[Interview] "Reborn Rookie" Lee Seo-an, "A villain with catharsis"

Actress Lee Seo-an, who played Na Eun-se Eun-se in "Reborn Rookie", shared her thoughts on successfully portraying a villain.

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Recently, Lee Seo-an sat down with iMBC Entertainment for an interview at MBC's Sangam headquarters to discuss the JTBC drama "Reborn Rookie".

"Reborn Rookie" is a 'remind life' drama about the chairman of one of the Na Eun-setion's largest conglomerates, known as the 'God of Business', who is forced into an unexpected second chance at life after a tragic accident.

Lee Seo-an portrayed Na Eun-se, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Choi Sung family. Na Eun-se is a capable ally who firmly supports Kang Jae-seong, the son of Chairman Kang Yong-ho, combining sharp judgment with a pragmatic mindset. As the series progressed, she left a lasting impression as a formidable villain, not only through her commanding dialogue and charismatic performance, but also by disguising herself as Kang Jae-kyung and removing the ventilator from Kang Yong-ho. At the same time, he lay unconscious in a hospital bed.

With the drama enjoying both high ratings and widespread buzz, Lee Seo-an expressed her delight at its success.

"I never expected this at all", she said with a laugh. "Watching the ratings go up day after day, I could hardly sleep".

She also reflected on her role as the drama's antagonist.

"I had only read the script up to Episode 6. That's where Eun-se finally revealed her true colors as an executive, and I thought it was so much fun. I gave everything I had in the audition", she recalled. "After that, my role kept getting bigger. I've acted before, but this was the first time I'd ever had such a significant role".

Lee Seo-an admitted she never imagined Eun-se would become such an influential villain.

"I had no idea she'd turn out to be this important of a villain", she said. "I thought she'd simply be the perfect supportive wife, almost like Jae-seong's right-hand person. But that wasn't the case. I'm so grateful they entrusted me with a true villain role, and I was incredibly satisfied with it. At the same time, the responsibility and pressure that came with it weighed heavily on me".

She also explained how she prepared for the character.

"Na Eun-se is incredibly ambitious and driven by greed, especially when it comes to wealth. To portray that convincingly, I did a lot of research and discussed the character extensively with the director", she said. "I watched many dramas about chaebol families and looked for characters who would even abandon their own families in pursuit of their goals, paying close attention to how those emotional arcs were portrayed".

In particular, she revealed that she drew inspiration from Park Yeon-jin, played by Lim Ji-yeon in "The Glory".

"I studied Yeon-jin's vicious side quite a bit", she said. "I also referenced the way the characters spoke and behaved in "Reborn Rich"".

Playing such an unapologetically ambitious character proved to be cathartic.

"There was definitely pressure", Lee Seo-an admitted. "But acting opposite the other cast members and watching Na Eun-se refuse to back down gave me an incredible sense of exhilaration. It's not easy to treat people that way in real life".

"Reborn Rookie" concluded its 12-episode run on July 5th.