interview by Jana Letonja

South Korean actress and K-Pop solo artist YunJee Kim made her Hollywood debut opposite the king of comedy, Kevin Hart, in Netflix’s action and laughter-packed film ‘Lift’, which was released on January 12th and has been the #1 film on the platform globally since its launch. Next up, she will star in the romantic revenge series ‘Red Swan,’ which will be available on Disney+ in the Netherlands and on Hulu in the US later this year. 

You just made your Hollywood debut in Netflix’s action comedy ‘Lift’ opposite Kevin Hart. How was the experience of this milestone project for you?
It’s actually still all pretty surreal to me. From getting a final call that I got the role to attending the New York premiere was like a dream come true. I had this big dream of being on a billboard on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood one day and it came true. It’s definitely been the craziest and the most thankful journey of my life. I feel blessed to be part of such an incredible cast and crew.

full look NAEEM KHAN
jewelry ALEXIS BITTAR

full look DION LEE
jewelry ALEXIS BITTAR

The film is about a master thief who is tasked by FBI to pull off an impossible heist on a 777 passenger flight with his crew. What was the most exciting part of filming this action comedy?
We had a big ensemble cast in this film since we are a heist crew. We made a lot of exciting memories being on set and in every scene that we were all in together throughout the production. We naturally had great chemistry together, which allowed us to have so much fun filming together, all while laughing and joking with each other. I miss going to work and looking forward to another great day with friends.

full look BAD BINCH TONGTONG

In what kind of roles and projects would you love to star in the future?
I was always a fan of action thrillers. In ‘Lift, I play Mi-Sun, who is a hacker in charge of overseeing technical part and building any kind of apparatus needed in the heist. All the action was in the brain and fingertips. In the future, I would like to star in projects where I can be part of an action sequence and I would also love to play the rebel. 

What is it about acting that excites you the most?
As a solo K-pop artist, for the first eight years of my career I was used to doing everything by myself and being alone. What I love about acting is the energy put forth and received between actors. With a great amount of preparation, you never know how the scene will turn out because you can never guess what your partner is going to give you. I find it extremely interesting and exciting to be on a film set. 

full look NAEEM KHAN

Like you said, you are also a K-Pop artist. What made you decide to focus on acting?
I don’t really think being a K-pop artist on stage and acting is much different. As a singer, you are also playing a role on stage and trying to make the audience connect with the lyrics that you are singing. Similarly, that’s how I feel about acting. So as I was continuing my career as a singer in Korea, I always thought of challenging my craft through a different outlet, one of which was acting. It took me a while to land my first project as an actor, but I am so glad that I made that decision to explore career paths.

What do you love the most about music and what are some of your best memories from your music career?
Through music, I met so many amazingly talented people in the industry. Just getting to know every one of them and learning about their values and morals has helped me throughout my career. What I love the most about doing music is being on a live stage all around Korea. Being able to feel the audience’s energy and synergy on stage is just unbelievably toxic and addicting. I loved every single second of being on stage, looking out and feeling connected with my fans.

full look MANUEL TISCARENO

Who would you describe as your biggest inspiration in life? 
I would have to say my parents. They have been my biggest supporters in life and also my biggest role models. They left everything back home to immigrate to the US when I was very young and struggled to get settled to give me and my brother a better and brighter future. Without their sacrifices I would not be where I am today as a human and also in my career. Whenever I’m going through an obstacle or I’m desperately in need of inspiration, I look back on how my parents devoted their lives to raise me.

What are the things you enjoy the most in life, besides acting and music of course?
I love sports, anything and everything in general. Recently, I have been golfing a lot because my husband is an amazing golfer. I love going out in nature and feeling the sun while playing sports with my loved ones. I love taking a moment every morning to focus on myself by meditating, stretching and doing some yoga. I think it’s very important to have a good balance between your body and mind through exercising and outdoor activities. 

full look BAD BINCH TONGTONG

What are your dreams and goals for the future?
I think my dreams and goals for the future are very simple, yet very hard. It’s to be healthy both physically and mentally. Over time, I realized how hard it is to maintain a good balance of a healthy body and mind.

What can you share with us about your upcoming Disney+ series ‘Red Swan’, that will be coming out this Summer?
I can’t say much since it will be a spoiler, but l can say that I play a very different role than Mi-Sun from ‘Lift’. It’s a romantic revenge series that is full of excitement, secrets and surprises. I can’t wait for the viewers to finally watch the series that we worked so hard on last year. 

full look ROBERTO CAVALLI

full look CPLUS SERIES

TEAM CREDIT:
talent YUNJEE KIM
photography PETROS KOUIOURIS
styling AYUMI PERRY
makeup GIANPAOLO CECILIATO
hair PETER BUTLER
photography assistants PHILLIP LEWIS and RICARDO LARA
styling assistants KIRA MILLER, NELLY MCKAY and ROWAINE GRANT
editor TIMOTEJ LETONJA
editorial director and interview JANA LETONJA