Actress Lee Ru-da shared her feelings about working with Jang Shin-young as mother and daughter.
Lee appeared as Baek Mi-so in the MBC daily drama "The Woman Who Swallowed the Sun" (written by Seol Gyeong-eun, directed by Kim Jin-hyung) and showcased her impressive acting skills.
"The Woman Who Swallowed the Sun" is a drama depicting a woman's desperate revenge against a conglomerate in the name of her only daughter in a world where victims become perpetrators. Jang Shin-young, Seo Ha-jun, Yoon Ah-jung, Oh Chang-seok, Jeon No-min, and others are currently appearing in the show, which is gaining popularity and setting new viewer ratings records.
Lee plays the role of Baek Mi-so in the drama. As the only daughter of Baek Seol-hee (Jang Shin-young) and an irreplaceable presence, she understands and loves her mother more than anyone else. Although she elevated the mood of the drama with their special and affectionate mother-daughter relationship, she faces off against the youngest daughter of the chairman of Min-gang Distribution, Min Se-ri (Park Seo-yeon), to protect her friend Woo Bo-ram (Oh Ga-yeon), and tragically becomes a victim of revenge violence due to a twisted sense of vengeance, ultimately choosing death while being caught up in Min-gang Distribution's scheme to hide the truth.
In the midst of the tumultuous narrative of Mi-so, Lee intricately expressed the complex emotions of a character trapped in extreme circumstances, enhancing the immersion in the story. Notably, she made a strong impression as a "key player" that significantly impacts the future development of the drama.
After her activities with WJSN, Lee transferred to a new agency and formally began her acting career. She took on her first daily drama role in "The Woman Who Swallowed the Sun." Lee said, "I really liked Baek Mi-so. I thought I could show a side of myself that I haven't shown before. While preparing for 'The Woman Who Swallowed the Sun', I felt I could grow more too, so I think I made a good choice."
Lee faced a significant challenge right from the beginning of her first daily drama. This challenge was the rooftop scene, which was the most impactful for her. Lee stated, "Since the character Baek Mi-so has tragic aspects, I was really worried about whether I could portray this character well, but the director solidly defined the character for me, which was a great help. He resolved many of the deep emotional lines and parts I couldn't quite understand, but it wasn't easy. Baek Mi-so doesn't have many happy memories and cries a lot. I always came home exhausted after pouring out my emotions while acting." She continued, "The first shoot was the rooftop scene. That scene was the most important for me, and since I had to shoot it on the first day, I was very anxious. After completing the shoot, I went home and ate pho, and I can't express how I felt eating warm broth after crying all day in a cold place. I realized how precious it is to have come back from the brink of death, and I felt proud of myself for making it through another day."
Although Lee Ru-da is known to be shy, she made exceptional efforts to bond with her co-stars by participating in gatherings even on her days off to build chemistry. Especially in this work, she matched her mother-daughter chemistry with Jang Shin-young, who returned after a three-year break. Lee expressed her feelings about working with Jang Shin-young, saying, "Although I met senior Jang Shin-young as a mother and daughter role, there isn't a huge age gap. Senior Jang Shin-young led me comfortably and friendly. She said, 'Mi-so, do it as you feel comfortable; I will accommodate you,' which allowed me to feel comfortable throughout the filming and I learned a lot by closely following her."
Lee added, "Sometimes I cried so much that I couldn't cry anymore, but senior was always focused and immersed in her role. Since I don't have the experience yet that senior has, my laughter doesn't come easily even during breaks when we have to shoot serious or deep emotional scenes. But seeing senior lightening the atmosphere on set during breaks and then concentrating when it was time to film, I felt the importance of learning how to switch between on and off during filming."
From happy moments with her mother to the resentment towards her mother for being unable to do anything for her when she feels wronged, Lee showed a range of acting. She stated, "Due to the nature of the shooting, the emotional sequence doesn't follow a set order, which might pose some challenges. However, looking back now, I think I managed my energy well during the long shoots. I filmed the most important rooftop scene on the first day, and I felt I overcame a significant hurdle when my energy was at its best. The second hurdle was the slap scene from my mother. She hit me so well that it didn't hurt at all during filming. There were a few more hurdles after that, but I completed them safely."
Leaving a strong presence, Lee Ru-da departed by opening the door to revenge and the starting point of vengeance. She expressed, "As Mi-so in the sky, I wish my mother happiness and hope the perpetrators experience a revenge that leaves them breathless." She also conveyed to the viewers, "Since it's a daily drama with a long pace, there will be moments of exhilaration as well as frustration, but I hope everyone immerses themselves in that process which leads to revenge."
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