Lim Ji Yeon makes a breakthrough from ‘bad acting’ image to become a trusted actress with “The Glory” Yeon Jin after 12 years
After 10 years of acting, Lim Ji Yeon finally gained recognition with Park Yeon Jin in “The Glory”, a role she had never tried before.
Netflix’s original series “The Glory” depicts the revenge plan carefully prepared by Moon Dong Eun (Song Hye Kyo), whose soul was broken due to the school violence experience during her childhood, and people who fall into the whirlwind of her revenge. Lim Ji Yeon appears in this drama as Park Yeon Jin, the main perpetrator who bullied Moon Dong Eun when she was a high school student.
Park Yeon Jin is the only daughter of a considerably wealthy family. After graduation, she became famous and enjoyed great fame as a weathercaster and influencer. She led a happy life with her chaebol husband Ha Do Young (Jung Sung Il), and daughter Ha Ye Sol (Oh Ji Yul). However, Park Yeon Jin’s peaceful life was disrupted by the appearance of Moon Dong Eun, who decided to take revenge against her, and she gradually fell into despair.
Throughout the whole drama, Park Yeon Jin was displayed as an evil person who doesn’t change a bit from when she committed school violence in high school. She had an affair with Jeon Jae Joon (Park Sung Hoon), disparaged others, humiliated juniors, and also abused her power using money. Actress Lim Ji Yeon increased viewers’ immersion in the story with her realistic portrayal of the villain Park Yeon Jin.
Lim Ji Yeon made her debut as an actress in 2011 through the “Disaster Movie”. Since then, she has gradually built her filmography by appearing in various works, such as “Obsessed”, “The Treacherous”, “High Society”, “The Royal Gambler”, “Blow Breeze”, etc. However, what had persistently followed Lim Ji Yeon since her debut was none other than ‘controversies over acting skills’. In the early days of her debut, the focus was on her exposure scenes in “Obsessed” and “Treacherous” rather than her acting performance. Criticisms poured on Lim Ji Yeon mostly pointed out that she lacked solid skills in acting.
In particular, Heo Ji Woong even criticized Lim Ji Yeon’s acting in “Obsessed” on a past broadcast, saying “Lim Ji Yeon has a pretty face, but she can’t act”, adding “She has a really rare and beautiful face. Though I want to see her more in the future, I hope she can use her experience in this film as a stepping stone to becoming a good actress”, expressing his regrets.
Lim Ji Yeon’s acting ability was consistently questioned, from her drama debut in “High Society”, to “The Royal Gambler” and her first leading role in “Blow Breeze”. Of course, as the actress continued to work hard on various projects, such as “Tazza: One-Eyed Jack”, there were reviews that her acting had “improved”. However, it was difficult for Lim Ji Yeon to erase the image of an actress with bad acting that had already been deeply embedded.
Nevertheless, Lim Ji Yeon tried hard to grow with steady efforts and finally became a “trusted and beloved actress” through “The Glory”. Wearing the mask of Park Yeon Jin, Lim Ji Yeon challenged her first villain role and performed well enough to overshadow the harsh criticisms over her acting skills in the past.
In this regard, Lim Ji Yeon said in an interview with OSEN, “At that time (when I was a rookie), I was a newcomer to society, and I lacked experience. I wasn’t very good at acting either. Making my debut in that state, I faced lots of difficulties”, adding “However, I kept the mindset of growing little by little with each effort. I got scolded a lot and cried a lot on the set after debuting. However, I’ve never thought of giving up”.
As she said, “I never do anything half-heartedly”, Lim Ji Yeon shone after years of relentless efforts, becoming a beloved actress among global viewers as the main character of the buzzword “Yeon Jin ah”, which can be considered the most impressive line in “The Glory”.
Lim Ji Yeon has confirmed to star in tvN’s “House with a Yard” and SBS’s “National Death Penalty Vote” as her next acting projects. She shared, “It feels like a similar resolute character comes every time. There were definitely moments when I felt exhausted and bored. I took those as opportunities”, adding, “There will definitely be such moments again in the future. Although I have recently received compliments for my acting, another controversy over my acting skills may arise again one day.” Nevertheless, the actress confessed, “I will make every effort with persistence and determination to show a different side in better works”, raising drama fans’ high expectations for her future moves.
Source: Daum
