Actor Lee Chae-min had only one nerve-wracking month to prepare for his role as King Yi Heon for the recently ended tvN drama "Bon Appétit, Your Majesty" — which turned out to be a breakout hit that pushed him into stardom.

“With having a tight schedule, I had moments of doubt, wondering if I could really bring this character to life within the time,” Lee admitted during a roundtable interview on Tuesday at a cafe in southern Seoul.


“But those doubts also pushed me to work even harder. I approached it, thinking to myself that since this role was given to me, I should give it my all and not let anyone down.”

An adaptation of Park Guk-jae’s web novel “Surviving as Yeonsangun’s Chef” (2022-25), the series follows a modern-day French cuisine chef, Yeon Ji-young, played by Lim Yoon-a, who gets transported to the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). There, Ji-young encounters a tyrant King Yi Heon, who is known to have a sensitive taste palate.

The show wrapped on Sunday with a 17.1 percent viewership rating, according to Nielsen Korea on Monday — a notable feat in the saturated content landscape.

However, it got off to a rough start as actor Park Sung-hoon, who was initially slated to play King Yi Heon, dropped out due to an inappropriate social media post last year. Lee was brought in on short notice to replace him.

Despite Lee's initial concerns, the show ended as a standout success in his career, with many commenting that he was Yi Heon through and through — a compliment that Lee liked the most.

Also, one of the highlights of the show wasn’t just the mouthwatering dishes, but watching King Yi Heon’s priceless reactions, added with CGI effects, when tasting modern twists on traditional Korean royal cuisine.

For Lee, this often meant reacting to nothing at all, relying entirely on his imagination. One such scene hit him with a dose of reality: the moment he had to respond while eating haute cuisine made from deer meat.

“There was a scene where I stood alone in a reed field, imagining a huge deer passing by and smiling, after eating deer meat,” said Lee. “Of course, there was no actual deer.”

“I had to stretch my arms and laugh by myself with my shirt open in the field. It was really tough. Even though I usually manage to push through, I hit a few moments of reality and ended up blowing a few takes.”

Despite feeling embarrassed, he said that the scene actually got the strongest response on set.

"Bon Appétit, Your Majesty" was directed by Chang Tae-you, who also helmed SBS hit drama “My Love from the Star” (2013-14). The show adds a comical touch through the characters’ food reactions, intentionally portraying them in a cartoonish style.

To prepare, Lee said he studied everything from food-themed animations and mukbang videos to the Japanese drama “Solitary Gourmet” (2012-23), observing how characters’ expressions change and how they react to delicious food.

As most of the dishes were for the King, Lee had the opportunity to taste every cuisine showcased on the show. He shared two favorites — one that he even took home with him.

“Every dish was truly good,” he said. “But what stood out to me the most was beef bourguignonne made out of short ribs.”

He added, “Also, I’m not normally into sweets, but the macaroons tasted way better than I expected. I remember bringing a few home after the shoot.”

Regarding the ending of the show, where Yi Heon travels through time to the modern day, the show left it a secret how he arrived. He said that he recorded different versions, including one in which the Mangunrok — the book that brought Yeon Ji-young to the Joseon Dynasty — fell from the sky.

For Lee, he believes the power of love brought Yi Heon. “As the actor who played Yi Heon, Ji-young and my character had such an emotional connection. So I thought while acting that when they separated, the Mangunrok finally understood the power of their love,” he said, adding that he is just happy that the two got to reunite.

As the drama ended on a high note, plans for a reward trip for the cast and staff were reportedly in motion. Lee revealed his excitement, noting that such a trip had been a longtime dream.

“I always dreamed of going on a reward vacation after finishing a project,” Lee said. “I used to constantly say that I hoped the show would do well so we could go on one, so it feels like a dream that it’s actually happening. I even joked to the staff about wanting to go, but I never really thought it would come true.”

The 25-year-old actor showed strong determination to stay true to himself, despite the growing attention.

“While filming this drama, I kept hearing from people around me, saying ‘Don’t change, even after this project,’” he said. “I think there’s always a reason behind that kind of advice. And one of my biggest goals while doing this job is also to stay true to myself, and I really value that.”

“So nowadays I’ve been trying to find ways to stay true to myself while also being happy.”


BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]