set, I would get injured. Such things were repeated a lot. Under the circumstances, I only entered the first grade match record. I trained for six months and came up, but my ankle ligament was torn. At that time, I thought this path was not my path, so I gave up."

When asked about the reason he became a singer after retiring as a baseball player, he said, "I liked singing since I was little. There was a band at school, and even while practicing baseball, I would hum along to the band's performance. The singing contest at Migliore in Dongdaemun was all over. . Friends around me forced me to go out, but every time I went out, I got a prize."

He continued, "When I danced, everything looked like exercise. So when I was young, I went into a cold bath and practiced dancing by myself. Since my body doesn't move quickly when I move in it, I was able to break it down and practice." I wonder if it will be in the TOP 10,” he said confidently.

When asked if he would be willing to pitch the first pitch, Min Woo-hyeok said, "I haven't played baseball for 10 years. I haven't caught a ball much. If I get to pitch the first pitch, I think I'll have to build up my body for about a month. I know that I was a baseball player. It's very burdensome to know."

Min Woo-hyuk is a baseball player-turned-actor, and in 2018, he appeared as a singer of the national anthem for Game 6 of the Korean Series. He said, "I sang the national anthem during the round, and I got goosebumps the whole time I was walking. As a player, I couldn't stand on the Jamsil Stadium, but I succeeded as an actor to some extent and sang in front of my colleagues. It will be memorable,” he recalled.

If a casting offer comes from the variety show 'Strongest Baseball', "I will risk my life to make my body. It's a program I really like. I don't know if I could throw 120km if I made my body now" I guess," he said, trembling.

Min Woo-hyuk took on his first lead role in a drama through 'Doctor Cha Jeong-sook'. A famous star in musicals, but an unfamiliar face in dramas, it was director Kim Dae-jin's trust and affection that led him to see the light of day as Roy Kim.

Min Woo-hyuk said, "When I was first cast, the director put a lot of effort into it. There were many people who were worried when I was cast because it was an important role. They gave me a lot of affection. They always contacted me after each episode ended, and they even captured and sent good viewers' reactions."

When asked if he had a special relationship with the director, Min Woo-hyuk said, "No." He said he thought the same feeling would suit me well.”

Min Woo-hyuk said that he realized his popularity after 'Doctor Cha Jeong-suk' and said, "I lived in an apartment in Suji, Yongin for a very long time. I met and greeted the residents quite a bit, but after 'Cha Jeong-suk' aired, people I always met seemed to have seen it for the first time." Do you live here?' They said. Rumors spread that a celebrity lives in our neighborhood,” and laughed.

'Doctor Cha Jeong-suk' hit the jackpot by breaking through the viewership rating of 18%. In response, Min Woo-hyuk said, “The dramas that are doing well these days are stimulating and violent, but our drama is stimulating, but since it is a romantic comedy, I thought it would be fortunate if the average viewership rating was 5-7%.” “From the first episode, 4% I was surprised to see the high ratings, but I can't believe it keeps jumping up.

Thanks to this popularity, the actors of 'Doctor Cha Jeong-sook' went on a reward vacation. Min Woo-hyuk said, "I couldn't have imagined it. Senior Kim Byung-chul said he had been on a reward vacation several times. 'Mr. When the vacation was decided, I couldn't believe it to the extent that I said that it was all Kim Byung-chul's luck."

However, Min Woo-hyuk regretted it, saying, "Unfortunately, I can't go on a reward vacation. There is a musical 'Hero' performance in Busan. We decided to be together only with our hearts."

Was Roy Kim's heart toward Cha Jeong-suk love? Min Woo-hyuk said, "When I first set up Roy, I worried a lot about whether his feelings for Jeong-suk were love, sympathy, or a lack of family." I think I thought it was a true parent's look when I saw her devotion to her husband and child. Seeing such a person being ignored and not recognized by her family, she must have had a heart of sympathy, and a strong desire to protect and support her. same,” he explained.

He then said that even if he was Roy, he would have tried to give Jeong-suk a liver transplant. "Roy only has Cha Jeong-suk. I want Cha Jeong-suk to be happy, so I think I will be happy, and I think I will give Cha Jeong-suk a liver for myself. Love Even if it's not my feelings, I'm sincerely rooting for Cha Jung-sook."

At the same time, Min Woo-hyuk expressed regret about the ending of Roy Kim giving up Cha Jeong-suk and meeting another woman. He said, “It would be nice if I could continue to be friends with Cha Jeong-suk, or go back to the United States and build a new meaning for my adoptive parents and family, but I hear Cha Jeong-suk telling me to meet another woman and love her. Why did I suddenly become an American? That scene. I really didn't want to film "," he sincerely regretted.

Min Woo-hyuk also revealed a special relationship with Uhm Jung-hwa. He said, “I started a new start as a musical actor after a long period of obscurity, and the first program I went out to promote my work was ‘Immortal Song’. Uhm Jung-hwa was a star among superstars. He was the top singer and actor, so I wondered how many such stars there were in our country. When I first received the script, I heard that Uhm Jung-hwa was confirmed as an actress, and I did everything I could to get into this work. I wanted to participate," he said.

Then, "I met and acted on the set, and he was a much better actor than I thought. I didn't act with my own color, but always asked questions to the other person, talked enough, and rehearsed, so I felt like we were exchanging breath." expressed

"Anyway, senior Uhm Jung-hwa seemed to feel a lot of pressure because it was the title role. He always blamed himself and worried about what to do if it wasn't fun because of me. I thought he was an impossible star, but I felt that he was a very warm person with a lot of humanity. It seems to be a great luck as an actor to meet good people in a good work."

“I filmed ‘Doctor Cha Jung-sook’ for quite a long time. It started in the spring and ended in the winter, so we endured all four seasons together. I think it's good that we got together. Every moment was precious and good. I hope this love lasts a little longer."

Reporter Tae Yuna, Ten Asia youyou@tenasia.co.kr