'19-year-old rookie' Seo Su-min: "Brought 'Mallang-i' to the set of 'Manager Kim' to calm my mind and body... petted it a lot in the car" [Interview ②]

*This content was translated by AI.

Actor Seo Su-min (19) revealed that she calmed her mind and body by interacting with "Mallang-i" while filming "Manager Kim."

On the 27th, Seo Su-min met StarNews at a café on Hak-dong-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, for an interview regarding SBS's Friday-Saturday drama "Manager Kim" (script by Nam Dae-jung, directed by Lee Seung-young and Lee So-eun).

"Manager Kim" is a father-universe revenge action drama about an ordinary dad who becomes the world's most dangerous man to reclaim his only daughter. The series debuted with a 9.5% viewership rating in its first episode, reached 21.6% by its fourth episode, and set a new record as the first drama in two years to surpass the 20th% threshold. In its final episode (episode 10), which aired on the 25th, it achieved a peak viewership of 23.1%, proving its phenomenon status. (Based on Nielsen Korea nationwide data.) "Manager Kim" successively surpassed records set by previous SBS Friday-Saturday dramas such as "Stove League," "Taxi Driver Season 2," and "The Priest," securing the second-highest viewership rating among all SBS Friday-Saturday dramas in history.

Its global box office performance was also dazzling. "Manager Kim" ranked first globally in Netflix's non-English TV show category for three consecutive weeks, demonstrating its worldwide popularity. Additionally, it topped the TV-OTT drama trendiness chart for three consecutive weeks and dominated the top tier of actor-related buzz, achieving dominance across viewership ratings, global popularity, and public interest.

In the drama, Seo Su-min made her first drama challenge as Kim Min-ji, the daughter of Manager Kim (played by So Ji-sub). She delicately portrayed Min-ji's multifaceted emotions, from the realistic depiction of a teenage girl to the fear and anxiety in an unexpected crisis, and the desperation to survive until the end. Especially in the early episodes where sorrow and affection coexisted toward her father, as well as in scenes depicting her enduring extreme situations after being kidnapped and finally facing her father again, she naturally conveyed the character's emotional shifts, enhancing immersion.

"-You mentioned bringing Mallang-i to today's interview due to nervousness. Did you also calm your mind and body by petting Mallang-i during the filming of 'Manager Kim'?"

"▶I brought Mallang-i to the set, but it might have looked like I was playing around, so I petted it a lot in the car before going out."

"-What meaning does 'Manager Kim' hold for you as an actor?"

"▶It is a work that allowed me to continue dreaming of becoming an actor. I had wondered if acting could be such a difficult profession, but while performing on set and feeling emotions as the character, there were two or three times when I felt strange sensations. In the final episode, during the scene where I hugged my father's ashes and cried, and in the scene where we ate our last meal together, I was truly sad."

"-What did you learn on set while acting?"

"▶At first, I was very conscious of the camera. Senior actor So Ji-sub taught me a lot about that. Even when I wasn't being filmed, Senior actor Max Cho-hoon showed me how to act, and Senior actor Yoon Kyung-ho taught me how to adjust my mindset so it wouldn't collapse when acting didn't go well."

"-If there's any scene in 'Manager Kim' that you're satisfied with?"

"▶There is no scene I'm satisfied with. While reviewing the footage, I felt my acting wasn't good enough, so I decided I need to work harder."

"-After completing your first work, do you feel like a real actor now?"

"▶I still don't feel it and my heart is racing. I don't think I've become an actor yet. After 'Manager Kim,' overseas fans left comments on social media, which made me realize I need to be careful moving forward."

"-How did your actual father react after watching 'Manager Kim'?"

"▶My father cried from the very beginning. When he saw the scene where Min-ji enters her room, he said, 'That's exactly how you are. Isn't that just your everyday behavior?' In emotional scenes, he remarked, 'It looks like both me and you.'"

"-What was Seo Su-min's teenage years like?"

"▶The original script said, 'She just walks into her room,' but when I was a high school student, I actually brought food I liked and went into my room. (Laughs)"

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*This content was translated by AI.