‘The Glory’: Lim Ji-yeon Was Cranky on Set: ‘The World Would Just Get on My Nerves’
Netflix’s The Glory K-drama was all about the effects of extreme bullying on a victim, even years into adulthood. Song Hye-kyo starred as the main victim Dong-eun, who wants revenge against her high school bullies. Actor Lim Ji-yeon took on the role of the worst bully of them all, Yeon-jin, in The Glory. But having to tap into a sadistic and evil persona made her a bit cranky.
Yeon-jin had no remorse for her past in ‘The Glory’
The Glory had an adult rating due to its extreme scenes of violence, especially in flashbacks of Dong-eun in high school. Her dream of becoming an architect was stolen from her when she became the victim of Yeon-jin and her friends. While each bully was heinous in their own way, Yeon-jin is the thing of nightmares. The Glory showed how her preferred method of torture was using a hot curing iron. She would burn Dong-eun’s skin.
The worst aspect of the bullying was that Dong-eun could confide in no one. Yeon-jin came from a wealthy family who could cover up her indiscretions. In return, Dong-eun dropped out of school and vowed to enact revenge. The K-drama dived even deeper into how Yeon-jin was still the same bully, enacting the same torture on her current assistant. Fans also learned the tragic truth of So-hee’s death in The Glory Part 2 and how Yeon-jin got away.
Actor Lim made it easy to hate her The Glory character. Her pristine outward image as a top weather forecaster is a lie. Behind her poise is a heinous monster. She cheated on her husband and still looked down on those around her. Yeon-jin is irrevocably one of the worst villains in K-dramas.
People questioned if Lim Ji-yeon was really a bully after ‘The Glory’
Sometimes to get a character right, the actor has to dive heavily into the necessary mindset. For The Glory, Lim Ji-yeon had to channel Yeon-jin’s inherent sadistic nature. While filming the K-drama, Lim found herself often angry and cranky because of it. She had to stay in character for hours.
“When I filmed all day, I had to be in that temper all day too. There were days when all the intense scenes were back to back,” explained Lim, according to Soompi. “It was like that when I did the prison scene too, but whenever I went home after filming something like that, the world would just get on my nerves. It was because I had to maintain that [ill] temper and emotion all day.”
Playing Yeon-jin took a toll on the actor due to the character’s vile nature. Being in that headspace for hours on end was not easy. But Lim joked that she got many wrinkles between her eyebrows and often questioned, ‘Why am I so angry?’ ‘When did I become so temperamental?’”
Lim’s work on The Glory proved to be incredibly convincing to fans. The actor revealed that many people thought she was a bully in the past and was working on experience. “I was a pure and normal student. I don’t have a significant memory of my school days. I dreamed of becoming an actress since I was young… During school days, I was pure and uncomplicated,” said the actor. The Glory is undoubtedly one of Lim’s best works so far.
Yeon-jin was Lim Ji-yeon’s first intense villain role
Lim Ji-yeon wanted to create her own villain when it came to developing Dong-eun’s evil counterpart in The Glory. “I eventually came to the conclusion that I should create a villain only Lim Ji Yeon could portray. So I decided to not watch and refer to previous villains of past famous productions at all. I was determined to make my own voice, expression, walk, gestures, and style,” explained the actor.
Her tactics worked wonders and will be remembered as one of the best in her career. Lim began her career in 2011 and starred in the K-dramas High Society, Blow Breeze, and Welcome 2 Life. 2022 was a busy year for the actor as she starred as the female lead in the mystery thriller K-drama Rose Mansion.
Before the release of The Glory, Lim joined the cast of Money Heist: Korea Part 2. She played the role of Seoul, a thief and close confidant of Berlin (Park Hae-soo).
