Heo Nam-jun on 'My Royal Nemesis', Romantic Comedy and What's Next

Korean actor Heo Nam-jun is actively feeling the dramatic shift in his career trajectory. "These days, I'm really sensing the popularity," he shared grounded in a recent interview. "When I go out to restaurants, a lot of people recognize me now. I want to fully enjoy this moment, but I'm also trying hard not to get carried away. I keep thinking about what it truly means to be an actor, and I want to keep working to show even better performances."

After successfully taking on his very first romantic comedy lead in the hit SBS Friday-Saturday drama My Royal Nemesis, Heo has drastically broadened his acting range and left an indelible mark on Korean viewers. Throughout the interview, his deep sincerity about the project and his hyper-focused mindset suggested he is well on track to transition from a fast-rising star into a versatile actor built for a long career.

My Royal Nemesis officially wrapped up its successful run on June 20, posting a phenomenal series-high rating of 11.8% nationwide, according to Nielsen Korea. The show earned widespread praise for its fresh premise, meticulous direction, and stellar performances. Heo played Cha Se-gye, a ruthless chaebol (conglomerate) heir who undergoes a slow, profound transformation after crossing paths with Shin Seo-ri (played by Lim Ji-yeon). His deeply layered take on a cold character gradually learning what real love feels like drew rave reviews from critics and fans alike.

"Cha Se-gye is someone who fundamentally doesn't trust anyone," Heo analyzed. "It's a coping mechanism he chose simply to survive from a young age. But when he meets Shin Seo-ri, who loves him just as he is, he starts to show a much more human side. He gets flustered, and he gives and receives love in a somewhat immature way. I think those vulnerabilities made the character even more charming."

When his casting was initially announced, some viewers were initially skeptical about the fit. Heo had previously built his reputation on intense, gritty roles in major projects like Sweet Home Season 3 and Your Honor, and his heavily masculine image felt a step removed from traditional romantic comedy tropes. "First and foremost, I want to thank the director and the writer for taking a chance and casting me," he said. "I tried to embody the outer side of the character as well as I could, but in the end, what matters most for an actor is the acting itself."

"I swear I never once watched the drama and thought I looked handsome," he added with a laugh. "But I did really like the ending scenes each week and the moments where Cha Se-gye came across as genuinely charming. I usually feel awkward watching myself back on screen, but this time I was actually able to get more absorbed in the story."

Cha Se-gye's full-speed, unapologetic pursuit of Shin Seo-ri quickly became one of the show's biggest draws, particularly for female viewers. Heo earned immense praise for handling romantic lines that could have easily slipped into cringe territory with an easy, playful touch. "My everyday way of talking is actually a bit cheeky like Cha Se-gye, so it wasn't a massive stretch," he revealed. "But unfamiliar, high-society words like 'Mont Saint-Michel'—I practiced them at home and intentionally used them in my daily life just to make them feel natural in my mouth."

"There were so many fun lines, it's honestly hard to pick just one," he smiled. "If I have to choose, the ones I'd absolutely never say in real life are the ones that stuck with me the most. The most memorable is definitely, 'Meeting a man like me is harder than winning the lottery.' Ha."

Heo also spoke warmly about his experience working alongside co-star Lim Ji-yeon, noting that she helped guide him immensely as a scene partner. He pointed to the emotional climax of Episode 9 as the most memorable shoot of the entire production. "It was an emotionally heightened scene, so it was incredibly tough," he recalled. "Lim Ji-yeon gave me a lot of invaluable advice on how to play it so Cha Se-gye would come across as more attractive. She suggested that when Shin Seo-ri cries and hits me, I should grab her hand and just look at her quietly. Thanks to that direction, we got a much better scene."

"Watching Lim Ji-yeon, I constantly thought, 'People who are already great at this work even harder,'" he reflected. "Scripts sometimes come in at the last minute on a fast-paced shoot, but she always arrived on set fully prepared. Seeing her perform without throwing a single NG (no good) made me nervous in a good way and pushed me to work that much harder."

Next, Heo will keep his incredible momentum going with the highly anticipated tvN drama Whale Star: The Gyeongseong Mermaid, set to air in 2027. He will portray independence activist Song Hae-su alongside Moon Ga-young and Choi Woo-shik. "It's a beautiful story about three young people living through a turbulent era," he teased. "It covers their love, their friendship, the independence movement, and the desperate fight and intense lives they led." After proving an entirely new side of his capabilities in My Royal Nemesis, what Heo Nam-jun brings to the screen next has officially become one of the most exciting questions in the Korean drama industry.