From “Dae Jang Geum” to “The Red Sleeve”, Lee Se Young’s works that show her gifted acting skills
Former child actress Lee Se Young never disappoints viewers with her acting.
Making her acting debut in 1997 when she was only 5 years old, at the age of 30, Lee Se Young already has a lengthy acting career of 25 years. Since her child actor days, Lee Se Young has shown off her gifted acting talent. Here are 6 dramas and films that prove Lee Se Young was born a good actress.
Dae Jang Geum (2003)
In the iconic historical drama “Dae Jang Geum”, Lee Se Young plays the younger self of the antagonist Choi Geum Young. Her innocent beauty and natural acting are what made viewers fall in love with the 11-year-old Lee Se Young. Seeing her potential in “Dae Jang Geum”, many viewers already expected Lee Se Young to become even more popular once she grows up.
When I Turned Nine (2004)
At 12, Lee Se Young landed a leading role in the film “When I Turned Nine”. Once again, her pure visuals captured the hearts of the audience and this time, she had more screen time to show off her talent compared to “Dae Jang Geum”.
Lee Se Young and her male co-star Kim Seok successfully portrayed the sweet and innocent feelings of elementary school kids. With her impressive performance in “When I Turned Nine”, Lee Se Young won Best Child Actress at the Chunsa Film Art Awards that year.
Lonely Rivals (2004)
The 2004 film “Lonely Rivals” is the most successful big-screen works of Lee Se Young’s career as it drew 1,2 million admissions at the time of release. Lee Se Young received much praise not only from general viewers but also experts as she landed a nomination for Best New Actress at the Baeksang Arts Award in the same year. She was only 13 at the time, making her even more admirable. 2003 and 2004 are without doubt the most glorious years of child actress Lee Se Young.
A Korean Odyssey (2017)
Despite not taking on a lead role, Lee Se Young in “A Korean Odyssey” still managed to leave a lasting impression with her mature and passionate performance in a dual role that not every actor can pull off. This drama also marks the beginning of Lee Se Young’s journey as an adult actress as she was trying to move past her child star image that was imprinted in viewers’ minds.
The Crowned Clown (2019)
The lead role alongside another former child actor, Yeo Jin Goo, in the drama version of the 2012 hit movie “The Crowned Clown” is Lee Se Young’s third lead role after growing up. Compared to Han Hyo Joo in the original work, Lee Se Young proved her acting was just as good as her senior. Lee Se Young’s performance in “The Crowned Clown” brought her the “Excellence Award, Actress” at the 2019 Korea Drama Awards.
The Red Sleeve (2021)
“The Red Sleeve” is unarguably the most successful drama in Lee Se Young’s lengthy career. With an average viewership rating of nearly 20%, “The Red Sleeve” became a massive hit and brought the careers of both the leads, Lee Jun Ho and Lee Se Young, to new heights.
Through “The Red Sleeve”, Lee Se Young once again delivered an amazing performance in a historical drama. She also boasted an excellent chemistry with Lee Jun Ho. A nomination for Baeksang’s Best Actress is what she totally deserved.
This year, Lee Se Young is returning to the small screen in the legal romcom “The Law Cafe” alongside Lee Seung Gi. The drama recently premiered to promising ratings of 7.1% and is expected to garner more interest in the coming episodes. Let’s tune in and see if “The Law Cafe” can be added to the list of Lee Se Young’s best works in the future.
