[Herald Interview] Lee Ju-myoung grateful to have started her 30s with ‘Twenty-Five Twenty-One’

For Lee Ju-myoung, 30, playing the role of high school student Ji Seung-wan in “Twenty-Five Twenty-One” was meaningful in many ways.

“Performing my role aside, I was able to learn various tips for improving myself as an actor off-camera as well. I still have many things to learn as an actor,” Lee said during an interview with The Korea Herald at a cafe in Mapo-gu, western Seoul, on Thursday.

“Participating in the series with actors Kim Tae-ri and Nam Ju-hyuk, who have rich experiences, I was able to absorb their know-how on leading the filming site and building relationships with both actors and staff,” the actor added.

Lee believed that the chance to work with veteran actor So Hee-jung, 50, who took the role of her character Seung-wan’s mother, was also a valuable experience.

“Though So did not appear in many scenes, her performance was always so powerful and realistic that she stayed in viewers’ minds,” Lee said. Lee added that while there are many amazing actors in Korea, she aspires to putting on performances as good as So’s.

Lee also said that the success of the show was a surprise.

“Though I believed that the storyline and the charming characters were entertaining enough to catch viewers’ attention, I never expected it (to attract their attention) to this extent,” she said, after hearing the drama had ranked sixth on the global Netflix chart as of Thursday, almost two weeks after the release of its final episode.

Lee shared her experience of receiving a lot of love and support in various languages on her social media.

“I considered myself a model-turned-rookie actor with little experience in films and dramas. But I was relieved to get positive feedback from drama fans around the world,” the actor said.

The actor shared how her debut in the entertainment business was very unexpected.

Though Lee studied aviation services in university to realize her teenage dream of becoming a flight attendant, an opportunity to shoot some photos with her close friend, who was a photographer, opened up a chance to appear in a lookbook.

This experience led her to debut in a music video as a model. This then led her to star in the dramas “Kairos” and “Hospital Playlist.”

“I believe I have worked hard in my 20s, challenging myself to do new things. I had an amazing start to my 30s with ‘Twenty-Five Twenty-One.’ I hope to live up to fans’ expectations in my next projects as well,” the actor said.

“I don’t intend on limiting myself to a specific genre, but I’d personally like to star in a sweet rom-com, since Seung-wan was the only person who did not have any partner in the series,” Lee said with a smile.

By Lee Si-jin (sj_lee@heraldcorp.com)