As Lim Ji Yeon transitions from playing a cold villain to romantic comedy, she opens up on her love for acting and what sort of work she would like to do in India.
Lim Ji Yeon has been no stranger to fame ever since her scene-stealing turn as the cold and calculating villain in the 2023 hit, The Glory. She went on to showcase her range in the suspense thriller, Lies Hidden In My Garden, and the historical thriller, Tale of Lady Ok. Now she seamlessly switches tracks yet again, this time stepping into the world of romantic comedy with Prime Video’s Not Nice To Meet You.
She plays Wi Jeong-shin, a decorated political correspondent re-assigned to the entertainment desk. To make matters worse, she is forced to cover the one actor she dislikes, Lee Jung Jae’s Lim Hyeon-jun. What follows is a clash of ideologies and personalities with a hilarious, unexpected romance unfolding on the sidelines.
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The actor confesses that while she had fun being on the other side, the role demanded a lot of preparation. “I was delighted to be on the other side, from the one always giving interviews to being a journalist. I carefully observed what and how the journalists would interact with me during our conversations, their mannerisms, as well as thinking how I could bring my character to life in a fun way. What would I feel like? Or what would I do if I were an entertainment journalist? I would use my imagination and try to draw a picture in my mind in creating my character, Wi Jeong-shin, who is made to switch beats from politics to entertainment news,” tells Lim Ji Yeon to Screen in an exclusive interview.
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Lim Ji Yeon began her acting career with a short film while still at university and found her first leading credit with the adult romantic drama, Obsessed, in 2014. The film catapulted her into the spotlight and she followed it with a bold turn as an ambitious concubine in The Treacherous in 2015. Though praised for her fearless performances, she also faced the shackles of stereotypes.
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The turning point arrived in 2022 with the mystery drama Rose Mansion followed by Money Heist Korea – Joint Economic Area. But it was the revenge drama The Glory that brought her recognition beyond South Korea. Yet, despite her hit run and the global embrace of Korean content, success doesn’t seem to have altered Lim Ji Yeon.
“In the past few years what hasn’t changed in me has to be the joy of acting. I think no matter how difficult it becomes, no matter how physically draining it gets, I always love myself the most when I am performing as an actor. I feel like it’s what I have the most fun with,” she says.
Like most actors, she hopes every show is a success and every character is loved, but she is careful not to let that be the sole driver of her choices.
“You want to be in as many hit projects as possible and you want your character to always be loved by the audience. That desire and hope is always there. However, I think if that becomes your sole compass in making your choices, it really can lead you off track and down the wrong path. I feel like I always try to think from the audience’s perspective. I feel like if I am part of a project or a story that I would want to see as an audience member, then that’s the story that people will want to see as well. So I don’t try to be blinded by success or failure. I try to stick to what I believe. I always try to think that if I’m really into the story, if I’m really invested in something, then the audience will also be invested in the story as well. So that’s how I make my choices,” she answers matter-of-factly.
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With South Korean studios increasingly looking at India as a thriving market and Indian adaptations of several K-dramas already in the works, Lim Ji Yeon admits she would love to explore an Indo-Korean romance on screen.” If I were to be a part of an Indian production, I would like to know what would happen if a Korean woman met an Indian man. I wonder what kind of romance that’s going to be, so I’m very curious to see that happen,” she says with a laugh.
Not Nice To Meet You is streaming on Prime Video.
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