INTERVIEW Lee Sang-yoon says he knew 'One the Woman' would be a success

Actor Lee Sang-yoon played the character of Han Seung-wook in the SBS comedy series “One the Woman.” Courtesy of JWide Company

By Lee Gyu-lee

When the SBS comedy series “One the Woman” was announced as a follow up to “The Penthouse: War in Life 3” in September, the creator and cast felt immense pressure because its predecessor was so popular with an almost 20 percent viewership rating.

“One the Woman” aired its first episode with a relatively humble start ― it's viewership was in the single digits. But it didn't take long for the new series to prove itself as catchy and hilarious. Viewer ratings rose to double-digit figures from the third episode and the show eventually ended its 16-part run Saturday with its highest rating of 17.9 percent.

Actor Lee Sang-yoon, who co-led the series with Lee Ha-nee, said that he was confident of the series' success from the beginning.

“Viewer ratings are unpredictable, so I didn't expect that ours would be so high. But I was certain that the viewers would enjoy it very much,” the actor said during the interview with The Korea Times via Zoom, Friday. “The reason behind the series' success is that it is cathartic. The plot and its lines are so satisfying. And I think the viewers enjoyed how the actors did a good job of putting life into those interesting lines.”

Directed by Choi Young-hoon, whose previous work includes the romantic comedies "Good Casting" and "Second to Last Love," the series revolves around corrupt prosecutor Cho Yeon-joo (Lee Ha-nee) and the scion of a chaebol family Han Seung-wook (Lee Seung-yoon).

Yeon-joo loses her memory after a mysterious car accident and wakes up to a different life where she is mistaken as her lookalike Mi-na who has married into a wealthy chaebol family. While struggling to settle into the unfamiliar life of the rich, she realizes she is not actually Mi-na and discovers that the in-laws' dark secret is connected to the death of her grandmother.

Teaming up with Mi-na's cousin-in-law Seung-wook, who believes his own relatives are responsible for his father's death, the two seek revenge on the rich family and bring them to justice.

A scene from the series / Courtesy of SBS

The actor said his chemistry with the co-star Lee Ha-nee was very pleasing.

“It was such great teamwork. Ha-nee is a very considerate, energetic person so it was always fun. Thanks to her great personality we became close really fast,” he said. “We didn't have gatherings personally due to the COVID situation, but she really brought the cast members together and kept everyone high-spirited on the set.”

The comedy drama garnered popularity for its unpredictable plot twists and Lee Ha-nee's portrayal of the irresistible, comical character Yeon-joo.

Lee Seung-yoon's character is a serious, calm person who help Yeon-joo strategically reveal the family's secret. The actor expressed that it was hard to portray the character.

“The director told me that even though this series is a comedy, he wanted my character to be like a typical male lead in a melodrama series,” he said. “I didn't have many funny lines but I would always be part of the comical scenes. So I had a hard time trying to blend in Seung-wook's seriousness even in those situations.”

The actor, who has 14 years in show business, is well known for his good-looking, sophisticated image.

Adding that his actual personality is different than the widely known image, he expressed that he hopes to show a different side of himself by playing more diverse roles.

“I feel grateful that people see me with in such a positive light… In the past, I used to think it is a barrier that I need to break down, but now, I accept it as a part of me and think of it as a stepping stone for me to get to the next step,” he said.

“Because people liked me from previous works and have established this image of me, I'm getting a lot of offers that are similar to the previous characters. But I'm actually more laid back than how I'm seen, so I do wish that I will have the chance to play different types of roles, like a free-spirited character.”