Lee Jin-hyuk has spent the past decade building a career that spans music, performance, and acting. He first debuted as a member of UP10TION in 2015 under the stage name Wei before gaining additional recognition through Produce X 101 in 2019. He later launched his solo career and expanded into acting, making his drama debut in Find Me in Your Memory and continuing to take on roles that allow him to explore different sides of his artistry.

Now, Lee Jin-hyuk takes on a new challenge in My Idol, My Debut, starring as Lee Sun, a member of the fictional boy group BOY TO THE MOON. In the series, Lee Sun is known as the group's energetic mood-maker, someone who easily makes friends and brings a bright, optimistic presence wherever he goes. The role offers Lee Jin-hyuk an opportunity to draw on his own experience as an idol while showing audiences another dimension of his acting.

Directed by Han Geum-bi and written by Choi Yeon-su, My Idol, My Debut follows devoted fan Choi Aeni (Hwang Ji-a), who travels from 2026 back to 2018 after her favorite idol, Han Jae-ha (Ji Chang-min), suffers a tragic accident. Determined to change his fate, Aeni finds herself becoming an idol trainee while navigating a world where the people she once admired are now young and still finding their way. Blending time-slip mystery, youth romance, and the pressures of idol life, the series premiered on July 16 on MBC Plus and is available through Wavve.

We spoke with Lee Jin-hyuk about stepping into the role of Lee Sun, drawing from his own experience as an idol, and discovering new challenges as an actor.

As someone who has experienced the idol industry firsthand, were there any moments in the script that felt especially familiar?

Jin Hyuk: I didn’t go on diets when I was a trainee, but I saw others around me go through it. The show depicts moments like that and those scenes felt really familiar.

아이돌 업계를 직접 경험한 만큼, 대본을 읽으며 특히 익숙하게 느껴졌던 장면이나 상황이 있었나요?

저는 연습생 때 다이어트를 하진 않았지만, 주변 친구들이 겪는 건 옆에서 봤어요. 작품에도 그런 장면들이 담겨 있는데, 그 장면들이 참 익숙하게 느껴졌어요.

What was the biggest challenge in balancing your own personality with your character Lee Sun?

Jin Hyuk: E. Sun's character setup was harder to pull off than his personality. He's a third-generation Korean immigrant who isn't fluent in Korean, so I had to make his speech and pronunciation feel natural.

Hendery from WayV was a huge help there. I asked him to record himself speaking Korean, and his delivery was so cute and natural that it really helped me prepare E. Sun.

본인의 실제 성격과 이썬이라는 캐릭터 사이의 균형을 맞추는 데 가장 어려웠던 점은 무엇이었나요?

이썬의 성격보다는 캐릭터 설정을 살리는 게 더 어려웠어요. 이썬은 한국어가 능숙하지 않은 교포 3세라서, 말투랑 발음을 자연스럽게 살려야 했거든요.

그 부분은 WayV의 헨드리가 정말 많이 도와줬어요. 헨드리한테 한국어 하는 걸 녹음해 달라고 부탁했는데, 녹음해 준 말투가 귀엽고 자연스러워서 이썬을 준비하는 데 큰 도움이 됐어요.

Did you add any personal touches or ideas that weren't originally in the script?

Jin Hyuk: The loud, lively scenes — the action, the big physical bits — were often my ideas. I'd ad-lib on set, or pitch something and then build the scene out with the other actors.

This was the acting debut for both Jin-kyu and Ho-hyun, so a few things could come out a little stiff. We put in a lot of work syncing up so those moments would blend into the scenes naturally.

대본에는 없었지만 배우님이 직접 더한 표현이나 아이디어가 있었나요?

액션이나 몸으로 하는 것처럼 누가 봐도 시끄럽고 활기찬 장면들은 제가 아이디어를 낸 경우가 많았어요. 현장에서 애드리브를 하기도 하고, 의견을 낸 뒤에 다른 배우들과 호흡을 맞춰가며 장면을 만들기도 했고요.

특히 진규랑 호현이는 이번이 연기 데뷔작이라 조금 어색할 수 있는 부분들이 있었어요. 그런 부분이 장면 안에서 자연스럽게 어우러지도록 같이 호흡을 맞추며 많이 노력했습니다.

Having debuted as an idol yourself, did that experience make this role easier, or did acting as an idol present unexpected challenges?

Jin hyuk: Making the choreography or playing the idol side of it wasn't much of a challenge. If anything, it brought back a lot of memories from my own idol days, and those really helped me with the role.

Being an idol was part of my life for a long time, so I think that let me play it pretty comfortably.

실제로 아이돌로 데뷔한 경험이 이번 역할을 연기하는 데 도움이 되었나요? 아니면 아이돌을 연기하면서 예상하지 못한 어려움이 있었나요?

안무를 짜거나 아이돌로서의 모습을 연기하는 데는 큰 어려움이 없었어요. 오히려 예전 활동하던 시절의 기억이 많이 떠올랐고, 그런 경험들이 이번 역할에 정말 도움이 됐어요.

아이돌은 오랫동안 제 삶의 일부였으니까, 비교적 편하게 연기할 수 있었던 것 같아요.

Was there a scene where you thought, “This is exactly what happens behind the scenes in real idol life”?

