K-pop singer IU to make film debut through Netflix

By Park Jin-hai

K-pop singer and actress Lee Ji-eun, a.k.a. IU, poses during a press event for her debut film "Persona" at Conrad Seoul, Wednesday. / Yonhap

K-pop singer and actress Lee Ji-eun, a.k.a. IU, will make her film debut in Netflix's original ensemble piece "Persona."

Four directors ― Lee Kyoung-mi, Yim Pil-sung, Jeon Go-woon and Kim Jong-kwan ― created four individual films for the ensemble, inspired by the 25-year-old K-pop icon.

"I'm a bit bewildered to have my film debut. I tossed and turned last night with excitement, before the press conference," IU said during the event at Conrad Seoul, Wednesday. "I accepted the offer, thinking it was a fresh experiment. Four directors through their own interpretation created four different characters. And I had to play them in a fairly short period of time. I think this project will remain in my memory for a long time."

IU began her music career as a singer-songwriter in 2008 and had many hit songs including "Good Day," "You and I" and "Bbibbi." Starting in 2011, she began acting and appeared in many dramas, including "Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo" (2016) and "My Mister" (2018).

Yoon Jong-shin, a singer-songwriter and producer of "Mystic Story," suggested the idea in the first place. "I often say a song is a story, and so are films. Watching short films, I thought it is a genre in which viewers can feel the creative side of directors more than any other genres," he said. "Through meetings with those short film directors, I came up with IU's name. I remembered her curious eyes about new things in the past. And I thought she would be the icon we could try something new with."

In the first episode "Love Set" directed by Lee, the singer-actress will take on the role of a young hot-tempered woman on the tennis court. She plays a game against her English teacher who has become her father's new lover.
In the second episode "Collector," directed by Yim, IU will portray an attractive woman in a weird romance.

"Taking the motif from the foolishness of men, the film tells a strange love story. It is about a romance that cannot and should not happen in real life," Yim said. "I wrote the story, inspired by IU's song Jam Jam."

The actress said it was the hardest role in the four short films. "It is a very unique and liberal character that I've never met before either in films or in books," IU said.

The third piece "Kiss Burn" by Jeon, is a revenge story, while the last, "Walking at Night" by Kim tells of the innermost feelings of a couple when they meet in dreams.

"Persona" will be released through Netflix, April 5.