Lee Jae Wook talked about successfully wrapping up the Alchemy of Souls series in his recent interview.
To the question of whether he had any difficulties after Go Youn Jung replaced Jung So Min, Lee Jae Wook answered, “Actually, I wasn’t told about it (the replacement) in detail. I just thought that aside from Mu Deok (Jung So Min), Nak Su, and Bu Yeon (Go Youn Jung), I acted while thinking that I fell in love with someone I didn’t know. I didn’t have any difficulties in acting.”
“It may have been confusing for viewers, but it wasn’t for me. It’s hard to satisfy everyone, but I only built up the character named Jang Uk,” he further elaborated. “The female leads of part 1 and part 2 are different people. I thought of them as two different people, and I was told (by the director) that I should show a different approach.”
Since part 1 gained popularity for Jang Uk and Mu Deok’s romance, many showed dissatisfaction over the story of Jang Uk helplessly falling in love with Jin Bu Yeon. To which Lee Jae Wook commented, “Part 2 started three years later, and we couldn’t show that gap. I thought that Uk had it rough the past three years and had let go of his past love (during that time). He does miss her, but it’s not like he couldn’t go on living. So I thought his gloomy and depressed heart lifted up after meeting Bu Yeon.”
Source (1)
