In 'Stealer: The Treasure Keeper', actress Lee Joo-woo nabs her first female lead role. Photos: Handout
Despite sharing scenes with accomplished actress Seo Hyun-jin in the 2022 K-drama Why Her?, supporting actress Lee Joo-woo managed to make her presence known in the drama as well.
Lee plays a spunky lawyer, who assists Seo’s character to bring down the corrupted leaders in the law firm where they work.
In an exclusive email interview with StarLifestyle, 32-year-old Lee recalls how working with Seo and other well-known actors like Heo Jun-ho and Ji Seung-hyun in the series influenced her own approach towards acting.
“I observed how they analysed the script. It made me strive to become an awesome actor like them. Working on that drama allowed me to grow even more as an actor,” says Lee, who made her acting debut in 2014.
Lee can currently be seen in the ongoing drama Stealer: The Treasure Keeper, where she nabs her first female leading role.
The K-drama also stars established actors Joo Won and Jo Han-chul.
“I was really excited and grateful to work alongside these great actors in Stealer: The Treasure Keeper,” says Lee of working in the 12-episode action-comedy.
In the series, she plays Choi Min-woo, a dedicated cop who is more than able to take down several bad guys by herself.
Fortunately, she doesn’t need to face them alone as Min-woo has partners in her fellow officers – Jang Tae-in (Jo) and Shin Chang-hoon (Kim Jae-won).
While the team is working on a case to take down a politician (Lee Deok-hwa) who’s been hoarding cultural assets, they decide to work with a thief they have nicknamed Skunk.
They also recruit government officer Hwang Dae-myung (Joo Won) into their team, not knowing Skunk and Dae-myung are one and the same.
According to Lee, she was attracted to Min-woo’s strong personality: “Min-woo’s charm is in her independence. She just goes all out to achieve her goals.”
For Lee, it is important that the roles she plays on screen leave an impact on the audience.
“I most often think about whether the role will be able to convey a positive feeling for the viewers, and what inspiration the drama can provide them,” she says of how she chooses a project.
Besides getting to influence the mood of an audience with a project she’s in, Lee also enjoys moving from role to role as this allows her to meet new people every time.
“I like meeting people. So, when I go on set, being able to meet new people gets me really excited. While I look forward to working with different actors, I also feel a little nervous about it.”
But that anxiety is only momentary as she becomes “more curious to learn what new emotions” she’d experience in the next role she takes on.
The final two episodes of Stealer: The Treasure Keeper airs Thursday (May 18) and Friday (May 19) at 9.15pm on tvN Asia (Astro Ch 395/unifiTV Ch 211). The series is also available on Astro Go, unifi playTV and tonton.
