IU has opened up about her impending K-drama comeback in You Have Done Well (literal translation), revealing that the character she plays is the one that has resembled her the most thus far.
In a recent interview with Harper’s Bazaar, the idol-actress talked about the new series, which tells the story of Ae-soon (IU) and Gwan-shik (Record of Youth’s Park Bo-gum), who are born on Jeju Island sometime in the 1950s. The story will be told by a present-day narrator, who is either a child or grandchild of the couple.
IU praised how the series “conveys a weighty story without being heavy” and discussed her character, Ae-soon, an optimistic young woman forced to become tough and combative due to her upbringing who dreams of becoming a poet someday.
“Ae-soon resembles me more than any other character I have ever portrayed,” IU said of her latest acting role, as translated by Soompi. The idol also expressed her admiration of screenwriter Im Sang-choon’s observation skills, revealing that the writer had incorporated some of IU’s subtler traits in Ae-soon.
“She said that she wanted to incorporate the characteristics that I have that are not too obvious into the character. It was to the extent that I said, ‘Oh my, how did you know that I have this kind of side to me?’ after reading the script,” IU explained.
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IU also shared that Ae-soon is the opposite of Jang Man-wol, whom she played in 2019 series Hotel del Luna in her last K-drama role. The aloof Jang lives an extravagant life as the owner of a hotel catering to the dead.
“Ae-soon seems like a person you can easily find around you, but if you look more closely, she is a person whose individuality as a human stands out. I seem to be attracted to that type of person,” IU explained.
Elsewhere in the interview, IU also opened up about her motivations behind taking on the role of Ae-soon. “I enjoyed watching writer Im Sang Choon’s previous projects, and [this drama] felt novel to me because it has its own unique story,” the idol said. “As a person who likes to read and write, I was envious of the writer’s talent that she could make people feel this kind of emotion though just prints.”
Last year, IU played a single mother in Hirokazu Kore-eda’s film Broker, which won Best Actor and Best Director at Cannes Film Festival. You Have Done Well will be her first K-drama role in four years. It’s due to enter pre-production soon and is helmed by director Kim Won-seok, who previously worked on hits like Misaeng, Signal and Arthdal Chronicles.
On the music front, IU staged a two-night residency at Seoul’s Jamsil Olympic Stadium in September 2022, becoming the first Korean female musician to headline a concert at the venue.