Bon Appetit, Your Majesty: Lee Chae-Min Learned Calligraphy, Horse Riding, REVEALS Gaining '3 Kgs' Filming Food-Eating Scenes

Lee

Chae-Min might have boarded Bon Appétit, Your Majesty just a month before it started filming due to a casting trouble, bt the rookie actor getting into the role of tyrant King Lee Heon was possibly the best decision that hapened for the show, that has now emerged as Netflix's biggest hits of 2025, making Lee the breakout actor of the year. While his pairing with Girl's Generation member-turned-actress Im Yoona was seen as a risky preposition, Lee managed to find his footing into the period time-slip drama.ALSO READ: Bon Appetit Your Majesty Ending Explained: Swords And Kisses - Yoona, Lee Chae-Min Serve Perfect Platter Of 2025's Most Sumptuous Finale

Lee Chae-Min's performance in Bon Appétit, Your Majesty

Bon Appétit, Your Majesty gave Lee, many of his first. In just his fourth year of acting, the 25-year-old's transition into a king who was brutal on the outside, but eventually unleashed his emotional core as the show progressed. Fans have not just been going gaga over his incredibly good looks, but most of them are also impressed by the manner in which he modulated his strong vocal control and showed multi-dimensional emotional range, from madness and innocence.

Preps to play tyrant King Lee Heon

According to Allkpop, Lee said, "I acted with everything I had, as if I were burning myself completely. I couldn’t afford to let the production suffer." That's because he had only 12 episodes to prove his worth. It was a do or die situation, because playing his first out and out male lead character was an opportunity he couldn't forego of. His way out was "live and act as if your life depends on it."

Bon Appétit, Your Majesty was Lee's first lead role, first historical drama, and even his first mukbang. And with limited time to prepare, he began by learning major skills needed for the period drama."I practiced calligraphy every day and rode horses. I’ve always liked sports, so I picked up horseback riding quickly. By the end, I was doing scenes alone without a stunt double. I was so good at it in the last days that I almost wished I hadn’t improved so fast. The director and seniors often arranged group readings so I could get into character. They continued doing this into the early stages of filming, and it really helped," Lee said."It wasn’t that I focused more on vocals just because it was a historical drama. I’ve been attending a vocal academy for four years, and it just happened to fit perfectly," he added.

Filming eating shots

While his eating shots turned out to be some of the fan-favourites from the show, many were even edited in an animation. "Many scenes were expressed in a cartoonish style. I watched the footage and practiced in the mirror. The most important thing was figuring out how to eat in a way that wouldn’t look awkward on camera," he shared.

ALSO READ: Bon Appetit Your Majesty Star Lee Chae-Min Cooks Pancakes For Girlfriend Ryu Da In, Viral Post REVEALS All That Happened On Dinner DateWhile he picks Beef Bourguignon as his favourite dish- "the braised short ribs in the battle with the Ming Dynasty were really delicious. I kept gobbling them up. The macarons are also memorable. I gained 3 kg from eating on set."Bon Appétit, Your Majesty debuted with a 4.9% viewership rating on August 23, and raked in 17.1% by its finale, emerning as a sleeper hit of 2025.