[Exclusive] Lee Se-young on Breaking Her Own Mold in Disney+'s 'The Remarried Empress'

Actor Lee Se-young says her upcoming role in the Disney+ original series "The Remarried Empress" pushed her to break past the boundaries she had set for herself as a performer. She credits much of that breakthrough to her co-star, Ju Ji-hoon.

Lee sat down with KPOPIT on August 10 at the Fantagio building in Seoul's Gangnam district to talk about "The Remarried Empress," which premieres this fall, along with her personal thoughts and reflections.

In the series, Lee plays Rashta, a concubine of slave origin. Reflecting on her character, Lee shared, "When I read the web novel, what gave Rashta's character its persuasiveness was that she was charming and lovely enough to be forgiven for anything. I decided not to overthink it and just told myself, 'I am Rashta,' and built my performance from there."

Lee noted that the project allowed her to break out of her usual acting habits, with Ju offering significant guidance along the way. "I had a lot of scenes with Ji-hoon, so we talked constantly. He kept telling me to 'break the mold' and 'let go,'" she recalled with a laugh. "When I replied, 'Okay, I'm going to let go!' he told me to stop trying so hard to even do that. He meant I should approach the scene without over-preparing."

Asked how this role differs from her earlier work, Lee said, "I'm usually the type who holds things in, but Rashta doesn't hold anything back. She's like a little Maltese, expressing everything all at once. It felt cathartic, and it made me think, 'Maybe I should try to change too.'" She added, "For a long time, I picked safe, ordinary ways to express things because I worried about splitting opinions. I'm not naturally bold or edgy either. But this time I told myself, 'So what if I get it wrong and people criticize me? I can do better next time,' and I really tried to break out of my mold."

Lee is also currently hosting the SBS dating program "Love Remaining" (Nae Nameun Yeonae), her first time as an MC on a romance show. "The quiet comfort the cast members give each other really moved me too," she said. "It made me think a lot about how time is limited and how much I have to be grateful for right now. It was comforting, but it also made me reflect. Everyone on the show came on with so much courage. I asked myself if I could do the same, and I felt there was a lot to learn from them. Even the younger cast members carry their lives with a depth that stood out to me."

Lee said her schedule leaves little room to rest, but she has one routine she protects. "Unless I'm getting off work early in the morning, I always come home, watch TV alone, eat, and go to sleep," she said. "You're tense the whole time on set. Coming home, washing up, watching something fun, and having a good late-night snack by myself, that's my biggest form of recovery. Just petting my cat and reading a book at home is enough to heal me."

Asked how she stays grounded while working so much, Lee pointed to keeping her work and her sense of self separate. "My life goal is to live happily," she said. "Whether a project does well or not, I try not to attach that to who I am as a person. Just because a project is doing well doesn't mean 'I' am doing well. I just think, 'My work is going well,' or 'My work isn't going well right now,' and I leave myself out of it." She added, "Even the people called 'the best' eventually come down from that peak. I want to be someone who can come down well and handle it gracefully when that time comes."

Lee also talked about reaching her 30th year in the industry next year. "My job only exists because someone chooses to love me and pick me," she said. "I feel truly grateful that I've been able to work for this long."

Looking back on what she has yet to accomplish, Lee shared a lifelong ambition. "Ever since I was young, my dream was to become a leading female action star in Korea," she revealed. "This was even before Ha Ji-won starred in 'Secret Garden,' and I used to dream of being the pioneer." She continued, "Apart from my acting projects, I'd love to attend action school to figure out what style suits me best. There's action suited for larger builds, and a different style that would work for me, maybe using firearms instead of swords or doing car stunts. I want to find the style that fits me perfectly."

Near the end of the interview, Lee shared another dream that drew laughs from the room. "My real dream was actually to be a rock star," she said. "I've always wanted to sing on stage, hear fans cheering, and connect with them like that. But I have stage fright. I'm fine in front of a camera, but the second I stand on a stage to sing, I start shaking. They say technology is amazing these days, so maybe one day I'll get to try it with a little help from tech." She laughed.

Lee is currently hosting SBS's "Love Remaining" (Nae Nameun Yeonae). This fall, she will appear as Rashta, a concubine of slave origin, in the Disney+ series "The Remarried Empress."