Lee Young-ae dominated living room screens with acting on a different level.
In KBS 2TV's new Saturday-Sunday miniseries Walking On Thin Ice (directed by Song Hyun-wook, written by Jeon Young-shin), which premiered on the 20th, Lee Young-ae plays Kang Eun-su, who transforms from an ordinary housewife into a precarious business partner, driving the show's appeal. In just two episodes, Lee Young-ae perfectly handled everyday acting, comedy and explosive emotional performances, proving "the essence of acting." Here we look back at Lee Young-ae's highlights from episodes 1 and 2.
◆ 'Lee Young-ae's' everyday acting, the start of empathy
Eun-su's modest daily life with her family collapsed overnight after her husband's failed investment and cancer battle. Lee Young-ae gracefully expressed the emotional curve from betrayal and anger toward her husband to the guilt after learning the truth, eliciting viewers' empathy. In particular, Lee Young-ae's natural dialogue tone and everyday acting as an ordinary housewife allowed viewers to immediately immerse themselves in Eun-su's life. With delicate gestures and expressions conveying realistic anxiety, Lee Young-ae perfectly portrayed the character Kang Eun-su as "someone who could be living next door," earning praise from viewers such as "I trust Lee Young-ae's acting," "This character suits her so well," "Her acting is so comfortable," and "Lee Young-ae on another level."
◆ Lee Young-ae's dangerous choice in crisis, overwhelming with a single look
Standing before a bag of drugs she happened to obtain, Eun-su faced an extreme crossroad between calling the police and selling. Lee Young-ae urgently conveyed the internal changes of chaos and conflict with her eyes alone, revealing both the fear and determination in the unfamiliar world she plunged into as a club cleaner. She dramatically captured the complex emotions where fear, desire and survival instincts intersect, heightening tension. Especially in the moment when she hesitated to report to the police but was shaken after accidentally seeing information on the news, Lee Young-ae persuaded viewers of Eun-su's conflict with a single close-up look. In the scenes where she works as a club cleaner, she realistically portrayed the terror of an unfamiliar space and the desperation to survive at the same time.
◆ a spoonful of comedy in the human crime thriller
When the perilous partnership with Lee Kyung (played by Kim Young-kwang) officially began, Eun-su's surprising charm also exploded. Lee Young-ae subdued Min-woo, who was stunned by a stun gun, and burst into laughter toward the sky, and her quick thinking when switching VIP room numbers provided both laughter and a thrilling catharsis. In the process, Lee Young-ae added depth to the character by showing everyday survival skills that retain comedy even in life-or-death situations. Creating a new tone of "laughter amid tragedy" with Kim Young-kwang's chemistry, she eased the heaviness of the human crime thriller genre.
◆ Lee Young-ae's emotional outburst after the first successful transaction
After making big money in her first deal, Eun-su burst into tears between relief that she had secured money for her husband's hospital bills and self-reproach for committing an illegal act. In particular, the scene of her clutching the bundles of cash and wailing was cited as a highlight of episode 2 and left a deep impression. In the scene that captured the ambivalent human emotions collapsing before money, Lee Young-ae revealed the character's layered facets by alternating a smile of relief with tears of self-reproach. Even in her tears, love for her family surfaced, making it understandable why Eun-su had no choice but to choose this path.
In this way, in just two episodes Lee Young-ae displayed a wide spectrum from everyday acting to comedy and emotional explosions, fully immersing herself in the character Kang Eun-su. She vividly unfolded Eun-su's desperate journey, pushed from an ordinary housewife into the precarious world of crime, eliciting both viewers' empathy and immersion. Beyond simple character portrayal, Lee Young-ae's acting, which vividly captured human choice and survival instinct, is the driving force behind Walking On Thin Ice.
[Photo] Provided by KBS
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