Lee Jun-hyuk Says ‘The Ordinary Jackpot’ Gave Him His Most Relatable Character Yet

The actor discusses playing lottery-winning office worker Gong Eun-tae, sharing the spotlight with his castmates and finding a jazz-like rhythm with Seo Hyun-woo.

Winning the lottery changes Gong Eun-tae’s bank balance, but it does not take him out of the office. For Lee Jun-hyuk, that everyday setting offered something equally valuable: a character who felt closer to his own life.

Speaking at a roundtable interview on October 13, reported by Single List, Lee reflected on his role in The Ordinary Jackpot, the TVING workplace drama known in Korean as 로또 1등도 출근합니다.

After playing characters defined by heightened personalities and extreme circumstances, he found comfort in portraying an ordinary person. He jokingly described Eun-tae as the character in his filmography who lives most like a real human being.

A Lottery Winner Who Still Has to Work

Lee plays Gong Eun-tae, the head of Sales Team Five at Hongseong International.

Although Eun-tae wins the lottery’s first prize, the money does not automatically deliver the carefree life he might have imagined. He continues going to work, navigating colleagues, responsibilities and the pressures familiar to many Korean office workers.

That ordinariness appealed to Lee.

He explained that many of his previous roles required more pronounced character acting. Eun-tae allowed him to explore behavior closer to his own, without the heightened qualities that had shaped some of his earlier performances.

He also compared the experience with playing Seo Dong-jae. Even when that character received a spin-off, Lee said he still felt the presence of Stranger’s larger narrative framework and its central character, Hwang Si-mok.

With Eun-tae, he experienced a different sense of carrying a story.

Making Room for the Whole Cast

Lee’s interest in the drama extended beyond his own leading role. He wanted to work on a production where many characters could feel like protagonists.

Having spent considerable time in supporting roles himself, he hoped his castmates would receive opportunities to stand out.

Rather than making every scene depend on his character’s presence, he wanted to experience the rhythm created by the ensemble. He described that opportunity as one of the fortunate aspects of the project.

The approach also influenced how he supported fellow actors outside the scenes they filmed. Lee said he had been able to help create opportunities for newer cast members to participate together in promotional activities.

He saw a connection between that responsibility and Eun-tae’s position as a team leader: gaining influence can also mean creating space for the people working alongside you.

Seeing His Younger Self in Other Characters

Asked which character he related to besides Eun-tae, Lee said he understood different parts of the ensemble.

He could sympathize with Jun-ho’s position, noting that acting is a profession where age and seniority do not always align neatly.

Ji-hye and Gi-tae reminded him of his own early career. Their performers’ dedication moved him and made him feel that the effort he had invested as a newcomer had not been wasted.

Eun-tae’s imperfections also felt familiar. Lee described moments when a choice seems right while working, only to look different in retrospect.

That uncertainty helped make the character feel human.

Why Acting With Seo Hyun-woo Felt Like Jazz

Lee reserved particularly warm praise for Seo Hyun-woo, saying his co-star’s support helped him feel like the drama’s leading actor.

He described their chemistry as something that became increasingly instinctive. On the best days, their performances and the director’s guidance aligned with the spontaneity of jazz.

What mattered was trust. Lee felt confident that Seo could fill a scene regardless of which direction the performance took.

He also said positive responses to Seo’s work made him especially happy, expressing a wish for his co-star to achieve even greater success.

The comments reinforced the same priority that shaped his approach to the series: a leading role could be an opportunity to bring other actors forward.

Editor’s Note: The Drama’s Official English Title

CJ ENM lists the series internationally as The Ordinary Jackpot. Its Korean title translates more literally as “Even First-Prize Lottery Winners Go to Work,” which explains the variations used in English coverage.

The drama is adapted from Seo In-ha’s web novel of the same name, with Yoon Young-bin serving as writer and director.

Its premise gives Lee’s comments a useful context. The lottery win introduces an extraordinary event, but the story continues inside an ordinary workplace. From an editorial perspective, that contrast leaves room for the relationships and small uncertainties Lee emphasized in the interview.