Kim Tae-hee, Lim Ji-yeon get dark in new K-thriller
In the hit Netflix series The Glory (2022 to 2023), South Korean actress Lim Ji-yeon stole the show with her portrayal of high school bully Park Yeon-jin.
But her switch from vicious antagonist to pregnant victim of domestic violence who dreams of escaping her pitiful reality in the new female-led South Korean thriller Lies Hidden In My Garden has become the talk of the town.
Now available on Amazon Prime Video, the eight-episode drama also marks the small-screen return of South Korean actress Kim Tae-hee, 43, who last starred in Hi, Bye Mama! (2020).
Lim, 32, said at an online press conference last Wednesday that she was mysteriously drawn to her latest alter ego Cha Sang-eun in Lies Hidden In My Garden.
“I’m getting asked about the comparison between the two roles quite often. However, I was drawn to the project and chose to portray this character who is completely unrelated to the character in my previous drama.”
Lim, who is dating her The Glory (2023) co-star Lee Do-hyun, expressed interest in diversifying her acting repertoire.
“When I was portraying Sang-eun, I was in a completely different state (of mind) and my approach to understanding the character was very different as well. I would call it a success if, when people watch this series, they are no longer reminded of (Park Yeon-jin).”
On the other hand, Kim plays housewife Moon Joo-ran, who is in a seemingly picturesque ideal marriage with her doctor husband (Kim Sung-O). But her perfect life fractures when she notices a mysterious odour emanating from her yard.
Of her television comeback, the K-drama veteran known for series such as Stairway To Heaven (2003), Love Story In Harvard (2004) and Iris (2009) said: “I was very nervous and anxious at the first script reading, but when I was on set, thanks to all the cast members and director, I felt very comfortable and at home as I performed.”
Kim has not yet cut her teeth on the thriller genre prior to Lies Hidden In My Garden and said it is not one she often watches. Despite the unfamiliarity, she was intrigued upon reading the script.
“Joo-ran is someone who may seem rather strange, but when you look into her history, including her childhood as well as her relationship with her husband, she is someone I could truly understand and relate to. I was really immersed in the character and intuitively drawn to the story.”
Kim, who is married to South Korean singer-actor Rain and has two daughters aged six and four with him, described a bittersweetness that tends to linger after she wraps up a particular project.
“I think I almost ached for and missed Joo-ran. So, there was a period after we finished shooting when I felt a bit lonely and empty inside.”
For Lim, who is the youngest cast member, conversations with her older co-stars and “a lot of good laughs” came to mind when asked about her on-set experience.
She said in a separate video interview: “I learnt a lot just by observing them and received a lot of positive energy from them.”
Kim added: “Ji-yeon is someone I’ve had an eye on since her (erotic romance) film Obsessed (2014). I was amazed at her ability to transform into this very dark and tragic character of Sang-eun.”
- Lies Hidden In My Garden is available on Amazon Prime Video, with new episodes premiering every Monday and Tuesday.
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