On January 13 episode of tvN's television show 'You Quiz on the Block', Lee Jung Jae made a guest appearance.
During the talk, Lee Jung Jae talked about gaining much fame abroad following the success of Netflix's series 'Squid Game'.
Lee Jung Jae said, "It's surprising how many people recognize me outside of Korea now. Immigration officers to waitresses at restaurants would be so happy to see me."
He laughingly continued, "They find my name hard to pronounce though, so most of them just call me number 456."
He went on, "I've seen comments made by non-Koreans online saying things like, 'Wow, he looks incredibly handsome out of his character.', 'I didn't think that he was this good-looking in real life when he was No. 456!', 'Is he really 49 years old?! I'm shocked.'"
To this, Lee Jung Jae responded, "When I was filming 'Squid Game', I didn't really put any effort into making my appearance look nice. I didn't have to, because of my role."
He resumed, "I lived a 'natural' life for about a year; I didn't cut my hair, didn't shave, didn't even care what I wore. I had to maintain the look for my character, you know. It was kind of great, actually."
He added with a laugh, "At that time, people around me kept asking me what I was filming. I told them it was 'Squid Game', and they would be like, 'What kind of name for a series is called 'Squid Game?'"
He laughed and continued, "They were like, 'Please know that Lee Jung Jae is generally this good-looking.' I've seen them sharing photos of me wearing suits, when I was in a good shape and stuff like that. I honestly do appreciate that."
(SBS Star)