'Solo Leveling 4' → 'The First Man' Kim Min-seol: "My first leading role as a clumsy villain Hongju... I made it fun" [Interview ①]

*This content was translated by AI.

Actor Kim Min-seol shared her impressions of taking on her very first leading role through 'The First Man'.

Recently, Kim Min-seol held an interview with StarNews regarding the MBC daily drama 'The First Man' (directed by Kang Tae-heum, written by Seo Hyun-ju and Ahn Jin-young).

'The First Man' is a drama depicting the fatal confrontation between a woman who lives another person's life for revenge and a woman who steals another's life for desire.

Kim Min-seol portrayed Jin Hong-ju, an employee at Dream Hotel armed with strong ambition. She is quick-witted, meticulous in calculations, and possesses a stubborn nature that will stop at nothing to achieve what she wants. However, she also reveals a clumsy side at critical moments, adding a twist of charm. While she only looks toward Kang Baek-ho (played by Yoon Seon-woo), unable to win his heart, she views Oh Jang-mi (played by Ham Eun-jung), whom Baek-ho loves, as a thorn in her side, ultimately playing a pivotal role that ignites the conflict of a four-way romantic entanglement involving Kang Jun-ho (played by Park Geon-il).

Born in 2000 and turning 25 this year, Kim Min-seol debuted in 2022 with the KBS 2TV drama 'Beautiful Man'. She has since appeared in EBS 1TV's 'The World Without You' and tvN's 'Please Take Care of Me This Life' as well. She was a winner (Jin) at the 2021 National Chunhyang Selection Contest, worked as a sports announcer, and gained public recognition through her appearance in Netflix's recently released 'Solo Leveling 4'.

'The First Man' marks Kim Min-seol's first leading role and her return to drama after three years since the 2022 EBS 1TV series 'The World Without You'. Kim said, "There was naturally a sense of burden. I wanted to deliver a good performance. I wondered how I could portray Hongju in an appealing way. Although she is a villain, her clumsiness made her feel three-dimensional to me. I wanted to create the character in a fun way."

Many viewer comments were posted about Jin Hong-ju, the villain in the drama. She remarked, "This time, I particularly wanted to be recognized for my acting skills, and I received reactions like 'She acts well.' It was also great to hear responses saying they'd like to see Hongju in other works. There were even comments like 'I hate Hongju so much,' which made me laugh."

When asked how she prepared for and portrayed the character of Jin Hong-ju, she explained, "I entered through auditions. After the first audition, I decided to look less polished for the second one, so I went with heavy hair and makeup. I also practiced my expressions extensively. I think the director liked the various aspects of Hongju that I portrayed. When he asked why I wanted to do a daily drama, I replied, 'I want to appear on TV that my grandmother watches.' I believe he felt my sincerity from that answer."

Is Kim Min-seol as proactive in love as her character Hong-ju? "Hong-ju doesn't hesitate to use any means necessary. In reality, I'm not quite like that, but I have tried confessing and also been confessed to."

Kim Min-seol has taken on the largest role she has ever played in a TV drama. The weight of being a leading actress must have been significant. "A leading actor must fully take responsibility for their character," she said. "I also felt more strongly that I needed to enjoy filming alongside senior actors and staff at the scene. Senior Ham Eun-jung told me, 'Please hit me harder so our next scene comes out three-dimensionally' whenever we were waiting for each other's shots. She also said, 'If you have any questions in the future, feel free to come talk to me,' which I was very grateful for."

Kim Min-seol is still more widely recognized by the public as a participant in Netflix's 'Solo Leveling 4'. "People still recognize me mostly through that program. I think I did well on it. I want to do as many acting projects as possible and also appear frequently on variety shows to promote myself as Kim Min-seol to the public."

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*This content was translated by AI.