[CELEB] Jeon So-min has a lot of roles to juggle

Television

Published: 13 Jun. 2022, 14:53 Updated: 13 Jun. 2022, 17:46

[CELEB] Jeon So-min has a lot of roles to juggle

Jeon So-min [ILGAN SPORTS]

Within any office building in the city of Seoul, there is a particular group of people who knows every nook and cranny and the truth behind every rumor spreading inside.

They are the cleaners.

Actor Jeon So-min plays one of those cleaners in JTBC drama series “Cleaning Up,” a series adapted from a 2019 British television series with the same title.

Jeon's character resorts to inside trading with other cleaners to fulfill their wishes.

Jeon So-min, right, portrays a cleaner named In-kyeong who works at the building of Bested Investment Securities. [JTBC]

Her character Ahn In-kyeong cleans the offices of Bested Investment Securities. Withdrawn and timid, In-kyeong’s dream is humble — she wants to travel across the country with a small food truck. Her life has had more downs than ups due to her demure personality which has led to her being pushed around all her life. Everything changes when she hears from Eo Yong-mi (portrayed by Yum Jung-ah) that the educated, rich workers at Bested Investment Securities sell off inside information about their company without feeling any guilt. With the mindset “If they can do it, why can't we?” she enters a world of crime with her two accompliances Yong-mi and Maeng Soo-ja (portrayed by Kim Jae-hwa).

In another film “2037,” released in local theaters on June 8, the actor portrays a character named Jang-mi, who landed herself in prison for martial infidelity, caught and sentenced just before the Adultery Law was abolished in Korea. Similar to the teamwork with Yong-mi and Soo-ja in “Cleaning Up,” Jeon shows off colorful chemistry with other prisoners in "2037." The film revolves around 19-year-old Yoon-young who is wrongfully convicted of a crime and sentenced to a jail, where she connects with other prisoners.

Jeon, second from right, portrays a prisoner named Jang-mi who was caught and sentenced for adultery in the film "2037." [CINEPIRUN]

At the press conference held after the press screening last month, Jeon said she was attracted to the role of In-kyeong because of the opportunity to work with other female actors.

“After I read the script and saw the cast, I wanted to be part of this community,” Jeon said. “The biggest appeal of this project was to have a chance to work with other female actors. I wanted to create good chemistry with them on screen. [Looking back], it is such a good memory. I would be grateful only if the audiences can feel our warmth during the time when they watch our film on screen.”

During an online press event for “Cleaning Up” on June 2, Jeon also commented on the cast chemistry.

“I shouldn’t be ‘studying’ on the set, but it’s true that I am learning so much [by watching Yum and Kim act],” she said. “From the first day of shooting, they approached me as Yong-mi and Su-ja [...] They made me feel so comfortable on the set.”

Prior to 2021 Jeon was focused on her career as an entertainer and regularly appeared on the globally popular variety show “Running Man” on SBS. She became a regular cast member of the show with comedian Yang Se-chan in April 2017, showing off her distinct sense of comedy and exceptionally good chemistry with other members although she wasn’t an original member of the show.

Jeon on SBS variety show "Running Man" [SBS]

She won the Top Excellence Award in the category of variety at the SBS Entertainment Awards in 2018 for her dedication to the show.

She also became a regular member of the seasonal variety show “Sixth Sense” (2020-) on tvN with Yu Jae-seok, Oh Na-ra, Lee Sang-yeop, Jessi and Lee Mi-joo. The show garners good reviews for its unusual concept which sees the cast members visiting different places or people to try and figure out which one is fake using their “sixth sense”: one of the places is entirely fabricated from scratch by the production team.

Her career in acting started from a small role in 2004 in the MBC sitcom series “Miracle.” Her breakthrough came in MBC drama series “Princess Aurora” in 2013, where she portrayed the main protagonist — a daughter of a chaebol family who becomes determined to ruin the second marriage of her 50-year-old brother.

Jeon as Aurora, a daughter of a chaebol family determined to ruin the second marriage of her 50-year-old brother in MBC drama series "Princess Aurora" (2013). [MBC]

Since appearing in “Running Man,” Jeon has only appeared in small roles or cameos in films or drama series until she featured in drama series “Show Window: The Queen’s House” on Channel A in 2021. She portrayed the mistress named Mi-ra, a woman who is faithful to her desires and engages in extramarital affairs with a character named Myung-seob. She was widely praised by viewers for managing to throw off her comical image as an entertainer. The series was a commercial hit and has one of the highest viewership ratings for a Channel A series.

JTBC drama series “Cleaning Up” airs every Saturday and Sunday from 10:30 p.m.

Jeon So-min

Date of birth: April 7, 1986
Zodiac sign: Aries
Birthplace: Goyang, Gyeonggi
Debut: August 2004 through MBC sitcom series “Miracle”
Agency: Kingkong by Starship

Actor Jeon So-min debuted through 2004 MBC sitcom series “Miracle” but did not rise to prominence until she took the lead role in MBC drama series “Princess Aurora” in 2013, where she portrayed Aurora, the daughter from a wealthy family determined to ruin the second marriage of her older brother. She is also active as an entertainer, appearing regularly on two popular variety shows — “Running Man” on SBS and “Sixth Sense” on tvN. She is currently juggling careers as an entertainer and an actor, appearing in both of the variety shows and the drama series “Cleaning Up” on JTBC.

This information was confirmed by Kingkong by Starship on June 8, 2022.

BY LEE JAE-LIM [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr]