[The 'Ha Yul-ri' I Saw] A Potential as Bright as Winning the Lottery
Played the role of Lee Ji-hye, a contract employee in the sales team"'The First Prize Winner Goes to Work' is a 'lottery first prize' kind of project for me."Actress Ha Yul-ri recently met with reporters at the
building in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, to discuss the TVING original series 'The First Prize Winner Goes to Work.' /Starhaus EntertainmentWhat does an unrefined star look like? The entertainment industry is full of stars who receive public attention, and there are many media outlets that follow them. Even when an interview is scheduled, it's rare to have a one-on-one meeting. With multiple reporters interviewing at once, the content tends to be similar. In fact, photos and videos are often created and distributed by the agency. Even in this reality, conveys the pure impression seen through the eyes of a reporter, unadulterated. (Editor's Note)[THE FACT|Reporter Choi Soo-bin] Actress Ha Yul-ri has once again revealed a new side of herself. After leaving an impression with different characters in each of her works such as 'Pyramid Game,' 'The Tale of Ok-gong,' and 'The Lady Killer,' she has now become an ordinary young professional. The intense image she showed in her previous works has disappeared, and she has realistically portrayed the anxiety of youth struggling to survive, evoking empathy. Her true value is becoming clearer with each project. We look forward to the future of actress Ha Yul-ri, who holds a valuable potential no less than a 'lottery first prize.'Actress Ha Yul-ri held an interview at the building in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, recently, to commemorate the release of the TVING original series 'The First Prize Winner Goes to Work' (written and directed by Yoon Young-bin). Playing the role of Lee Ji-hye, she shared various stories related to the project.The Lee Ji-hye portrayed by Ha Yul-ri was a young professional that anyone might have encountered. She was a character who wanted her abilities to be recognized but couldn't quite be sure, and was shaken by the anxiety of being in the same place no matter how hard she tried. The reporters were not unfamiliar with this image. Moments of being intimidated by small mistakes and finding relief in someone's approval naturally came to mind. Ha Yul-ri's delicate portrayal of these ordinary yet profound emotions moved the viewers.Ha Yul-ri, whom we met in person, also resembled Lee Ji-hye. She too had moments in her early days as a rookie when she doubted her abilities after repeatedly failing auditions. However, Ha Yul-ri never gave up, constantly striving and gradually proving her worth. While Lee Ji-hye found her place in the company, Ha Yul-ri was creating her own niche in the world of acting. Perhaps this is why Ha Yul-ri could portray Ji-hye's anxiety so realistically.In that sense, 'The First Prize Winner Goes to Work' became a special project for Ha Yul-ri as well. The drama is about Gong Eun-tae (played by Lee Joon-hyuk), a team leader who endures day by day, being pushed around, who, after winning the lottery, goes to work with a different mindset, carrying 1.3 billion won in his pocket instead of a resignation letter. It is a K-office drama that concluded on the 13th with a total of 10 episodes.In the drama, Ha Yul-ri played the role of Lee Ji-hye, a young professional and contract employee. Ji-hye is a character who always says "I can do it!" and tries her best to accomplish anything. No matter how hard she tries, she feels somewhat lacking, and even while working as a team, she feels alienated. Nevertheless, she endures each day to keep her position.Ha Yul-ri garnered empathy from many viewers through the portrayal of Lee Ji-hye, a young professional, in 'The First Prize Winner Goes to Work.' /TVINGHa Yul-ri wanted to gain empathy from viewers through Ji-hye's character. After the drama was released, there were reactions supporting Ji-hye's life, which gave Ha Yul-ri great strength. She said, "My top priority was to gain empathy from viewers as a young professional. The part that I remember most is that many people wished for Ji-hye to become a full-time employee."Ha Yul-ri meticulously depicted the contract employee's efforts to do her part within the organization, and the process of establishing her own beliefs and self-esteem. While expressing the anxiety of a young professional with watchful eyes and a cautious tone, she delicately captured the change of gradually starting to voice her opinions.However, she did not audition for the role of Lee