Korean teen star in The Maze Runner

MANILA, Philippines - Korean teen actor Ki Hong Lee has obviously set a firm pace to stardom starring opposite Dylan O’Brien in the upcoming book adaptation of The Maze Runner. By the looks of it, the recently-concluded Greenies Screening in the Phils. had the girls giggling after the movie, charmed by his notable presence and performance in the movie.

Thomas (O’Brien) wakes up in a lift, moving slowly upward. As the box grinds to a halt and the doors open, he finds himself among a colony of boys who welcome him to the Glade — an open expanse surrounded by enormous concrete walls. Thomas’ mind is blank. He has no knowledge of where he is, of where he came from, and can’t remember his parents, his past or even his own name.

Thomas and his fellow “Gladers” don’t know how or why they got to the Glade. Thomas learns that each resident of the Glade has a role to play, from gardening to construction to being one of the elite runners who map the walls of the Maze that keep them captive and change configurations every night. Maze Runners race the clock to cover as much ground as possible before the end of the day when the Maze locks down and the deadly biomechanical Grievers roam the corridors of the concrete structure.

The Runners possess the athleticism that propels them through the Maze each day, helping them compile a map of the foreboding structure and maybe, figure out a way to escape. Their captain is Minho, played by Lee. 

The young actor grew to understand his position of leadership among the Gladers in a very individual way. “I looked at the Marines and the Army and, and I consider Minho like a general of the Gladers. It’s his job to rally the troops,” he explains.

Running through the massive walls which is both industrial and ancient in construction, Minho along with Thomas, runs into the Maze every day and memorizes each run so he can piece together the intricate and ever changing structure of it. “Minho doesn’t say much — he just runs fast which makes him invaluable for solving the riddle of the maze. He’s an Indiana Jones-type adventure dude,” says director Wes Ball. “He’s the fastest, most bad-ass guy who goes out into the Maze every day. He’s kind of a mysterious guy, but will eventually open up, too.”

Lee (Minho) began acting in middle school, performing in church skits and growing to love the stage. He recently played the well-loved character Paul in ABC Family’s The Nine Lives Of Chloe King, and took part in the film adaptation of Yellowface, from the Tony-winning playwright David Henry Hwang. 

In his personal life, Lee, a UC Berkeley graduate, has a passion for people, education and good causes. Raised in different cultures, from Seoul to Auckland, Lee considers himself to be a California soul at heart, and could not continue life without good Mexican food in regular doses.

The Maze Runner sprints in cinemas nationwide come Sept. 17 from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.