Lee Jae-wook almost didn’t play Jang Uk in Alchemy of Souls – Here’s what made the actor change his mind

In terms of highly rated fantasy K-dramas, many people think of Alchemy of Souls, which had an innovative story and characters. Overall, it is about a magical and dangerous spell that allows people to switch souls.

This means one person can switch their soul with anybody they want, but it comes at a cost. The story takes place in a Fictional world called Daeho, which resembles ancient Korea.

As the series begins, a deadly assassin named Nak-su's soul gets trapped inside a seemingly powerless girl, Mu-deok's body. Now, Nak-su can’t use her powers and has to hide who she really is. She ends up working as a servant for a nobleman named Jang Uk, but secretly, she also teaches him magic and fighting.

Jang Uk, played by Lee Jae-wook, quickly became a favorite character in the series, thanks to the actor's portrayal and acting skills. But what if we tell you that Jae-wool almost didn't play this leading role?

Yes, that's right. The actor himself revealed that he initially turned down the offer because the fictional world felt confusing and complex to him. Jae-wook said:

"To be honest, I turned it down at first.” He elaborated, “It was too difficult and I wondered whether I’d be able to pull this project off well."

The actor admitted he wasn’t sure if he could handle such a difficult concept as the Alchemy of Souls. But eventually, he changed his mind, driven by a personal urge to try something new and challenging.

Keep reading to explore what else Lee Jae-wook shared about his hit K-drama.

Lee Jae-wook initially decided to turn down the lead role in Alchemy of Souls

When Alchemy of Souls came out, fans knew that this would be their next favorite fantasy K-drama. The series didn’t just earn love from fans, it also picked up awards. Actor Lee Jae-wook won the Asia Special Award at the Asia Model Awards, and director Park Joon-hwa took home Best Director at the Korea Drama Awards.

Interestingly, if Lee Jae-wook hadn’t accepted the role in time, someone else would’ve ended up playing Jang Uk and been the recipient of the award. As mentioned above, the actor was skeptical about the role and story, which makes this drama so unique and compelling.

In the same interview, Jae-wook added:

"I think I came to do it solely out of my desire to take on a new challenge. From the actor’s perspective, I’m incredibly satisfied with the results."

He continued:

"Also, isn’t this a drama you don’t know when you’ll encounter again? I’m counting on the fact that I concluded well."

Since Alchemy of Souls came out in two parts, Lee Jae-wook adjusted his speaking tone in real life to make his character look more serious and reserved. He revealed that the show’s writer had even encouraged him to treat Jang Wook from Part 1 and Part 2 as two completely "different characters".

Jae-wook was well prepared for the second part and mentioned that the changes in the female lead didn't create any difficulty for him. In his words,

"The situation of the female lead changing in Part 2 was not a big problem for me."

Despite the change, fans remained hooked with Alchemy of Souls until the very end.

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Also Read: Park Bo-gum in talks for fantasy K-drama 'Night Traveler' by Lee Min-ho's breakout writer

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