08.16.05
Korea's good girl gains fame only when she plays bad girl
Tae Hee and brother Lee Wan are close to each other. --AP
TO many of her countrymen, Kim Tae Hee is the perfect Korean woman.
Not only is she a sweet-natured beauty, but she's also smart - she attends Korea's own Harvard, Seoul National University, majoring in clothing and textile.
But the irony is this: Few noticed the 25-year-old actress until she played a scheming villain in the popular drama Stairway To Heaven last year.
Her character is so wicked that she drives a car into her stepsister (Choi Ji Woo), so that she can get rid of her and snatch her boyfriend (Kwon Sang Woo).
'When I said that I would act as an evil girl, everyone around me tried to stop me from doing it,' Tae Hee told Donga Ilbo.
'But I did not want to lose this chance to play a leading role along with such top stars as Choi Ji Woo, Shin Hyun Jun and Kwon Sang Woo and producer Lee Jang Soo.'
That turned out to be her best career move since she debuted in 2001 in the Lee Young Ae movie Present. Tae Hee stole the thunder from the top stars and landed in celebrity heaven. It helped that Stairway was the third highest-rated drama in Korea last year, with average ratings of 38.4 per cent.
The drama will also make history in Singapore as the first Korean serial to be shown in a prime-time slot on Channel U, starting 10pm tonight . For Tae Hee, big advertisers and renowned producers alike have been knocking on her door since last year.
She had her own 'Smart Kim Tae Hee Phone' by LG Electronics and also won two leading roles in the dramas Forbidden Love and Love Story In Harvard.
'PERFECT BEAUTY'
Her name also emerged tops in several online polls, like 'perfect Korean beauty', 'ideal wife' and 'best summer date'.
Now, she has also conquered Hong Kong and Taiwan, after touring the two countries recently to promote Love In Harvard. Her impeccable manners and radiant smile impressed both fans and reporters.
But don't be too quick to conclude that beauty is her biggest weapon. She said once: 'To tell a star she is beautiful could be a compliment, but it could also be poison.
'It's important that you should... never lose balance in your life. I hope I can become an outstanding artiste, and not a flower that blooms just once.'
Tae Hee was quick to point out to the Taiwanese media that her image in Love In Harvard was just too flawless.
She plays a Harvard medical school student who dreams of practising in a village in Africa until she falls for a lawyer played by Kim Rae Won.
'My role is just way too good, that's why men want to marry me and take me home,' joked Tae Hee, who just ended a five-year relationship recently.
She also claimed that she is isn't a good elder sister.
The Busan-born star shares an apartment in Seoul with her younger brother, Lee Wan, 21, who is also an actor.
'Sometimes when I'm out too late, he'll call and ask where I am, then drive out to pick me up,' she told Taiwanese reporters. 'It feels like he's my older brother and he's disciplining me!'
The bond between the two siblings is obvious - but they deliberately kept their relation secret for a while.
That was after Lee Wan beat 200 other hopefuls to win a role in Stairway in late 2003.
He plays the teenage version of Tae Hee's older brother (Hyun Jun) in the show, an angst-ridden child.
Their surnames are also different as Lee Wan picked a stage name following their mother's surname. Apparently, he did not want to live in the shadow of his sister.
Now, the pair have joined forces for promotional projects. In April, they toured Switzerland as goodwill ambassadors of South Korea.
Proud of her brother's achievements, Tae Hee said: 'Now there are people who refer to me as Lee Wan's sister.'
* Stairway To Heaven debuts on Channel U at 10pm tonight. It is shown on Mondays and Tuesdays.
credit: The Electric New Paper
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