Actress Seo Young-hee Takes Center Stage After Decade on Sidelines

Twelve years after the debut of actress Seo Young-hee (31), her career finally took off last year when she won a raft of awards for her leading role in the movie "Bedevilled", despite its disturbing plotline about the abuse and exploitation of women.

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Now Seo, who used to only be considered suitable for supporting roles in films like "The Chaser" (2007) and TV dramas such as "Queen Seon-deok", has captured the lead in the MBC weekend TV drama "A Thousand Kisses", which focuses on two sisters and their relationships.

"I am happy that I finally seem to have found roles that fit my age", Seo said in an interview last week. "The best thing about becoming famous is that it has become easier for me to play roles that I want to play".

She said she is comfortable playing the role of a divorcee in the drama, despite the fact that she herself married in May, because the character she portrays is such a strong character.

"I just feel that this type of thing [divorce] should never happen in my real life, but the character I play has a bright attitude and is a real pioneer", she said. "I think it really suits me at this age".

She said her acting experience set her up for the role, her first lead in a TV drama.

"I wonder if the opportunity came to me too late, but I have no regrets", she said. "My acting career was not a waste of time and I never had the chance to play cheerful roles when I was in my 20s, so I guess that is why I am now able to play the role of a divorcee with a painful past", she added.

Seo said she chooses her roles based not on how many scenes she appears in, but on the significance of the character she will be playing".

"I don't look at how many times my face will appear on the screen, but rather I consider whether there are good reasons for the character to appear on the show", she said.