TV
'The Glory' Lim Ji-yeon "Even at home, my mom calls me 'Yeonjin-ah'"
On the 17th, I met actress Lim Ji-yeon, who appeared in Netflix's 'The Glory', at a cafe in Sinsa-dong, Seoul. Lim Ji-yeon played the role of Park Yeon-jin, the instigator who inflicted harsh violence on Moon Dong-eun, living a life with everything at her feet from the moment she was born in a wealthy environment.
When asked if she realized that it was becoming a hot topic, Lim Ji-yeon said, "I am realizing it a lot." He then laughed, saying, “To be honest, I had an idea from the beginning that the work would do well. I was confident that it would create great buzz and receive a lot of love.” However, he said, "I never thought that even each character would receive this much attention and love. I am thankful that many people call me 'Yeonjin' wherever I go, and I am happy these days."
Park Yeon-jin is not a villain with a pre-existing deficiency or story, but a character who commits evil deeds. Lim Ji-yeon said, "I approached it in a variety of ways. At first, I thought I would make Yeon-jin feel like a sociopath or psychopath with no emotions and remove all emotions. Or, I tried to approach her as a completely emotional character. I came up with as many ideas as possible. In the end, I came to the conclusion, 'Let's make something that only Lim Ji-yeon can do.' I told myself not to copy famous works or the villains of previous references and not to look at them at all. My voice, my facial expressions, my gait, my gestures, my style. “I decided to make it my own, even down to the enemy parts,” he explained. He continued, “It was difficult to get into character in the beginning, but as I got closer to the end, it became more natural.”
Lim Ji-yeon said, "Actually, it was difficult. Isn't it such an important role? I thought that I had to portray Yeon-jin properly in this work so that viewers could have an emotional connection and empathy for Dong-eun. Yeon-jin is the reason why Dong-eun seeks revenge so much." “I spent a lot of time getting into character,” he said.
Lim Ji-yeon said that Park Yeon-jin is a ‘love-hate character.’ I have affection for the character he played, but considering his evil deeds, it's hard to say I love him. Lim Ji-yeon said, "When I read the script and prepared it, I hoped that everyone in the world would hate me. I also said to the writer and director, 'If I do this, I hope everyone in the world hates me.' Then, I can say that I did a good job with this work. “I thought Dong-eun’s feelings would be conveyed well if the hate was expressed well,” he confessed.
The line itself in which the characters call Park Yeon-jin ‘Yeonjin-ah’ is also becoming a hot topic. Lim Ji-yeon said, "I didn't know there were that many 'Yeon Jin-ahs'. Not only Dong-eun, but other characters also had a lot of 'Yeon Jin-ahs'." “I am completely grateful. It felt like I appeared even in scenes where I did not appear, and the amount of screen time increased. I am grateful. I think ‘Yeonjin-ah’ has become more famous than Lim Ji-yeon. Even at home, my mom says ‘Yeonjin-ah’,” he said with a laugh. .
'The Glory' is a Netflix series that depicts the story of a woman whose soul was broken by violence in her childhood, who risks her entire life to carefully prepare a cruel revenge, and the story of those who fall into the vortex. According to Netflix's official site 'Netflix TOP 10' on the 15th, the viewing time of 'The Glory' in the second week of March (6th to 12th) was 124.46 million hours, ranking first in the non-English language TV category.
Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr
