Lee Dong Wook has chosen to take a step away from the fantastical and into the raw and real with his latest project, The Nice Guy. At a press conference on July 14, the actor candidly explained his decision to shift gears after years of playing otherworldly characters. Joining director Song Hae Sung and co-stars Lee Sung Kyung, Oh Nara, Park Hoon, and Ryu Hye Young, he shared how the gritty noir drama offered him a sense of grounding that had long been missing from his work.
He admitted that fantasy roles, while creatively rewarding, had become physically and mentally draining. The elaborate setups, constant reinvention of imaginary worlds, and heavy wire-action scenes began to take a toll. With The Nice Guy, he saw an opportunity to strip things back and play a character rooted in realism. Reading the script made him feel grounded again, and that clarity was what ultimately convinced him to take the role.
In contrast to the stylized demands of his previous fantasy series, Lee said this new character required no extraordinary preparation. Instead of physical feats or complex supernatural personas, the role called for a kind of emotional transparency that allowed him to express something closer to his true self. He described it as “everyday acting” — not because it lacked depth, but because it was rooted in the rhythms of real human experience.
In The Nice Guy, Lee portrays Park Seok Cheol, the oldest grandson in a multi-generational gangster family. While his bloodline ties him to violence and crime, Seok Cheol harbors a gentle, introspective side. The drama follows his unexpected emotional entanglement with Kang Mi Young, played by Lee Sung Kyung — a struggling singer who also happens to be his first love. Their reunion triggers a journey of rediscovery that explores themes of loyalty, trauma, and hidden softness in a world hardened by crime.
The show’s noir tones offer an atmospheric backdrop for this character study, blending grit with unexpected emotional weight. The Nice Guy premieres July 18 with a two-episode launch, and promises a refreshing change for audiences used to seeing Lee Dong Wook in more mythical or supernatural settings.