Lee Joo Bin has shared her journey of growth and self-discovery while starring in tvN’s romantic drama “Spring Fever,” proving that she can shine as a lead despite earlier struggles.
“My first lead role in ‘The Divorce Insurance’ was a project that carried a lot of worries and concerns that felt like a chronic illness. I don’t think I was able to fully enjoy it. The pressure to do well was really strong,” Lee Joo Bin admitted in a recent interview.
She explained that while filming “The Divorce Insurance,” she was also confirmed for “Spring Fever.”
“Since I worried so much during ‘The Divorce Insurance,’ I decided to take a lighter approach and try to enjoy ‘Spring Fever.’ I approached it with more confidence and less pressure”, she said. This marks her second consecutive year starring as a main lead in a tvN drama.
Based on the web novel of the same name, “Spring Fever” tells a pink-romance story between teacher Yoon Bom (Lee Joo Bin), who carries past wounds, and the passionate Seon Jae Gyu (Ahn Bo Hyun).
The drama recently achieved a personal highest rating of 5.7% on February 10 (Nielsen Korea, paid households). Lee Joo Bin received praise for deeply portraying Yoon Bom’s journey of healing through love.
Debuting in 2017 with SBS’s “Whisper,” Lee Joo Bin is also known as a former DSP Media girl group trainee. Though she started acting relatively late, she steadily built her presence, gaining attention as a supporting lead in tvN’s “Queen of Tears” in 2024, and later securing main roles in “The Divorce Insurance” and KBS2’s “Twelve.”
While “The Divorce Insurance” was her first main lead role and attracted attention, it unfortunately recorded ratings in the 0% range. “Twelve” also did not achieve strong ratings. However, “Spring Fever” allowed her to shine as a lead, combining the charm of the original story with her own unique personality.
Comparing her first lead and “Spring Fever”, Lee Joo Bin said, “‘The Divorce Insurance’ included many character stories, including senior actor Lee Dong Wook. But ‘Spring Fever’ felt like there was nowhere to make excuses. The romance between the two main characters was central, so my screen time was large.”
Reflecting on her approach, she said, “Strangely, I didn’t feel the same anxiety I had during ‘The Divorce Insurance.’ I wanted to do well, but I felt confident that I could bring Yoon Bom to life in the romantic comedy genre.”
She also shared, “I thought a lot about how to convey Bom’s trauma while keeping the drama’s bright and cheerful tone, and I discussed this with the director on set.”
On studying her character, Lee Joo Bin revealed, “I had to carefully consider the details—how far Bom’s hands should shake or how much she should break down. Sometimes I expressed her too darkly, but I wanted to fully show her story if it was heavy.”
Looking back on her growth, she said, “Before, doing well, being diligent, and achieving results were everything to me. Now I reflect on how I see myself, whether I love myself, and what gives me stability. I’m slowly finding joy and comfort on set, and I’m learning to enjoy acting more.”
She added, “When I started, I didn’t know much about acting and wanted to do everything perfectly. Now, I understand why senior actors said, ‘Don’t try too hard.’ It means to be yourself and not put too much pressure. That advice has made me feel at ease.”
Source: [1]
