Go Ara and Lee Yeon-hee's SM Liberation Diary

She entered the entertainment industry with a 'pretty face', but controversy over her acting skills followed. However, he steadily built up his filmography and developed his acting skills, and is now recognized as a decent actor. This is the story of actors Lee Yeon-hee and Go A-ra. They all have one thing in common: they are from SM Entertainment (SM). After breaking up with SM, who had been together for a long time, the two are showing a more colorful path as actors.

Lee Yeon-hee and Go Ah-ra were the actors that SM put forward in the early days of acting management. The two were chosen as SM's 'representative ulzzang' actors. Lee Yeon-hee was selected as an SM trainee after winning the casting audition SM Youth Best Contest in 2001, and debuted in the 2004 KBS drama 'Haesin'. In 2003, Go Ara was also selected as the grand prize winner of 'Best Looks' through the same contest as Lee Yeon-hee, and in the same year, she started her acting career with the KBS2 drama 'Rounding'. The two, with their exceptional looks, succeeded in debuting relatively quickly compared to other trainees.

But a pretty face became poison instead. She mainly took on roles that highlighted her pretty image, and perhaps because of that, controversy over her acting skills arose. Moreover, as SM puts more emphasis on managing singers rather than actors, relatively the modifier 'SM actor' doesn't seem to have worked as a positive factor for them.

In addition, Go Ara and Lee Yeon-hee had to struggle with SM, which started actor management and production in earnest. Following the SBS drama 'Snowflake' (2006), she had to work with male idol-turned-actors from SM, including filling in the casting of Go Ah-ra, who played the leading role in the MBC drama 'Heading to the Ground' (2009), which was supported by SM. It was difficult to create synergy. In addition, the situation flowed negatively as the work was criticized for its lack of probability and loose narrative.

Lee Yeon-hee is a similar case. Lee Yeon-hee, who starred in SBS 'Paradise Ranch', had to go through the limitations of in-house casting once again while working with Max Chang-min. Lee Yeon-hee later gained the image of a 'first love icon' with the movie 'Millionaire's First Love' (2006), but she did not receive attention in terms of acting, and it is regrettable that she did not match the sexy character in the movie 'Detective Joseon: The Missing Knob's Daughter' (2015). left

The two former 'SM actors' will each be orphans in 2016, and Lee Yeon-hee will leave SM in 2020. After going through an artist company, Go Ara signed an exclusive contract with Starship Entertainment in January. Lee Yeon-hee made a nest at VAST Entertainment. Choosing a company that can properly manage actors.

Since then, the two have been showing their 'liberated' acting moves through leaving SM. Go Ah-ra showed off her action acting as Damo, a human weapon that walks through 'Hatch' but has a soft heart. In 'Miss Hammurabi', she was praised for her natural acting as Park Cha Oh-reum, a righteous and passionate first-time judge who is strong against the strong and weak against the weak.

In the movie 'The Scion', which will be released on June 21st, she played the role of Yoon Joo, a mysterious character who has an accidental encounter with boxer Marco. In the released stills, the appearance of smoking was included, raising expectations for a different acting transformation. At a recent production briefing, Go A-ra expressed her sense of challenge, saying, "Since I said that I would participate in director Park Hoon-jung's work, I was excited about any role. This work has a different tone from the works I have done so far. It was interesting and enjoyable both before and during the filming." showed up

Lee Yeon-hee took on the challenge of acting in 2021. Lee Yeon-hee, who took the stage as 'King Lear', showed a highly immersive performance in her first play, despite the difficult environment of playing two roles in one person. In the Kakao TV drama 'Marriage White Paper', it was well received that it was natural because it realistically captured the wedding preparation process of a bride in her 30s. Recently, in Disney+'s 'Race', he is arousing sympathy from young people as a 'no-spec' contract worker who was framed for hiring corruption. Lee Yeon-hee also cut her hair short in a short-cut style for this work.

In a recent 'Race' interview, Lee Yeon-hee confessed that she was enjoying acting belatedly. He said, “The play was also a good experience. Standing on stage is a little nervous and nervous, but somehow it was fun. It was the first time I started acting. Also, "If I had countless experiences left in my 20s, now I want to share my thoughts with more people and create enjoyable work. I've been acting for a long time, but I've never been satisfied. Challenge is the driving force, and what can I get from it? Curiosity is also the driving force. If I don't take on a challenge, I feel complacent. Acting makes me grow."

With their outstanding looks and the background of a music-based agency, it was a double-edged sword for the two. It was the reason why he could receive attention since his debut, but it was also the reason why he created prejudice. The two who were 'liberated' from SM are now making more free and flexible choices. Go Ara and Lee Yeon-hee are clearing up controversy over their acting skills while building their skills through each filmography. I wonder if the true value of the two as actors is manifested in the choice they make to take on challenges instead of being complacent.

Reporter Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia bella@tenasia.co.kr