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| Actress Lee Han-byeol plays the lead character, Kim Mo-mi, in the Netflix original series "Mask Girl." Courtesy of Netflix |
By Lee Gyu-lee
Actress Lee Han-byeol made a powerful debut in Netflix's recent original series "Mask Girl," leaving a strong impression through her portrayal of the lead character, Kim Mo-mi, in the first two episodes.
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| Actress Lee Han-byeol / Courtesy of Netflix |
The seven-part crime thriller series, which hit the streaming service on Aug. 18, revolves around an insecure office worker, Kim Mo-mi ― played by three actors: Lee, Nana and Go. While working at an ordinary desk job, she invents a double life, putting on a mask as an internet personality, nicknamed Mask Girl, every night, until she finds herself entangled in a chain of ill-fated events.
The series, based on the webcomic of the same name, is scripted and directed by filmmaker Kim Yong-hoon, who previously led the 2020 crime thriller film "Beasts Clawing at Straws."
Lee plays the character of Kim in her 20s who has low self-esteem and is filled with frustration over failure to live up to her passion for dancing and judgments about her not-so-appealing look.
The newcomer, whose first major project is this series, said that she felt pressured to lead the first part of the story, which follows Kim's life-changing incident which triggers the character to get a new life through plastic surgery.
"I had to take on the first part which will affect the later part of the story, so I was worried. I felt I needed to build the character's narrative well in the beginning. In the later part, (the story) gets fast-paced and time-compressed so the first part should develop on a solid base," she said, adding she focused on getting the audiences familiar with the character and in her corner.
"It could be difficult to fully understand the character but I wanted the viewers to be motivated to try understanding her, like when you have a friend, you try to come up with excuses for their behavior. So I wanted to show a more human side of her."
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| A still from the series "Mask Girl" / Courtesy of Netflix |
She added that she felt close to the character as she read the script, sympathizing with Kim's desire to live her dream.
"I felt I could apply a lot of myself (to the character) and just be comfortable and enjoy playing the character. I felt I should bring the character within my boundary. It's a stretch to say that I agree with Kim's action but deep down, I felt a sense of affection towards the flaws Kim has … Not about the appearance, but about her desires and how she holds onto those," she said.
She recalled the moment she first watched the episodes, saying she had difficulty watching her debut in a series.
"I couldn't see the first two episodes so I watched from episode 3 at first. I really enjoyed the episodes starring fellow actors (Nana and Go) and I watched episodes one and two later. Because they feature me and this is my first time taking part in a series that many would watch, I couldn't watch it like one of the viewers. I would repeatedly pause and re-play while watching it," she said.
Lee said she tried to focus on portraying Kim's deep-rooted complexity. "I saw the character as someone with a glimmer of hope. In the larger scope, she has insecurities about her looks, which keep her from attaining her dream. And wearing the mask meant showing everyone what her biggest insecurity is but it doesn't stop her from doing live-streaming performances," she said.
"I saw Kim as a character who believes that someone in real life would love her like viewers do on live streams. Kim's action isn't normal and it may not be easy to feel pity for her but I tried to imply that in between her actions. I tried to capture her inner thoughts and emotions as well."
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