Actor Lee Hong Nae has opened up about discovering a side of himself that even he did not expect through his role in TVING’s recently concluded drama The Legend of Kitchen Soldier.

Known for playing intense and rebellious characters, Lee Hong Nae took on a much warmer role as Sergeant Yoon Dong Hyun, a dependable senior soldier who supports Kang Sung Jae, played by Park Ji Hoon.

Reflecting on the end of the drama, Lee Hong Nae said, “It feels like I’m being discharged from the military as the drama ends,” explaining how deeply he became immersed in the project.

The actor, who completed his own military service after enlisting in 2011, said filming at a seaside military outpost set in Uljin brought back memories of his time as a sergeant.

One of his biggest preparations for the role was changing his physique. Lee Hong Nae had lost more than 10 kg for a previous project, but after being cast as Yoon Dong Hyun, he began gaining weight again.

He explained, “As soon as I heard I was cast, I started planning what to eat and how to exercise. I gained more than 9 kg.”

Lee Hong Nae felt that having a larger build would help show why Sung Jae might initially feel intimidated by his character while also fitting details such as Yoon Dong Hyun’s love for chicken breast.

The actor also credited director Jo Nam Hyung for helping him discover the character’s humorous and lovable personality.

Lee Hong Nae said, “The director taught me so much. Sometimes during rehearsals, he would act it out himself and I would follow him.”

He added that hearing the director laugh at his performances gave him confidence, saying, “There weren’t many times in my career when someone laughed that hard while watching me act. It made me really happy. The set was full of laughter.”

Through Yoon Dong Hyun, Lee Hong Nae also discovered a more playful side of himself.

He admitted, “When I’m with close friends, I think I do have a cute side. I wanted Yoon Dong Hyun to feel lovable, so I tried to bring as much of that side of myself into him as possible.”

Despite his strong appearance, Lee Hong Nae revealed that he is actually quite shy. He recalled once working at a restaurant and becoming so embarrassed when customers called for him that he pretended not to notice them before eventually quitting.

He joked, “If viewers know that I’m softer than I look, maybe they’ll see me as a little cuter.”

Lee Hong Nae also discussed the drama’s exaggerated food reaction scenes, saying the unusual script reminded him of cooking manga he enjoyed when he was younger.

He explained, “It reminded me of things like Cooking Master Boy and Mr. Sushi King. I thought it would be so fun to be part of a project like this.”

However, he deliberately approached the comedic scenes seriously, adding, “If I laughed while filming those over-the-top reactions, I didn’t think viewers would find them funny. I tried to act even more seriously than usual.”

The actor also praised the production’s food team, noting that they had to prepare ingredients, cooking stages, and finished dishes separately for many scenes.

Among all the food featured in the drama, Lee Hong Nae chose a pollock dish as his favorite, saying, “I kept picking at it and eating it on set.”

Although viewers have praised his transformation from intense roles to the lovable Yoon Dong Hyun, Lee Hong Nae said changing his image was never something he deliberately planned.

He explained, “I never specifically thought that I needed to break away from my previous image. Every character was simply someone I prepared for differently.”

Still, the public response has surprised him. Lee Hong Nae said people now occasionally recognize him and tell him they enjoyed the drama before calling him “cute.”

He added, “I don’t know if I would call it an acting transformation, but I was genuinely happy to play Yoon Dong Hyun.”

Looking ahead, Lee Hong Nae said the drama gave him more confidence to continue trying unfamiliar roles.

He shared, “Even if things are uncertain, I want to keep taking on new challenges and participate in stories that I find interesting. This project gave me a lot of confidence.”