[Interview] Jeon Yeo-been's First Title Role, "Ms. Incognito", I Lost Weight So Quickly. Why Did I Do It? Because I Love Acting

"I just love the time I spend on set. Sometimes, simply loving something is a strong enough reason to keep doing it. I've spent this year trying to fill the time given to me in life with the thing I love most, acting. Of course, just like the weather, there are sunny days and cloudy days, so life can't always be good. But because I love acting, because I love being an actor, I think that's what allows me to keep going".

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Actress Jeon Yeo-been, who has been constantly busy throughout the year, from the 2025 film "Dark Nuns" to SBS's "Our Movie" and the Genie TV original "Ms. Incognito", met with Ilgan Sports on the 4th at a café in Gangnam, Seoul, and smiled, saying, "Time is passing so quickly".

When asked about her philosophy on acting and life, she paused to think before answering calmly and at length. Throughout the conversation, it was clear she is a thoughtful actress who reflects deeply on her craft. Her countless thoughts and struggles about acting and her profession have ultimately turned into light.

In "Ms. Incognito", Jeon Yeo-been took on the first title role of her career and concluded on a high note, achieving 7.1% nationwide viewership, ENA's second-highest rating ever, following "Extraordinary Attorney Woo".

"Ms. Incognito" is a crime romance drama that tells the story of Kim Yeong-ran (Jeon Yeo-been), a bodyguard from a poor background who enters into a contract marriage with terminally ill chaebol chairman Ga Seong-ho (Moon Sung-keun). After registering the marriage at his request, she must survive until the shareholders' meeting while being targeted by his stepdaughter, Ga Seon-yeong (Jang Yoon-ju), who covets his inheritance.

"There was a lot of screen time for my character, Kim Yeong-ran, in "Ms. Incognito"", Jeon Yeo-been said. "When I read up to episode four, I realized there were so many characters. The attitudes of the people from Seoul's Ga-seong Group and those from Muchang were completely different. I wanted to be the central axis that connects the two worlds, a character who fits strangely well in both and naturally bridges them".

On taking her first title role, she recalled, "When I first dreamed of becoming an actor and stood on stage as part of a musical ensemble in school, I was so nervous, even though I was just dancing in the background. I've always taken every project seriously, even independent films. But in commercial works, the results can determine an actor's next steps. Since that's something I can't control, I decided to just focus on doing my best in each scene and listening carefully to the crew around me".

Jeon Yeo-been shared that she received the script for "Ms. Incognito" around the same time she decided to join "Our Movie" earlier this year. ""Ms. Incognito" was a complex genre piece, and I couldn't give it up the moment I read the script", she said. "Even though the shooting schedules were tight and I barely had time to rest, I ultimately chose to do it".

In fact, there was a period when she filmed both projects simultaneously for about two to three weeks. "We shot "Our Movie" in the freezing winter and "Ms. Incognito" in the scorching summer", she said. "I tend to catch the flu multiple times every winter, so I was worried about my stamina. In "Our Movie", my character was terminally ill, so her pain couldn't show outwardly. In "Ms. Incognito", she was a woman struggling with debt, living in tough circumstances, so I had to adjust my weight. I even had to lose weight quickly at the start of filming "Ms. Incognito"".

Despite the physically demanding schedule, Jeon Yeo-been said she found strength in the collaborative nature of drama production. "A drama isn't something one person can make alone. It requires the writer who creates the story, the director who envisions the big picture, and all the staff with their specialized skills. It's such a labor-intensive process, and without the viewers who watch it, it means nothing. That's why I relied so much on the staff at every moment".

She continued, "I also wanted to be someone who could give strength to those I worked with. Even on physically or emotionally difficult days, I tried to stay centered and radiate good energy".

"I think being an actor means wandering, that's the destiny of this job. There's no period at the end of a sentence, so I believe I'm still in the process of searching for exclamation marks. I still have a huge desire to tell good stories through good projects. If I'm given another chance to take on a title role, I'll give it everything I have and do my absolute best".