Lee Ji-eun, otherwise known as IU, is a South Korean singer-songwriter and actress.
As one of South Korea’s most popular singers, she’s often seen on TV as well. She’s in commercials selling everything from soju to smartphones. She’s the leading lady of K-Dramas, most recently winning an award for her stirring performance as a weary working adult in My Mister.
The aspiring singer realised her dream at age 15. Stealing the hearts of South Koreans who affectionately called her “the nation’s little sister”. A decade on, IU has sealed her position as one of the top K-pop acts of our generation.
Here are some of my Favorite IU Dramas.
Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo
THE PLOT
At the “Scarlet Heart: Ryeo” press conference in 2016, director Kim wondered about IU’s acting, stating that the actress will surely receive tremendous praise for her acting and passion for her work. He admitted that IU’s energy on the set surprised him.
“She really did a good job of embodying her character,” Soompi quoted director Kim as saying before a predominantly Korean crowd. “Her artistic sense, ability to analyze the story and account for the acting details and chemistry with other actors are truly exceptional.”
In the drama, IU is slated to play the 21st-century woman, Go Ha-Jin, who encountered a total eclipse of the sun that sent her back in time to the Goryeo Dynasty during King Taejo’s (Jo Min-Ki) reign. She found herself trapped in the body of the 16-year-old, Hae-Soo, who got acquainted with King Taejo’s sons.
My Mister
My Mister was an out of the norm role for IU. Her character was portrayed as a lonely, struggling, sad young lady who lived a poor life. At first, she was hesitant to take the role because of the violent scenes and story around her relationship with a much older man.
She played the role of a woman who is enduring many hardships in life. She is tasked with finding out Park Dong-hoon’s weaknesses at the command of her boss, who runs a company she is temporarily working for, but soon ends up falling for his warm charms and learns to trust someone for the first time.
Assured writing, tender directing, and outstanding performances from the cast all come together to make My Mister an absorbing watch that feels organic, real and raw.
One of the things that writer-nim does very well, is to paint a world that feels real and unpolished. Many K-dramas portray worlds that are a little more fairytale than real.
Dark and beautiful. And at the same time, warm and beautiful. A must-see.
Check out this heartfelt video made by the drama obsess team.
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IU is one of my favourite Korean actresses, how about you!