'Manager Kim' Lee Ji-an: "Expected Controversy Over Favoritism in Casting, Grateful for Responses Saying 'She Broke Through with Her Acting Skills'" [Interview ①]

*This content was translated by AI.

• Interview with actress Lee Ji-an, who played the role of Joo Hye-ri in SBS's Friday-Saturday drama 'Manager Kim'

Actress Lee Ji-an revealed that she anticipated potential controversy over the "production company actor" issue when casting for 'Manager Kim'.

On the 30th, Lee Ji-an met with StarNews at Fantagio's office in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, to conduct an interview following the conclusion of SBS's Friday-Saturday drama 'Manager Kim' (written by Nam Dae-jung, directed by Lee Seung-young).

The drama 'Manager Kim', which concluded on the 25th, is a father-universe revenge action drama about an ordinary father who becomes the world's most dangerous man to reclaim his only daughter. In the series, Lee Ji-an portrayed Joo Hye-ri, a school bully who torments Kim Min-ji (played by Seo Su-min), the daughter of Joo Kang-chan (played by Joo Sang-wook) and Manager Kim (played by So Ji-sub).

According to ratings survey firm Nielsen Korea, the final episode achieved viewership ratings of 23.4% in the Seoul metropolitan area and 23.0% nationwide. Notably, the peak viewership soared to 27.1%, once again shattering its own record for the highest rating.

On this day, Lee Ji-an expressed her bewildered feelings about the drama's success. She said, "I really didn't expect the ratings to reach the 20th% range," adding, "It was such an honor and a bit surreal to receive such love from my very first debut work."

She continued, "I kept checking online for when the ratings would be released. My Instagram followers were originally around 700, but after the broadcast, they exceeded 90,000. I truly felt how much 'Manager Kim' changed things before and after."

Lee Ji-an also explained the process of joining the project. She stated, "At the time, I was attending many other auditions, but my company first proposed, 'We are producing a work ourselves, and Joo Hye-ri hasn't been cast yet. Would you like to audition?'"

She recalled, "Even after the audition, I consistently sent acting videos to the director and received feedback. When I heard the news that I had been cast, I thought, 'Finally, it's done. My efforts have borne fruit.'"

In particular, Lee Ji-an noted that she anticipated concerns about favoritism in casting due to the production company's connection with her agency. She said, "I expected such comments would arise. However, many people told me, 'I thought you were inserted through connections, but you broke through with your acting skills,' which made me grateful instead."

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*This content was translated by AI.