Renowned actress Lee Young-ae recently shared behind-the-scenes stories from her early advertising days and her unexpected selection as the successor to the late Choi Jin-sil in a commercial role.
On the October 17th episode of MBC's 'Son Seok-hee's Questions 3,' Lee Young-ae appeared as a guest to discuss her 35-year career in the entertainment industry.
During the broadcast, she revealed that she debuted in a chocolate commercial alongside Hong Kong actor Andy Lau. She also shared that she began her career as a commercial model during her college years as a part-time job.
Lee Young-ae disclosed, "This is the first time I'm sharing this on a broadcast, but during my freshman year in college, I shot a pesticide commercial in the countryside. I don't know where it aired, but we filmed in the fields," highlighting her diverse advertising experiences.
She also recounted the story of being chosen as the successor to the late Choi Jin-sil for an electronics commercial. "I went to an audition looking for Choi Jin-sil's successor, and someone called me into a meeting room where several cameras were filming me. Then, I was taken to Daehak-ro and immediately started shooting the commercial," she explained, expressing her surprise at being selected and filming on the same day.
Additionally, Lee Young-ae astonished viewers by revealing that she has filmed over 240 commercials in 17 years. "Including the number of shoots in a one-year contract, it seems to add up to that," she added.
Meanwhile, Lee Young-ae married Korean-American businessman Jung Ho-young, who is 20 years her senior, in 2009, and they have twin children. She is set to return to television after 26 years with the new KBS2TV weekend mini-series 'A Lucky Day.'
Reported by Na-yeon Cho, TenAsia Reporter nybluebook@tenasia.co.kr