Lee Young-ae Reflects on Her Iconic Career and Surprising Beginnings in Advertising

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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.

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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