▲ This photo, provided by J Wide Company, shows actress Kim So-yeon who plays Cheon Seo-jin from SBS drama "The Penthouse: War in Life. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

SEOUL, Sept. 13 (Yonhap) -- South Korean actress Kim So-yeon (41), who plays the leading role of the SBS TV popular drama series "The Penthouse: War in Life," picked her own character, Cheon Seo-jin, as the best villain out of the figures that appeared in all three seasons.

In a recent video interview with Yonhap News Agency, Kim said, "No matter what everyone said about Cheon Seo-jin's evil deeds, I made efforts to believe what my character was doing was right in order for me to successfully fulfill my part. However, in the scenes where Cheon Seo-jin kills Oh Yoon-hee (Eugene) off the cliff and pours hot water on Logan Lee (Park Eun-seok), I hated my character so much."

Regarding the ending that shocked viewers with Cheon Seo-jin's extreme choice to end her own life, Kim said, "I always thought there would be a disastrous ending due to the severe degree of my character's evil behavior," adding, "I was very satisfied to how things ended."

 

 

▲ This photo, provided by J Wide Company, shows actress Kim So-yeon who plays Cheon Seo-jin from SBS drama "The Penthouse: War in Life. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

Chun Seo-jin, who pushed several people to death to achiever her goals, which included the honor of a prima donna, chairman position of Cheong-ah Foundation, top floor of the Hera Palace penthouse, and the success of her daughter Ha Eun-byeol (Choi Ye-bin), is perceived as an "unforgivable villain," but with Kim So-yeon's performance, she has become one of the most beloved characters over the past three seasons.

Kim showed a humble attitude, saying, "I think the audience looked at Cheon Seo-jin's desperation with pity and showed great interest with concern."

In every episode, Kim drew the public's attention with her apt acting of Cheon Seo-jin, especially when she plays the piano in madness at home after just having pushed her father down the stairs to death.

In response, Kim confessed, "I was so afraid and tired in each scene, not even each episode," and said, "I wondered over and over again on whether I could pull this off, and Cheon Seo-jin naturally has a lot of anger and cries a lot, so I was also worried about how to control my emotions."

"When I think about it now, I realized it was a great experience for me to feel relieved after pouring out all my efforts. Whenever I thought the scenes were hard, I remembered that I don't know whether I'll have the chance to act like this ever in my life again and pushed through with that mindset"

After appearing in "The Penthouse: War in Life," Kim received the Best Actress Award in the Television category at the Baeksang Arts Awards, and is said to be enjoying the highest point of her acting career since her debut.

"The Baeksang Arts Awards is such a huge part in my life, so I'm still nervous just thinking about it. Actually, I can't believe everything that's happening to me right now. It hasn't hit me yet and I still wonder whether I'm worthy of receiving so much. To be honest, I think I'm a little nervous rather than happy right now. I'm trying to take things calmly by reminding myself to not get swept up in these moments and focus on my main job as an actress."

 

▲ This photo, provided by J Wide Company, shows actress Kim So-yeon who plays Cheon Seo-jin from SBS drama "The Penthouse: War in Life. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
Kim, who didn't know herself that "The Penthouse" series would continue to season 3, confessed her enjoyment in watching "Game of Thrones" and how she was "envious of actors who are able to play one character for so long," adding, "It's a great honor to appear in a seasonal drama."

"For the third season, I read the script and it was really easy to get into character. Even though I was not filming, I was emotional. I thought I would feel very relieved after completing the series, however I kept missing it. I still felt really in touch with the role of Cheon Seo-jin."

Asked about her fellow actors on "The Penthouse: War in Life," Kim said, "The chemistry between the actors were really good. I was able to learn a lot from the scene." The actress didn't forget to praise Choi Ye-bin, who plays Cheon Seo-jin's daughter, saying, "(Ye-bin) acted so well that we just automatically connected and created a great teamwork on screen."

Kim, who debuted at a young age in middle school, has already entered her 27th year as an actress and selected dramas "Iris," "Prosecutor Princess," and "The Penthouse: War in Life" as the turning points in her acting career.

"I think I would have to pick 'Iris' as first place. This is embarrassing to say, but up until then, all I thought was ways I would look pretty on camera," however when I starred in 'Iris,' it was the frist time I came to my senses," Kim said laughing.

"Prosecutor Princess" is a special work for me because it helped me break my worries of whether I could pull off a romantic comedy. I think the last drama is 'The Penthouse: War in Life.' Until this work, I felt a little complacent without much ambition, but while working on this work I was determined to give it my fullest."

Kim also became a sought-after guest for entertainment programs, especially by comedian Yoo Jae-suk who favored Kim's polar opposite personality to Cheon Seo-jin. "I just went on the show with the idea of showing my true self, but I was so grateful that people liked it."

"The most grateful thing is YouTube," Kim said laughing. "I haven't been able to handle digital devices too well, but I started watching it recently. I'm able to see various aspects of me as well on the platform. I'm really thankful for all of this."

(END)

 

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