“Empress Ki” Meant A Lot To Jin Yi Han

Jin Yi Han impressed viewers in his role as the historical figure Tal Tal in the drama "Empress Ki." That role made him a star. But the 51-episode drama was barely over when he began playing Judge Jeon Ji Won in "A New Leaf" with co-stars Park Min Young and Kim Myung Min.

The actor was recently photographed for a fashion spread and interviewed for bnt International magazine. During the interview he spoke about acting and his experiences filming "Empress Ki."

When interviewed he said that he enjoyed working with Ha Ji Won, who played the drama's title role, and he would like to act with her again. Their characters spent considerable onscreen time together.

Jin Yi Han was not too concerned about the controversy that the historical drama inspired, namely that it was rewriting history to make the character of Empress Ki more likeable.

"Although there was controversy, 'Empress Ki' is a project that means a lot to me," said Jin Yi Han.

What some fans may not know about the actor, who looks very serious whether he is wearing battle armor or a judge's robes, is that he is a top-notch dancer. He showed off his dance steps on the entertainment shows "Happy Together" and "Quiz To Change The World." Jin Yi Han started his career as a musical theater actor, appearing in a production of "Footloose."

He not only dances well but he says that he taught himself.

"I started practicing after watching Michael Jackson do the Moonwalk," he said. "It was during my sophomore year in high school. I had to teach myself to dance."

If Michael Jackson was his inspiration for learning to dance, Edward Norton and Johnny Depp are the actors that he says inspire him to become a better actor.

He told the magazine that he is friendly with a few actors too. He likes to hang around with JYJ's Kim Jaejoong, whom he co-starred with in "Dr. Jin" and recently visited on the set of his new drama "Triangle." He's also close with his "Empress Ki" co-star Joo Jin Mo. His other actor friends include Hong Suk Chun and Lee Chun Hee.

Jin Yi Han's first drama role was seven years ago when he appeared in the historical drama "Conspiracy in the Court." It took a while for his talent to get the notice it deserved but "Empress Ki" was an important turning point.