“One Dollar Lawyer” Kim Ji Eun on the controversy over broadcast cancellations, Namgoong Min, working part-time jobs, and more
Kim Ji Eun shared her thoughts following the end of “One Dollar Lawyer”.
“It was a legal drama, but it wasn’t difficult to digest. It was easy, fun, and approachable for the viewers. There were a lot of comical elements. When the characters got together, they were eccentric and erratic. I think that’s what made it fun.” Actress Kim Ji Eun talked about the secret to the ratings success of “One Dollar Lawyer” amidst a lot of recent legal K-dramas.
“One Dollar Lawyer”, which ended on November 11th, follows Cheon Ji Hoon (Namgoong Min), who charges only one dollar (1,000 won) for his legal service. Starting with a viewership rating of 8.1% in the first episode, “One Dollar Lawyer” recorded a rating of 15.2% for the final episode.
However, before the drama ended, frequent broadcast cancellations frustrated viewers, causing a controversy. Regarding this, Kim Ji Eun said, “It was decided internally, but I didn’t have much regret because I got to do a good drama with good people until the end. Regardless of the result, everyone did their best in the process.”
Baek Ma Ri, played by Kim Ji Eun, is from a “royal family” in the legal world, and is an elite graduate from the Judicial Research and Training Institute. Kim Ji Eun said that the confident and unstoppable Baek Ma Ri was “lovable, but she could come off as cheeky or rude”, so she thought hard about how to make the character lovable to viewers. She practiced to make her expressions look less annoying even though her tone sounds blunt.
In the drama, Kim Ji Eun was dressed in colorful suits such as green, pink, and blue. She cut her hair short to highlight the appearance of a “legal golden spoon”. Regarding the styling, Kim Ji Eun said, “The director said he wanted Ma Ri to look a bit unique. ‘You’re going to work in this kind of outfit?’ He said he wanted me to wear clothes to the point where people thought this way. The head stylist said, ‘Can a prosecutor or lawyer wear this to work?’ Fortunately, the director liked it.”
Kim Ji Eun and Namgoong Min have co-starred in three dramas so far. In 2019, Kim Ji Eun made a special appearance in “Doctor Prisoner”, followed by “The Veil” in 2021, where she played a leading character alongside Namgoong Min.
Namgoong Min was impressed by his hard-working junior Kim Ji Eun. Kim Ji Eun said, “When I went through the 4th audition for ‘The Veil’, the director told me Namgoong Min recommended me. Later, I got the courage and asked Namgoong Min, ‘There were several actors, so why did you recommend me among them?’. He said that he thought of his past self, who worked hard but things didn’t work out.”
“All I can say is that he is amazing. Even if he is exhausted and having a hard time, he does everything. Even if he just says one line, he does it better than others. It’s what I think I need to learn from him. I’m really grateful to Namgoong Min. I will definitely become an actor who can lead my juniors like him,” said Kim Ji Eun about her senior.
Although her recent works have been back-to-back successful, Kim Ji Eun was going through a hard time before filming “The Veil”. Kim Ji Eun said she was worried about quitting her job as an actress after failing the audition every time. She recalled, “I wasn’t able to work for a year and a half. There were also cases where the production was disrupted due to the outbreak of COVID-19. To estimate, I had more than 20 failed auditions.”
“I did three part-time jobs before appearing in ‘The Veil’ – at a cafe, a bakery, and a brunch cafe. One of them is the place where actors whom I filmed independent films with gather together. I worked there for only 3 hours since there were many other actor friends, and worked longer times at other places. ‘Tactician Kwon’ Joo Jong Hyuk was among the members of the cafe. Haha”
Kim Ji Eun revealed that she got a bold mindset and a challenging spirit after playing Baek Ma Ri. The actress said, “I used to show a passive attitude because I didn’t want to experience hard times again. I thought, ‘I shouldn’t make mistakes’, and had my way to prevent it from happening. I stayed low because I believed that I would stay in the middle if I didn’t do anything”. She continued, “It’s not a good thing to do as an actor. I was afraid of getting hated for no reason if I made mistakes while taking challenges. As a result, I only showed boring acting performances”, expressing her disappointment. Kim Ji Eun then said, “In this drama, I did everything even when it made me wonder if it was possible. Still, the director told me that I seemed to express less than I wanted to. ‘So that’s what I have to show?’, I wondered”. When asked if she had made a breakaway from her defensive zone, Kim Ji Eun said, “I’m also curious about that. I think Baek Ma Ri is a character that shows my growth. I want to test myself to see if I could break that image in my next work”, showing her determination.
To Kim Ji Eun, “One Dollar Lawyer” is a memorable and meaningful drama since it marks her first successful work after suffering a hard time. The actress said, “I think Ma Ri will remain as a deep rainbow in my heart. ‘One Dollar Lawyer’ reminded me and helped me realize many things. While acting as Ma Ri, I tried colorful suits, dresses, and even jumpsuits that idols often wear. I did challenge many new things. Haha”
When asked if she wanted to win an award for this drama this year, Kim Ji Eun, who won Best New Actress for her performance in ‘The Veil’, smiled and shared, “I’d appreciate it if they could give one to me. Who would refuse to receive such a good thing?”. She added, “I’m not joking. ‘One Dollar Lawyer’ and the character Ma Ri came to me like an award, and that’s enough for me.”
Source: Daum
