Lee Hwi-hyang reveals choosing marriage over acting for former gang member husband

Actress Lee Hwi-hyang has shared the story of how she chose marriage over her career just six months after her debut, marrying Kim Du-jo, who was 19 years her senior. She also reflected on her life journey leading to her eventual return to acting. While Lee has long been recognized by the public for her glamorous appearance and intense villainous roles, she confessed that there were times in her life when she prioritized family and personal happiness over professional success.

Appearing on MBN's 'Kim Ju-ha's Day and Night' on the 22nd, Lee looked back on an acting career spanning approximately 45 years.

Lee first shared her honest thoughts regarding the "glamorous image" that has followed her. "I played much more diverse roles compared to other actors. I also played the role of a poor mother, but I don't think it resonated much with viewers," she said, adding, "It seems like what viewers want from me is unconditional glamour."

In particular, she noted that even when she played kind or ordinary characters, a prejudice followed her that she would eventually revert to playing villains. "Even when I worked hard on opposing roles, it felt like people thought, 'That woman is going to betray us someday,'" she confessed.

This connects to the image Lee has built over a long period. Because she convincingly portrayed women with power and desire, as well as cold and ambitious characters, she left an intense presence on the public. Paradoxically, she experienced the "actor's paradox," where excellent character portrayal becomes solidified into a specific, limiting image.

She confessed that it has been difficult to find happiness in acting itself over the last few years. "I am originally happiest when acting. There is euphoria when I can portray emotions I hadn't thought of," Lee said, but added, "From five or six years ago, I was not happy while acting."

Mentioning the mental and physical fatigue caused by repetitive villain roles, she revealed, "I wondered if the viewers watching could empathize. I even thought that I should stop acting."

Lee's acting career was not planned from the beginning. She entered the entertainment industry after winning second place in a talent contest held to commemorate the 20th anniversary of MBC's founding. Recalling the time, she said that while she was a sophomore in college and believed theater actors were true actors, she was moved by the 1 million won prize money due to her family's financial situation.

Her broadcasting activities proceeded rapidly immediately after her debut. "Two weeks after my debut, I received a call from the director's office and was told to play a female police officer in 'Chief Inspector,'" she recalled. "Because I still had lingering feelings for theater, I was more bewildered than happy."

However, the direction of her life changed before she could fully establish herself as an actor. After appearing in dramas for about six months, she met Kim Du-jo, who was 19 years older, and decided to marry him.

"There was something more important to me than appearing in dramas. That is why I chose marriage," Lee said. After marrying Kim in 1982, she halted her acting activities to focus on family life. Her husband passed away in 2005, leaving Lee to face the pain of bereavement.

At the time of their marriage, her husband's past drew significant public attention, as Kim was known to be a former member of an organized crime group. For Lee, marriage was not simply a choice to stop her entertainment activities, but a major turning point in deciding her life's priorities.

Later, Lee returned to the stage as her son grew. When her son was five years old, she received a proposal from the local theater group 'Eunha' in Pohang to play the role of a daughter-in-law, but she initially refused, citing the difficulty of balancing childcare and acting.

Her husband, however, encouraged her. "My husband said, 'I will look after the child,'" Lee shared. "Later, he asked me to try acting in earnest, saying, 'Go to Seoul and act. I will be a weekend couple. I say this because if you act, I feel like I will feel guilty.'"

Her husband, who had set aside his own path for the sake of the family, ended up pushing his wife toward her passion.

"As I became happy doing the acting I love, my husband also became happy along with me," Lee said.

Ultimately, Lee's 45-year career has been defined by two major choices: first, setting aside her potential as an actress to choose her family, and later, returning to the craft with her family's full support. Rather than a simple success story, it is the story of a person constantly readjusting their life's priorities.

While Lee remains best known for her intense villainous roles, her recent confession revealed the life of a woman who sought ordinary happiness behind the glamorous characters she portrayed.