Ji-hye from the beginning. She recalled, "In the first round, I auditioned for the role of Ji-hye, and in the second round, for the role of Hyang-eun. So I was curious about who would be a better fit for me. I thought Hyang-eun might be a better visual fit, so I was a little surprised when they contacted me for the role of Ji-hye.""I realized that Ji-hye and I are quite similar. The part where I try hard in everything, and also, when I was a rookie actress, I had many hurdles to overcome through auditions. Like Ji-hye, I kept trying and trying to improve myself, yet I doubted my abilities and felt anxious. Still, the part where I think, 'I can do this,' felt very similar to me."However, acting was not always easy. For Ha Yul-ri, who had mostly played characters who clearly expressed their emotions and opinions, the cautious and passive Ji-hye was another challenge. She explained, "Depending on how you portray the position of a contract employee, she could seem too pitiful, but I didn't want that. Nor did I want her to seem incompetent. Personally, I hoped she would become a full-time employee, and at the same time, I wanted viewers to think, 'Ji-hye's abilities are good enough to become a full-time employee.'""At first, I was a little anxious about how to express it, but fortunately, many people empathized, and I was very grateful. I felt relieved that they seemed to recognize the parts I had pondered and researched. (Laughs)"These considerations shone even brighter in Ji-hye's growth process in the latter half of the drama. Ji-hye, who initially was busy just doing her assigned tasks while being mindful of her seniors, gradually began to believe in her abilities and act proactively. She revealed, "At first, Ji-hye probably didn't know what kind of abilities she possessed."Ha Yul-ri said, "I hope 'The First Prize Winner Goes to Work' will be remembered by viewers as a work that offers comfort and healing." /TVING"I think she started to think, 'I am a person with this much ability' as she grew with her team members. Above all, as she gradually became immersed in the roles of Team Leader Gong (played by Lee Joon-hyuk) and Assistant Manager Yang (played by Seo Hyun-woo), Ji-hye gained the strength to voice her opinions and the belief in her abilities and value."This anxiety of Ji-hye also mirrored the time Ha Yul-ri had spent as an actress. She confessed, "As an actor, it's a profession where you have to show your abilities and be chosen, so in the early days, when I kept failing auditions, I think I kept doubting, 'Do I have that much charm?' 'What is my level of ability?'""As I did more projects, I realized that I have my own charm, and that everyone's charm is different. I thought that accepting my charm and boosting my self-esteem was actually a way to show myself more attractively as an actress. In the beginning, I was very anxious and kept wondering if this profession was right for me."Most importantly, by following Ji-hye's growth, Ha Yul-ri also gained the strength to believe in herself. She sincerely conveyed, "I want to tell you that if you continue to believe in yourself and try to improve, even when faced with hardships and trials, the path will open up. If you don't fear failure too much in life and continue to learn and grow, your value will shine even brighter.""I think I've also come to believe in my abilities a little while playing Ji-hye. I realized that my efforts are not in vain, and that they will eventually help me and become my weapon. I also thought that there will surely be a day when someone will recognize and discover those efforts. Meeting Ji-hye gave me hope and the strength to believe in myself."That is why 'The First Prize Winner Goes to Work' is a lucky project for Ha Yul-ri, comparable to winning the lottery first prize. She expressed her affection, saying, "I was truly happy while working on this project and learned and gained as much as the value of a lottery win. I know that the experience gained from this project will exert tremendous power in other projects. It will be a project from which I gain a lot, like nourishment for my life.""I hope it becomes a work that offers comfort and healing to viewers. Everyone goes through the period of being a young professional, so I hope it offers comfort for that time. Just as I gained a precious experience from meeting this project, which is like winning the 'lottery first prize,' I will strive to become a recognized actress who can hear the words, 'You can watch anything just by hearing the name Ha Yul-ri.'"subin7134@tf.co.kr[Entertainment Department | ssent@tf.co.kr]
