Kim Tae Ri has just been awarded the Grand Prize at the 2024 SeoulCon APAN Star Awards for her outstanding role in Jeongnyeon: The Star is Born.

The event took place on December 28th at the Art Hall 1 of the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in Seoul. This year’s prestigious Grand Prize was given to Kim Tae Ri, recognizing her exceptional performance in the hit tvN drama Jeongnyeon: The Star is Born.

Kim Tae Ri expressed her gratitude, saying, “Whenever I receive an award like this, I always wonder if I can ever be calm. At the APAN Awards, I received the Best New Actress award for my role as Go Ae Shin in my first drama, Mr. Sunshine. Now, I am so thankful to the judges for awarding me the Grand Prize as well.”

Reflecting on her time working on Jeongnyeon: The Star is Born, she continued, “Spending such a long time with this drama made it feel surreal when it ended. I realized I hadn’t fully grasped the emotions. It was like leaving a room without turning off the light. As I thought about my acceptance speech, I wanted to remember and reflect on how I felt during that time, instead of focusing on how I feel now.”

Kim Tae Ri also shared a touching memory, “I remember singing a song from the drama quietly in a taxi. The driver asked why I was singing so quietly. He told me it reminded him of his mother and shared childhood stories with me. In the busy and tiring moments of life, I hope the viewers found happiness during the time Jeongnyeon: The Star is Born aired. I want to share the joy and emotions I experienced, whether filming by the beach, in the forest, or under the sun. I believe those feelings naturally came through in my performance.”

The actress went on to express her hopes for the future: “If I have one big wish, it’s for women’s traditional Korean theater (Gukgeuk) to truly find its place in our cultural arts, to be preserved, and passed down. That’s my hope.”

Wrapping up her speech, Kim Tae Ri offered a heartfelt message: “The weather is cold, and I believe 2024 has been especially tough for everyone. I hope that 2025 will bring true peace and prosperity to everyone.”

The 2024 SeoulCon APAN Star Awards is an all-encompassing drama awards ceremony that honors content from all platforms, including terrestrial, cable, and OTT channels.

Organized by the Korea Entertainment Management Association and the Seoul Economic Promotion Agency, the event recognized the best drama content from November 2023 to October 2024 across 19 categories.

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Lee Jun Young recently opened up about the emotional toll of playing a villain—and how one powerful scene made him break down in tears behind the scenes.

On the May 1st episode of KBS 2TV’s variety show Problem Child in House, Lee Jun Young appeared alongside co-star Jung Eun Ji to promote their new KBS drama Pump Up the Healthy Love.

During the show, Lee Jun Young was asked about the most unforgettable villain he’s played. He chose his role as Han Su Gang in the film Brave Citizen.

He explained, “It was really tough to film. I had to act like I was leading school violence, and there was even a scene where I bullied a grandmother.”

The hosts were surprised, pointing out how kind and gentle he seems in real life. Lee Jun Young shared how he transforms for such roles.

“I try to act as bad as I can, but sometimes the director says, ‘You still look too nice.’ Then I focus even harder and adjust right away.”

He also revealed that filming one particular scene hit him hard emotionally. “My real grandmother was sick at the time,” he said.

“In one scene, there’s a grandma selling gimbap, and I ad-libbed by stubbing a cigarette out on the gimbap. I was really into character, but after filming, I just broke down. So many thoughts came to me and I started crying.”

Fans praised his dedication to acting but also felt moved by how deeply the role affected him. Lee Jun Young’s honesty gave a raw look at how even fictional roles can hit close to home.

Source: [1]