Lee Na-young recently played the role of Yoon Ra-young in ENA’s Monday-Tuesday drama “Honour”, which ended on March 10. Marking her first genre project in 28 years since debut, the drama tells the story of three female lawyers dealing with a massive scandal from their past. It is based on a Swedish series of the same name.
In the drama, Lee Na-young transformed into a lawyer representing victims of sex crimes, delivering a powerful and layered performance. She convincingly played a character with a shocking story – giving birth to a daughter after dating violence 20 years ago – earning widespread praise. Along with Jung Eun-chae and Lee Chung-ah, she also showcased strong “female chemistry”, contributing to the success of the show, which ended on a high note with ratings close to 5%.
In a recent interview, Lee Na-young expressed her gratitude: “The response was warmer than I expected. I’m very grateful.” She added: “Since Honor is not a simple story, I had a lot of worries, but I’m happy that the viewers enjoyed it. It was also the first time I made a genre piece, so I was even more worried. But everywhere I went, whether I was exercising or out and about, people kept asking me to spoil the next episode. I was grateful that the viewers remained engaged and curious until the end.”
Speaking about her role, she explained, “I usually meet people related to my character during preparation, but this time I couldn’t. Instead, I studied the materials on my own and discussed the emotional expressions with the director and writer. Yoon Ra-young had to hide her trauma until episode 8, so I thought about it deeply. Viewers may have wondered, ‘Why is she acting like this?’ His emotions were intense, but I tried not to show them fully. I wanted to avoid one-dimensional expressions and maintain moderation.
Lee also reflected on the drama’s message: “I learned a lot while filming Honor. I realized how difficult the word ‘comfort’ is. For people who are suffering, it’s not about forcing them to move on or saying ‘everything’s fine’, but about waiting and listening. That’s the message we wanted to convey. It’s something we all need in life: it’s okay not to recover quickly. Even if we carry the burden of life alone, we can still heal.”
She showed affection for her co-stars, saying, “I’d admired them before, so it was great to finally meet them.” He continued: “At first we were all a little shy while reading the script, unsure of how to interact. Since we were playing friends of 20 years, we didn’t want it to seem forced. Luckily, our personalities matched well and the bond formed naturally. Even in the final scene where we were walking arm in arm, we were joking about what to have for lunch, things like ‘Let’s have gamjatang’. We all love food and get along well.
When asked if they had become close friends in real life, Lee answered honestly: “It hasn’t been that long, so I can’t say for sure yet. But we’ve already made plans to meet again at the end of March.” He added, “When we meet, we talk about everyday things. But because I rarely meet other actors, when I see them again after a few days, they suddenly feel like celebrities.”
Lee also revealed that her husband Won Bin watched Honor as a regular viewer. “Since I hadn’t told him the plot, he kept trying to guess, asking things like ‘Is this what happens?’ while I observe my reactions. But I didn’t spoil anything,” he said, laughing.
She added: “We watched a few episodes together live, but I felt too awkward to continue. We don’t usually discuss projects in detail, we just casually say things like ‘That scene worked well.’ We’re more like friends who tease each other.
As for their son, who they welcomed in 2015, Lee shared, “He wanted to watch Honor, but it’s R-rated, so I didn’t let him. He finds it fascinating that his mother appears in shows, but because he mostly watches cartoons, he doesn’t fully understand what acting is. When he watches movies or TV, he often asks, ‘Is this real?'”
Lee Na-young and Won Bin have long been known for their “mysterious” image, often described as celebrities among celebrities. Won Bin, in particular, has been on a 16-year hiatus since his 2010 film The Man from Nowhere. Regarding this, Lee said, “He still has a strong passion for acting. We are both grateful that people continue to remember him and show interest in him.”
As for her own “mystique” label, she laughed: “Look at me now, do I really look mysterious? People who meet me don’t think that way, but once they leave, they still write that I have a ‘mystique’. Maybe they just want to put me in that category.
She continued candidly: “Everyone has their own standards and there are times when you feel embarrassed about yourself. I don’t use social media simply because my standards are a bit high, not for any particular reason. I’m just not used to it. In everyday life I take dance lessons, it relieves stress and I live quite normally.”
Sources: Daum