Jin Hyuk: Honestly, what struck me was the opposite — the setup where a trainee holds a grudge against an idol who debuted first. Competing as trainees, you can end up resenting or envying each other, but it usually stops there. It rarely goes as far as actually plotting revenge. That part was very interesting to me.

촬영하면서 “실제 아이돌 활동에서도 정말 이런 일이 일어난다”고 느낀 장면이 있었나요?

오히려 저는 연습생 친구가 먼저 데뷔한 아이돌에게 원한을 품는 설정이 신기했어요. 연습생끼리 경쟁하다 보면 서로 미워하거나 질투하는 마음이 생길 순 있지만, 보통은 거기서 멈추지 복수를 결심할 정도까지 가는 경우는 드물거든요. 그런 부분이 흥미롭게 다가왔어요.

If your real-life self could give advice to your character before debut, what would it be?

Jin Hyuk: I'd tell him, “Find your own unique charm and show it completely to the people.”

실제 이진혁 배우가 데뷔를 앞둔 이썬에게 조언을 해준다면, 어떤 말을 전하고 싶으신가요?

“너만의 고유한 매력을 잘 찾아서 사람들에게 온전히 다 보여줬으면 좋겠다”라고 말해주고 싶어요.

Jin Hyuk:  A lot of us had idol experience, so we didn’t need to spell out every little “let's do this, let's do that,” we'd just read each other's intentions and move naturally. We had that common ground to understand each other, so we got close fast and our chemistry clicked.

Ho-hyun and I really found our rhythm for the first time shooting the Show Champion stage. I remember us picking up on each other's cues on the fly and wrapping it up smoothly.

배우들이 아이돌 그룹의 모습을 자연스럽고 설득력 있게 표현하기 위해 어떻게 호흡을 맞춰갔나요?

아이돌 활동 경험이 있는 친구들이 많다 보니, “이렇게 하자”, “저렇게 하자” 하나하나 정하기보다는 서로의 의도를 바로 알아차리고 자연스럽게 움직였던 것 같아요. 서로 이해할 수 있는 공통점이 있어서 더 빨리 가까워지고 호흡도 잘 맞았고요.

호현이랑은 〈쇼챔피언〉 무대 촬영 때 처음으로 제대로 호흡을 맞췄는데, 서로 눈치껏 빠르게 맞춰가며 촬영을 잘 마무리했던 기억이 나요.

Were there any memorable behind-the-scenes moments while rehearsing choreography or filming performances?

Jin Hyuk: The most memorable moment was lifting the trophy on the Show Champion stage as BOY TO THE MOON.

Back in my UP10TION days, I don’t think I had many chances to go on Show Champion, and I don’t remember ever lifting a trophy there. Getting to live that moment through this project made it all the more special.

안무를 연습하거나 무대 장면을 촬영하면서 기억에 남는 비하인드가 있었나요?

가장 기억에 남는 순간은 BOY TO THE MOON으로 <쇼챔피언> 무대에 출연해 트로피를 들어 올렸을 때입니다.

UP10TION으로 활동할 당시에는 <쇼챔피언>에 출연할 기회가 많지 않았고, 트로피를 들어 올린 경험도 없었던 것으로 기억합니다. 이번 작품을 통해 그 순간을 경험하게 돼 더욱 특별하고 기억에 남았습니다.

Is there a scene you're especially excited for viewers to see?

Jin Hyuk: The one I really hope viewers catch is the scene I shot in the beggar getup. It was something I'd never tried before, and having to lie in the street acting from the very first day of filming burned it into my memory. I even thought, “When will I ever get to act lying in the middle of the road again?” 

I'd also love for people to watch closely when E. Sun speaks in English.

시청자분들이 꼭 봐주셨으면 하는 장면이나 특히 공개되기를 기대하는 장면이 있나요?

시청자분들이 꼭 봐주셨으면 하는 장면은 거지 분장을 하고 찍은 장면이에요. 이전엔 해본 적 없는 새로운 시도였고, 첫 촬영부터 길바닥에 누워 연기해야 해서 더 강렬하게 기억에 남았어요. 내가 언제 또 길바닥에 누워 연기해보나 싶기도 했고요.

그리고 이썬이 영어로 대화하는 장면도 눈여겨봐 주셨으면 좋겠어요.

Jin Hyuk: BOY TO THE MOON to may be a fictional group, but we were all so over the moon with the love we received from you. It was a short run, but it honestly felt like debuting all over again.

I hope you enjoy the rest of the show, My Idol, My Debut, and that you'll also show the love and support to IRION and their actual journey. Thank you so much. 

마지막으로 <최애 데뷔>와 BOY TO THE MOON을 만나기를 기다리고 있는 해외 팬들에게 전하고 싶은 메시지가 있다면 부탁

드립니다.

BOY TO THE MOON은 가상의 아이돌 그룹이지만, 팬분들과 시청자분들이 보내주신 사랑에 정말 하늘을 날 것처럼 기뻤어요. 짧은 기간이었지만 정말 다시 데뷔한 것 같은 기분이 들었고요.

남은 이야기도 재미있게 봐주시고, 작품에 함께 등장하는 이리온과 그들의 진짜 여정에도 많은 사랑과 응원 보내주셨으면 좋겠어요. 정말 감사합니다.

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