10 Things About “Youth Of May” Lead Actor Lee Do-Hyun
We have all the reasons to love this new Korean leading man favorite, who won last night as Best New Actor (TV) at the 57th Baeksang Arts Awards
Actor of the moment Lee Do-hyun isn’t just a handsome face that viewers can’t get enough of. Since making his presence felt within the South Korean entertainment scene via various roles that turned him into a household name, the young actor is now making waves abroad (and has lots of Filipino fans!).
Maybe he first captptured your attention in portraying his memorable role as Go Cheong-myeong in Hotel del Luna. Or maybe you remember him way back during his first appearances in Prison Playbook: as the young Lee Joon-ho. Or, the straight-forward, athletic brother of the female lead in Clean With Passion For Now. But it’s snagging the lead role in the adaptation series 18 Again that further proved his talent and charm as an artist.
In 18 Again, he portrayed the 18-year-old version of actor Yoon Sang-hyun's Hong Dae-young, talented basketball star in Serim High School who decided not to pursue his basketball career to take responsibility of marrying the woman he got pregnant, Jung Da-jung (portrayed by Kim Ha-neul and Han So-eun). For this, he was named the Best New Actor (TV) at last night's 57th Baeksang Arts Awards, beating his Sweet Home co-star Song Kang, Penthouse: War in Life's Kim Young-Dae, River Where the Moon Rises' Na In-woo, and Extracurricular's Nam Yoon-su.
How adorable was this handsome rookie when he initially went to the wrong side of the stage, as he was about to accept his award?! VERY! Lee Do-hyun also made our hearts melt when he took on the spotlight on a "special stage" with veteran singer Choi Baek-Ho, comforting everyone during these trying times with a heartwarming song number. We spotted many of his sunbaenims in the audience getting teary-eyed during this special segment, too!
Coming from his Netflix stint in apocalyptic horror series Sweet Home as the cold yet sensible guy Lee Eun-hyuk, the 25-year-old returns to the small screen with historical romantic drama Youth of May. Playing opposite Go Min-si, who he also got to work with in Sweet Home, he brings the medical genius Hwang Hee-tae to life. With a couple of episodes in, the actor already drew viewers in with a subtle yet powerful performance.
If you find yourself nursing a crush on this young hottie, it’s time that you get to know more about Lee Do-hyun. In the gallery below, find 10 facts that will earn him more brownie points among viewers—you’ll realize that, apart from his flair for the craft, he’s one dedicated individual. Read on!
Scroll through the gallery below:
About Korean Actor Lee Do-Hyun
About Korean Actor Lee Do-Hyun
He first dipped his toes in acting in second year high school.
It was in his teenage years when he realized that acting could be a path worth pursuing. He revealed in an interview with GQ Korea that during his sophomore year, he told his mom that he wanted to enroll in an acting academy. He then worked his way into theater and, eventually, broke into mainstream media.
Photo Credit: Yuehua Entertainment
His father was against his being an actor.
In the same interview, the actor spilled that his dad was against the idea of him pursuing the acting profession. So he had to keep his engagement in the acting academy a secret until Lee Do-hyun invited both his parents to one of his theater shows, where he finally got the approval of his father.
Photo Credit: Nylon magazine
"Prison Playbook " is his first-ever series.
His appearance here may be short, but his first role as the young Lee Joon-ho in 2017 slice-of-life drama “Prison Playbook” made fans notice his star potential.
Photo Credit: Yuehua Entertainment
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He wants to be known as a “people-saving actor” and a “rom-com master.”
In an interview with Grazia magazine in 2019, Lee Do-hyun shared how he wants to be a “people-saving actor” to give hope through his acting. The following year, he mentioned in his GQ Korea interview that one of his goals as an actor is to give comfort and strength to the audience. Thus, “If I become a rom-com master, I want to believe that I will be in charge of the viewers’ smiles,” he muses.
Photo Credit: Dazed Korea
He called it quits with his then-girlfriend to get into a character.
Blame his being a method actor, but Lee Do-hyun just can’t help but get serious when it comes to his craft. In an interview with Esquire Korea, the “Youth of May” actor revealed that he chose career over love back then for a role. The character he was about to take on lost the girl he loves, so he broke up with his then-girlfriend so he could play the role better.
Photo Credit: Yuehua Entertainment
He originally intended to snag the role of Song Kang in “Sweet Home.”
The young actor told South China Morning Post that he has always wanted to play a dual character, reason why he vied for the lead role in “Sweet Home.” However, director Lee Eung-bok found him better suited as Lee Eun-hyuk. And next thing we know, he’s slaying this character to a T!
Photo Credit: Yuehua Entertainment
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He’s one of the most in-demand new actors today.
With his steady rise to fame, he deserves his recent New Actor recognitions from the 19th Korea First Brand Awards and 7th APAN Star Awards. What’s more, he’s currently nominated in the same category at the 57th Baeksang Arts Awards that's happening this May 13.
Photo Credit: Yuehua Entertainment
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His dream? To enter Hollywood!
They say to dream high and work for it, and Lee Do-hyun is serious in making a name for himself. And not just in the region—but also beyond. He mentioned in a South China Morning Post interview that he wants to break into Hollywood, saying that he’s always been curious about how foreign film sets look. He’s currently learning English in preparation for this goal.
Photo Credit: @ldh_sky
Basketball is life for him.
Naturally inclined to sports, Lee Do-hyun revealed that he used to play basketball in high school and would have pursued this had his father allowed him to. He has played the point guard in a team. Perhaps this is part of the reason he portrayed his role as a high school basketball player in "18 Again" so well.
Photo Credit: @ldh_sky
Meet Gaeul the corgi.
If you’re following him on social media (he's @ldh_sky on Instagram), you have probably seen his cute corgi named Gaeul in one of his posts. His dog’s name is quite a common name given in Korea; however, we can assume that he’s named after the Korean term for the autumn season. Scrolling back through his feed, he first revealed his pet in a post on November 12, 2018. But it’s just our guess!
Photo Credit: @ldh_sky
Youth of May is available on VIU.
Lead photo from Yuehua Entertainment
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