Actress Lee Na Young reflected on her acting journey and public perception of her ‘mysterious’ image following the conclusion of the ENA drama Honor: Her courtroom.
The series, adapted from a Swedish drama of the same name, tells the story of three lawyers who face a huge scandal linked to their past. The final episode aired on March 10 and achieved the drama’s highest ratings, recording 4.9% in the Seoul metropolitan area and 4.7% nationwideaccording to Nielsen Korea.
Lee Na Young played Yoon Ra-young, a determined lawyer who represents victims of sex crimes while secretly carrying his own painful past. His emotionally layered performance earned praise from viewers and critics.
Looking back on that experience, the actress revealed how deeply the role affected her.
“It’s been about a month since filming ended, but I still feel the thrill I felt on the last day of filming,” he said. “I couldn’t shake the emotions during filming, so I cried a lot while watching the final episode.”
Lee Na Young explained that her decision to join the drama was mainly driven by the strength of the script.
“If a project is good, I just do it” he said. “I don’t calculate too much when choosing roles. I tend to follow my instincts and the time was right.”
He added that taking on the role of a professional lawyer was also a personal challenge.
“There were many scenes where I had to speak in front of many people. Even though I was acting, I was so embarrassed that my hands were shaking,” he admitted.
A drama about female solidarity
One aspect of Honor: Her courtroom what resonated strongly with Lee Na Young was its depiction of solidarity among women.
“I was happy to see a drama where women support each other,” he said. “I’ve always been interested in female-centric narratives, so it’s encouraging to see more of them being made.”
Unlike typical courtroom dramas that focus only on justice or revenge, Honor highlighted the lingering wounds victims carry even after the legal battles end. History underlined healing and the courage needed to continue living despite the trauma.
Lee Na Young found this message particularly meaningful.
“What struck me most is that the drama doesn’t force the audience’s comfort,” he explained. “It feels like a story that reflects what people actually need.”
Dealing with his “mysterious” image.
Despite the rise of social media and celebrity vlogs, Lee Na Young has largely remained away from sharing her personal life publicly. For this reason it has often been described as a “mysterious” celebrity..
However, the actress said the reality is much simpler. “People probably say that because I don’t communicate with the public very often,” he said. “But when it comes to self-disclosure, I think I’m pretty strict with my standards.”
He admitted that he sometimes regrets sharing too much after conversations. “Sometimes I meet someone, talk a lot, then go home and regret it, thinking I said useless things.” he said.
Ultimately, he believes his daily life is too ordinary to attract attention.
“My daily life is very simple. Sometimes I wonder who might be curious about it.” he said with a laugh.
Life with husband Won Bin
Lee Na Young also spoke briefly about her life with her husband, actor Won Bin, whom she married in 2015. The couple has a son. She explained it their daily routine is anything but glamorous.
“There’s really nothing special about it,” he said. “We usually wear workout clothes and live very normally.”
“Both my husband and I often think, ‘Is there really something we need to show?’”
Won Bin has stayed away from acting since his last film The man who came from nowhere in 2010, making his absence from the screen one of the longest hiatus among Korea’s top actors.
Lee Na Young said they sometimes watched Honor together at first, but it eventually got awkward.
“At first we watched it together, but it seemed a bit strange, so we decided to watch it separately,” he said with a smile.
He added that while Won Bin was curious about the plot, he rarely asked directly. “As the drama went on, he seemed curious about what would happen next, but instead of asking, he tried to guess the story himself.”
Still challenged by acting after 28 years
Now in her 28th year since debutLee Na Young said that acting still seems like a constant challenge.
“Through HonorI feel like I’ve cut a new branch of my career,” he said. “It was a role I had never attempted before, so I approached it with a learning mindset.”
Despite his long career, he believes that acting will never become easy. “Acting is still difficult. It will probably remain difficult for the rest of my life,” he said. “But that’s also why I like it.”
For Lee Na Young, the excitement comes from taking risks and seeing if her performance resonates with the audience.
“When my expression connects with viewers, that’s when I feel the greatest sense of reward,” he concluded.
Sources: Daum | Hankook Ilbo
