| Actress Lee Hye-ri plays the role of Kang Ro-seo in the rom-com period drama series, "Moonshine." Courtesy of Creative group ING |
Singer-actress expresses satisfaction over balance between story, character in new drama
By Lee Gyu-lee
Actress Lee Hye-ri, who is also known as Hyeri of the K-pop girl group Girl's Day, said that playing the role of Kang Ro-seo, a woman who challenges the status quo, in her latest drama series, "Moonshine," has inspired her to become a better actor.
"As I played my role in 'Moonshine,' I came to feel more strongly about being better at acting," Lee told The Korea Times. "Ro-seo is such a fascinating character and if I want to put myself into this kind of character again, I think I need to become a better actor. She helped me grow."
Set in the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), an era of alcohol prohibition, the romantic comedy series follows a love story between an inspector, Nam Young (Yoo Seung-ho), and an alcohol bootlegger Kang (Lee).
Nam is known as a man of principle, who works in the division that oversees the enforcement of the alcohol ban, after the king strictly prohibited all alcohol consumption across the country.
While on his mission, he comes across Kang, who illicitly brews alcohol to make a living to support her family.
The series is directed by Hwang In-hyuk, who is known for the hit period series, "Sungkyunkwan Scandal," and written by scriptwriter Kim Ah-rok.
| Scenes from the series, "Moonshine" / Courtesy of KBS |
Lee's character is born into a poor but noble class family. Despite being a woman from the noble class, who is often expected to show a high standard of virtue, she gets herself out in the world and takes tough jobs to make a living for her family and support her brother.
When she learns about a political motive behind the alcohol ban, she joins hands with Nam to fight off the antagonist character, ending the prohibition era.
The actress said that she fell in love with the strong-minded, defiant character and the unique story, based during the prohibition period.
"When I came across the script, I thought that the concept of alcohol prohibition was very refreshing … Oftentimes, when the plot is interesting, its characters might not as be fascinating or, if the characters are interesting, the plot isn't. But 'Moonshine' has the right balance between its story and characters," she said.
"Ro-seo has such a different perspective and values. And I loved how she tries to push beyond boundaries and break limits. So I wanted to bring out the character's side that spoke to me when portraying the role."
She added that she felt her character in such a close-minded, conservative era would resonate with the viewers.
"Even though the past era had different social values from the current one, Ro-seo stands up for her own values and feels strongly about her vision. And, as the viewers see her following her vision, I was certain that they would see eye to eye with her," she said.
| Lee Hye-ri's character, Kang Ro-seo, illegally brews and sells alcohol to make a living for her family. Courtesy of KBS |
Lee noted that, as the character is a noble class woman who also works with commoners to smuggle alcohol, she tried to show her style appropriately in different situations.
"Ro-seo has quite a lot of sides to her. And in different situations, I tried to change up my hairstyle and attitudes (to make it convincing)," she said. "She was born into a poor noble family and becomes the family's breadwinner, so I tried to keep the balance."
The actress added that, as she has learned to take acting more seriously through this series, she hopes to put her acting to use again soon.
"I've come to think that I want to show a better performance. So I hope to take on another project soon, when I find a story that I want to share with the audience," she said.