Actor Seo Sumin said she is still working part-time despite Manager Kim's breakout 23% ratings.
On the afternoon of the 27th, at a café in Nonhyeon-dong, Seoul, a wrap-up interview was held with actor Seo Sumin, who appeared in the SBS Friday-Saturday drama Manager Kim.
Seo Sumin played Kim Min-ji, the daughter of Manager Kim (played by So Jisub), and her steady acting and clear presence belied the fact that this was her first drama, leaving a deep impression on viewers.
Saying it was her first-ever interview, Seo Sumin amused reporters before it began by asking if she could do the interview while playing with a squishy toy.
Nervous at the start of the interview, Seo Sumin said she was surprised by the show's success and that working with good seniors made her think it would do well, but that its success felt like a dream and a miracle.
Joining a major project called Manager Kim for her debut, Seo Sumin especially felt pressure appearing as So Jisub's daughter. She confessed that she felt a lot of pressure because Manager Kim was a drama based on a webtoon and webtoon fans might worry whether a rookie actor could portray the character Min-ji well, and because it was her first time acting she was worried about causing concern over her acting.
Recalling filming with So Jisub, Seo Sumin said she was frozen during the first shoot and felt pressure not to make mistakes, but he sweetly gave her a strawberry candy and encouraged her to do her best, which calmed her and allowed the first shoot to begin.
She said forms of address naturally changed. Seo Sumin said she initially called him senior, but over time it became father, and she recalled that during filming her birthday came up and So Jisub said, "Is it Min-ji's birthday?" and gave her a handwritten DAY6 autograph. Because the set was unfamiliar then and she felt her acting was lacking, she felt very apologetic and cried when she saw that.
Manager Kim started with a 9.5% rating for episode 1 and in just two episodes surpassed its target 13% to record 15.7%. It then broke 21.6% in episode 4, passing the 20% barrier, and continued to exceed 20% ratings for seven consecutive episodes through the finale, ending with a national rating of 23.0%. (Provided by Nielsen Korea)
With a rare big TV ratings hit, Seo Sumin said she has noticed the popularity, saying she still went out without a hat or mask after Manager Kim aired but people gradually began to recognize her. She said her friends didn't know she was acting, and that high school teachers who thought she was a student were surprised to see her on TV and contacted her; even a retired teacher reached out, and she was grateful.
Appearing as So Jisub's daughter in the phenomenon-level hit Manager Kim, she said she is currently still working part-time. She confessed that she is still doing part-time work and will stop soon, saying she will work part-time only until the end of July and that she works at a takoyaki stand. She said she started after the drama ended and, because she didn't want to just be idle while not filming another drama, she started working to do something.
Explaining why she will quit the part-time job, Seo Sumin said the takoyaki shop closed, and added that she will probably look for another part-time job because while she likes acting and being an actor, she thinks the experience of earning money in everyday life is important and, if given the chance, she might work part-time again.
Regarding a possible season 2 of Manager Kim, Seo Sumin laughed that she would be very happy if she appears, and that she would be fine even if she doesn't. She said she read the webtoon in middle school and is quietly hoping season 2 would come out.
Finally, about plans for a reward trip, Seo Sumin expressed excitement, saying she will go on the reward trip too, that she filmed Manager Kim around Gwangyang right after her high school graduation ceremony because she had been filming since high school, and that she couldn't go on a graduation trip with her parents and friends, so she is very happy to be able to go on a reward trip now.
Meanwhile, Manager Kim, in which Seo Sumin appeared, is a revenge action drama in the father universe about an 'ordinary' father who becomes the 'most dangerous' man to get back his only daughter, and it ended on the 25th.
[Photo] Y1 Entertainment
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