In the drama X+U “Friendly Rivalry”, Lee Hyeri played Yoo Jesi, a high school student of 0.1% with a perfect background, votes and looks. Through his meticulous and detailed acting, he maximized the charm of the character and showed a new side of himself never seen before.
Unlike his previous roles, Lee Hyeri played a mysterious and acute character in “Friendly Rivalry”. He played Jesi, who seemed kind to everyone but revealed a dark and intense part when he pursued his goals, intensifying the tension of the drama.
In addition, he developed a thin chemistry with his co-protagonist Chung Su-Bin (like Woo Seul-Gi) while he intricately depicted the complex emotions of Jesi, offering a performance suitable for the genre of girl thriller.
Below is a session of questions and answers with Lee Hyeri.
– Now that the “friendly rivalry” has been completely released, how do you feel?
It seems only yesterday that the first episode was released, but time really flies. I liked to look at the series with the spectators and check their reactions. I am so happy that people liked it.
-The role of Yoo Jesi was a drastic transformation from your previous characters, with its cold and acute nature. How did you play the character, both externally and internally? On what aspects did you focus during the acting?
I saw Jesi as a very lonely character. He tries not to show his emotions and, in some way, struggles to empathize with others. I think it is from there that their mystery and coldness come, and I was happy that the spectators recognized that aspect of my performance. In addition, Jesi had to be almost perfect, natural, popular and impeccable, so I also paid attention to its external image.
-The chemistry with Chung Su-Bin has attracted attention. How did you approach the relationship of Jes and Seul-Gi and how did you work with Su-Bin on the set?
As the story proceeded, the attitude of Jesi towards Seul-I play gradually changed, becoming more genuine. I wanted to portray that transformation well. Initially, he approached Seul-Gi to find the lever against his father, but I heard that Seul-did was the first person to show the real sincerity Jesi. I think Jesi has naturally started thinking: “I want to protect this person who behaves hard but in reality he is fragile”. Su-Bin trusted and relied on me on the set, who helped us build their chemistry.
– The drama included bold scenes such as smoke, clubing and kisses. Any interesting stories behind the scenes?
During filming, I really didn’t think about those daring scenes; I was just reciting the script. In a first scene of the club, I wore a pink wig and I was surprisingly better than I expected. In addition, I was amazed that the ji-yi bath set was built only for a single scene.
-You say that many scenes were influenced by your ideas and ads. Is there a scene that you remember the most?
I haven’t improvised much; I focused on the exposure of what was already in the script. But a memorable scene is when Jesi sees his sister’s death, then he talks to Cain and Abel’s Seul-Gi, revealing his true feelings. Initially, that scene should have showed Jesi who reduced himself because of his sister’s death. However, I suggested to the director who should not concern his sister, but rather something deeper inside Jesi. So the scene was changed to make it calmly reveal Jesi, with Seul-Gi consolating it. I was happy that many spectators appreciated that change.
– What was your favorite scene from the drama?
My favorite scene is in the final episode in which Jesi says to Seul-Gi: “The pills I gave you during the middle … in reality they were vitamins”. Shows how much Jesi dealt with Seul-Gi. A memorable line for me is … “Why did you touch what is mine without permission?” I thought a lot about how to make that crazy line look like on filming.
– You have gained many nicknames from this drama. Which one do you like most?
I would never have expected to receive so many nicknames! This is probably the character with the most nicknames I have ever played. My favorite is Yoo Jue-Yi (Yoo Jesi + Jue (fault))-perfectly adapts to Jesi and has a fatal charm.
– Finally, a message for spectators who loved “friendly rivalry”?
To all those who have looked at the “friendly rivalry”, I sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart. I don’t know if I will ever meet a captivating character like Jesi again in my career, so interpreting it was incredibly fun, exciting and satisfying. I feel like I received even more love than I gave Jesi and as an actress, this makes me so happy. I will bring this experience with me and continue to work diligently in the future. Although the “friendly rivalry” is over, I hope it remains in your hearts for a long time. Thank you!
