Yoon Tae-ho, creator of Disney+ series "Low Life," named Im Soo-jung as the actor who surprised him most in the show.
Meeting reporters in Seoul’s Samcheong-dong on the 18th, Yoon said of Im, who plays Yang Jung-sook, "She shocked me the most. When my agency head told me Im Soo-jung had been cast as Yang Jung-sook, my reaction was, ‘Why her? What does she need this for?’ In my mind, Yang Jung-sook is the absolute worst―someone marching straight toward ruin. Hearing that an actor I adore would play her genuinely startled me."
Yoon recalled visiting set and watching Im at work. "I once sent a coffee truck to the Paju studio and dropped by while they were filming a scene where Yang Jung-sook blows up at Oh Gwan-seok. The Yang I pictured was crafty and laser-sharp about money, but Im was portraying her with a gentler, more polished touch. Watching it, I thought, ‘Right―this is it.’ If she’s the kind of person who can seduce the chairman of the company she works for, she can play anyone. Yang Jung-sook is the type who would keep acting even on her way into the restroom. Im Soo-jung turned a coarse character into a fully dimensional person. I was amazed."
In "Low Life," Im plays Yang Jung-sook, the new wife of Heungbaek Industries’ Chairman Cheon (played by Jang Gwang) and a former bookkeeper with a sharp head for numbers who bankrolls the treasure hunt. Because her image differed so much from the original webtoon character, some skeptics called it a miscast before release. But Im’s meticulous character work and veteran chops delivered a portrait of raw ambition for money and power―earning raves as a career-best performance.
Set in 1977 South Korea―when everyone was scrambling to get ahead―"Low Life" is a crime caper about hardworking, blue-collar small-towners who scheme and double-cross to claim a sunken treasure ship. The series is based on Yoon Tae-ho’s webtoon, serialized from 2014 to 2015.
On the prospect of a second season, Yoon said, "I’m very satisfied with Season 1, but I have enough material to write stories on par with the original up through Season 3," signaling optimism about continuing the series.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)