Lee Hae-jun: Cherish Every Minute as Roger in Rent
Creatrip Team
3 months ago
Lee Hae-jun, 37, stars as Roger in the Korean production of the musical Rent at COEX Artium through Feb 22. He says the show’s message is to treat a year as 525,600 minutes and live each minute fully, inspired by Roger’s urgency as an AIDS patient who fears losing time. Lee, who debuted in 2013 and has since appeared in many major musicals, aimed to portray Roger as tough on the outside but fragile inside — a “geot-ba-sok-chok” (겉바속촉: crunchy outside, tender inside) character — and explained his approach to key scenes like “Another Day,” where Roger pushes Mimi away while longing for her. He reflected on his growth from early struggles to steady roles in large productions and said his current goal is to move audiences and be remembered as a compelling actor rather than chase new titles. Performances run until Feb 22.
