Ballad queen, variety show star, and now actor

by javabeans

Ballad Queen Lee Soo Young, who’s just released her eighth album, is set to branch out into acting.

Cliched? Sure. But despite the overabundance of mediocrely talented pop singers hasty to jump into the acting world, I think Lee Soo Young may prove to be one of the more successful transitioners. For every flopped attempt to cross the divide (Se7en, Hyori), you have others who’ve made the leap so well that it’s easy to forget they started out as singers (Eugene, Yoon Eun Hye, Jung Ryeo Won, Lee Dong Gun, Eric, Kim Jung Hoon…).

Contrary to her dramatic, grand balladry, Lee Soo Young has always seemed cool and wickedly funny in real life. Not that I know her in real life. But she’s appeared on lots of variety shows and made her sharp wit known in X-Man‘s popular Dangyunhaji (“of course”) game, which is (purported to be) largely ad-libbed amongst the celebrity participants. (I say purported because I know some of the events are planned, but I’ve always thought Dangyunhaji was for real — I mean, if it was planned, shouldn’t some of them come up with better answers?) I’ve also seen her in a guest-starring role on Nonstop 4, and was pleasantly surprised to see how completely she tackled her character, acting with a thick southern accent and showing a strong personality.

She seems fearless, or at least ballsy, so I think acting will suit her. Of course, it’s not like she’s making a full career change, so much as she’s trying out her hand at something new. Which is cool.

SONG OF THE DAY

Lee Soo Young – “Heaven” [ zShare download ]

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Lee Soo Young’s debut comes in the sixteen-episode drama Don’t Ask About My Past, as a materialistic friend to Kim Won Hee who’s extravagant yet cute; she appears suddenly in the 14th and 15th episodes to provide some laughs. She says she got some advice from actor Kim Yumi, who told her not to insist on sticking only with singing, but to try to challenge herself with acting as well.

In an interview, 28-year-old Lee Soo Young explains, “I’m approaching thirty, and I thought I’d better try lots of different things before I get any more wrinkles. This is my first time in a conventional acting role, and I think it was a good, fun experience.”

Source: ISplus