Actor You Need to Know: Lee Yoo-mi

Lee Yoo-mi has been acting for more than a decade. That has, however, meant playing minor roles in a variety of productions. And despite her impressive performance capacity, she went sort of unnoticed for years. There had to have been several roadblocks encountered, I imagine. That said, challenges serve only to clarify one’s objective. Lee has unmistakably remained focused throughout. Perhaps her concerns about becoming a good actor were more pressing than success; in that, she was going ahead—gradually honing herself and her craft.

A claim to global fame was brought on by playing Ji-yeong in the 2021 mega-hit Squid Game—”the” turnaround role in her career. Freed from jail, Ji-yeong—who killed her abusive stepfather—enrolls in the graphic game of survival with an eye on its whopping cash prize, but inevitably stakes her life for friend and fellow player, Sae-byeok (Jung Ho-yeon). The stellar portrayal got Lee the 2022 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series. It gave her those wings to soar, as she went ahead to score a key spot in the extolled, staggering K-zombie All of Us Are Dead (2022).

In the morbid horror story, Ji-yeong’s opposite is Na-yeon, an affluent, pompous, and unscrupulous high schooler. When a zombie outbreak quickly spreads and decimates her school, inept authorities crumble. The students remain stranded on campus, frantically figuring out how to escape covertly and live, but Na-yeon is too self-serving to get along. She goes nearly so far as to discreetly soak zombie blood on a piece of cloth, applying it to a classmate’s injury—endangering others in the process. As much of a resentful character as she turned out to be, Lee drew praise for her vivid depiction of Na-Yeon’s toxicities. She was nominated in the very competitive Best New Actress category for the 58th Baeksang Arts Awards. In response to Na-yeon’s criticism, Lee shared that she was content with the “hatred” because it meant acknowledgment of her acting.

A slew of her films, like Young Adult Matters and Hostage: Missing Celebrity in 2021, further attest to that. Her Se-jin in Young Adult Matters is a wayward pregnant teen seeking help while also navigating life with three other similar runaway teenagers. Se-jin is complex, mired in complexities; she endures harassment at school, and, oddly, the bully who afflicts her is also in love with her. Se-jin would be cutting her hands, having an affair with a teacher, and experiencing a string of upheavals, pushing her to flee. Lee was bestowed with accolades for the role—her perfect rendering of a troubled, jaded young adult.

Her record grew more impressive co-starring in Hostage: Missing Celebrity alongside one of the biggest names in Korean entertainment, the legendary blue-chip actor, Hwang Jung-min. One of the biggest hits of 2021, the movie is a riveting tale of Hwang (playing himself) being abducted for a hefty sum. He briefly thinks it’s a prank until torture and suffering begin to multiply.

What makes Lee special? When Hwang is on screen, it takes something exceptional to catch the eye. Lee achieved in doing so, and that is what distinguishes her as a thespian. With an influx of more demanding roles, she is now taking longer strides. In the highly appealing ongoing K-drama Strong Girl Nam-soon, she functions as a firebrand—the titular Nam-soon, the sixth cousin of Do Bong-soon (Park Bo-young), boasting superhuman power comparable to that of Bong-soon, besides her mother and grandmother. Nam-soon returns to South Korea to locate her family after going missing as a child and finds them. Shortly after, she, her mom, and grandma decide to bust a drug ring via a narcotics investigation.

Lee builds a winsome Nam-soon with a unique style by adeptly marrying naivety with a resolute, strong persona. In a recent appearance, Lee spoke about how she became enthralled with Nam-soon, saying, “Her charms are her innocence, purity, and honesty.” “Like a superhero, she is formidable and morally upright. She can’t hold it back when she sees something unjust.” “Nam-soon’s subtlety in speech impressed me as I read the scenario. It was so cute,” she added.