Did she have such a face? Actress Lee Hye-ri has shown a new side of herself that she had not revealed to the public through 'Good Competition'.
The STUDIO X+U drama 'Good Competition', which has been available since February 10 (planned by: STUDIO X+U / produced by: YLAB FLEX, STUDIO X+U / directed by: Kim Tae-hee / written by: Kim Tae-hee, Min Ye-ji), is a mystery girl thriller surrounding 'Seul-gi', who transfers to the top 1% Chaehwa High School in South Korea, where fierce entrance exam competition takes place, revealing the desires of her friends and the mysterious death of her father, who was a member of the college entrance exam question committee.
In 'Good Competition', Lee Hye-ri plays the role of Yoo Je-i, a top 0.1% hexagonal high school student who struggles to uncover her father's secrets.
Despite being a work that can only be viewed on U+tv and U+mobiletv without OTT release, 'Good Competition' went viral with Lee Hye-ri's same-sex kiss scene in the early episodes, and as her acting skills shone in this long-awaited drama lead role, it received positive reviews and gained attention due to its intriguing story.
'Good Competition' was simultaneously released in Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam, where it ranked first in Asian dramas on Japan's HULU, first in Korean dramas on the Japanese OTT platform Abema, and also topped the charts on Watcha. It ranked first on Taiwan's OTT Friday and reached second place on the global OTT platform iQIYI, maintaining a high position and creating a significant impact. Thanks to this buzz, 'Good Competition' has confirmed its release on OTT Tving in March.
Lee Hye-ri, who debuted in the entertainment industry as a member of Girl's Day, gained immense popularity for her role as Sung Deok-seon in tvN's 'Reply 1988' in 2015. While she showcased her potential as an actress with her realistic performance in 'Reply 1988', she faced controversies regarding her acting skills due to instability and lack of vocal and dialogue handling abilities in subsequent works such as SBS's 'Danta-ra' (2016), MBC's 'Two Cops' (2017), and the film 'Monstrum' (2018).
However, Lee Hye-ri has consistently worked hard to completely erase her life character, Deok-seon. She perfectly embodies a character that seems like a kind model student but smokes, goes to clubs, and shows blind affection and kindness to Seul-gi while sharing kisses, making her character complex and intriguing, earning praise for her 'shining acting skills.'
Despite the controversies surrounding her acting skills and the label of her life character Deok-seon, Lee Hye-ri has steadily built her filmography and engaged in 'good competition'. Ultimately, she has become an actress to whom the title 'actor' suits better than anyone else. This is why expectations for actress Lee Hye-ri's future activities are high.
[Shin Young-eun, Star Today Reporter]
