[HanCinema's News] Lee Sung-min Talks About "Reborn Rich"

Last year "Reborn Rich" was a huge popular culture sensation in South Korea, ending with ratings of 26.948%. Though Song Joong-ki was the star of the project as the reincarnated son of a powerful family, Lee Sung-min also played a significant role as the villain, that same family's patriarch. This led to a huge influx of interest for the fifty-four year old actor, which he discussed in a recent interview promoting "The Devil's Deal" on March 1st.

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In "The Devil's Deal" Lee Sung-min plays a senior political figure who sabotages the election prospects of the lead character played by Cho Jin-woong in 1992 era Busan. "The Devil's Deal" and "Reborn Rich" star Lee Sung-min as a character older than his real age. Lee Sung-min claimed that playing an old character is no trouble for him as long as his character needs to be depicted with energy. Lee Sung-min cited his cameo in "Remember - 2020" as difficult because he had to be decrepit.

When asked if the fame he earned via "Reborn Rich" was overwhelming, Lee Sung-min admitted that he did not expect the drama to remain in public consciousness for very long, expecting only a month at best, when in the old days he could expect a drama to be popular for as many as three. But he ended up being very impressed by the work his co-stars put into the project. Lee Sung-min claimed to have lived for the taste of a drama that would be popular for years to come.

Lee Sung-min also took the popular appraisal of "Reborn Rich" personally, saying that however good a job he may think he did, a performance is forgotten if the work it's a part of doesn't maintain its own popularity. Lee Sung-min likewise claimed to feel stressed because the many upcoming film projects he's a part of likewise rely on his performance. "Handsome Guys" and "12.12: The Day" have already been filmed, though they still lack definite release dates.

Lee Sung-min also expressed gratitude for reaching his peak at such a late age. Lee Sung-min claimed that he would have had trouble dealing with the pressure as a young stage actor in his twenties. But right now, Lee Sung-min feels like he still has ten or twenty years of work ahead of him. Lee Sung-min said his future prospects were so bad at the time, living a day at a time, that his current success was quite inconceivable.

Written by William Schwartz