Actor Chae Won-bin opened up about taking on her first romantic-comedy lead in SBS’s new Wed-Thu series “Sold Out on You.”
At the drama’s press conference on the afternoon of the 15th at SBS in Mok-dong, Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, Chae shared, “Maybe when I’ve been doing this longer and have more experience, I’ll feel pressure. But I didn’t even have the room to think that far,” candidly admitting she had no mental bandwidth to dwell on the weight of her first rom-com lead.
“Sold Out on You” follows perfectionist farmer Matthew Lee (Ahn Hyo-seop) and sellout-queen show host Dam Ye-jin (Chae Won-bin) as their lives get tangled up day and night. Chae plays Dam Ye-jin, a top show host whose broadcasts routinely sell out, fueled by relentless passion.
Previously praised for her intense turn in MBC’s “Doubt,” Chae said her approach this time was different. “Unlike genre pieces, there was a lot I had to express outwardly. The inner life still matters, but I had many conversations with the director about what’s seen on the surface. It took me a bit longer to ‘wear’ Ye-jin than it did with other roles,” she said. “I kept asking myself how to make the Ye-jin I felt and understood come across clearly.”
Rom-com was new territory and came with challenges, but her affection for “Sold Out on You” ran deep. “This project carries so many colors. It’s funny when it needs to be, endlessly entertaining, but then suddenly relatable and comforting,” she shared. “That made me want to work hard and really craft it well.”
On her character Dam Ye-jin, Chae added, “When I first read the script, Ye-jin’s entrance hit hard. Her debut as a show host was incredibly appealing. She seemed unwavering at first glance, but she’s actually someone who grinds and keeps going. I wanted to portray her well, and that made me crave this project.”
Asked how she prepared to play a show host, she said, “I went to a real set and watched with bated breath. I learned so much in that moment, but I was also worried,” she admitted. “You have to do a lot in a short time with no script. I wondered how I could express that, and how to make a top-tier pro in this field feel believable.” To get there, Chae practiced nonstop in front of a mirror, running through home shopping sales segments again and again.
Chae described “Sold Out on You” as “a show that feels like a village of tiny miniatures―charming, cute, and full of comfort.” She added, “Our set was truly warm and wonderful. It really felt like all of us were residents of Deokheung Village, making this together. We drew so much good energy from that while filming, and I believe viewers will feel it too.”
SBS’s new Wed-Thu drama “Sold Out on You” premieres Wednesday, April 22 at 9 p.m.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)