Lee Hwi-hyang, "A Girl Who Was Introverted Because of Her Name"... From Drama Club to Officer Yeo in 'Chief Inspector'

Actress Lee Hwi-hyang revealed the introverted personality she experienced due to her name during her childhood and the motivation that led her to the path of an actress through a drama club.

A girl who was introverted because of her name, finding 'stage temperament' in the drama club

Actress Lee Hwi-hyang reminisced about her past while appearing on the YouTube channel 'Song Seung-whan's Wonderful Life' operated by Song Seung-whan. In the video, Lee Hwi-hyang said her real name is 'Hwi-hyang', and because the pronunciation of the name is difficult and unique, she drew attention every time teachers called the attendance during her elementary school years. She explained that due to this, she developed an introverted personality, such as turning red or being startled whenever her name was called.

During her high school years, Lee Hwi-hyang revealed that she applied for the choir club but failed because she had difficulty memorizing song lyrics. At the time, she joined the drama club upon the recommendation of her homeroom teacher, and there she had her first experience standing on stage. Lee Hwi-hyang mentioned that she was 'made for the stage', saying, "I feel nervous when I am practicing, but once I actually go out on stage, I am not nervous at all."

Miss MBC award and debut as Officer Yeo in 'Chief Inspector'

Lee Hwi-hyang, who entered Seoul Institute of the Arts on a scholarship, took the path of a talent after applying for Miss MBC right before graduation and receiving a prize. She also revealed an anecdote where, immediately after debuting as a talent at the end of 1981, she was cast in the role of Officer Yeo in the then-popular drama 'Chief Inspector'. Regarding her feelings at the time, Lee Hwi-hyang conveyed, "Because I wanted to be an actor of the stage, (the talent debut) was not purely joyful."

Lee Hwi-hyang added that her physical condition of 168cm, which was taller than the standard height at the time, likely influenced her taking the role of Officer Yeo in 'Chief Inspector'. Since then, she has continued her activities appearing in numerous hits such as 'Moonlight Family', 'Years of the Dynasty', 'Years of Ambition', and 'A House Full of Daughters'.

Acting as a dementia patient in the movie 'Family Trip', "Lived in a nursing home for a month"

The conversation continued regarding her recent work, the movie 'Family Trip'. Lee Hwi-hyang explained that she played the role of a housewife suffering from dementia in the film. The movie is a road movie format where the protagonist, a dementia patient, travels by car with her family. The cast includes Nam Gyeong-eup, Kim Jeong-tae, Seo Young-hee, and Hwang Jung-min.

Lee Hwi-hyang stated that to realistically portray the role of a dementia patient, she stayed at a nursing home in Busan for a month to observe the lives of dementia patients. In this process, she encountered various forms of dementia and said, "It felt so close that I thought it could happen to me too." Lee Hwi-hyang added that through the movie, it became an opportunity to think about how family members should judge and act.