Actress Jeon Mi-do is the talk of the town these days. Making her debut with a musical in 2006, Jeon swept the Best New Actress awards in 2021 for her role in tvN's popular series "Hospital Playlist" at the ripe age of 40.
She currently stars in the Korean adaption of "Sweeney Todd" as Mrs. Lovett, the demon barber of Fleet Street's accomplice and business partner. She makes meat pies from Todd's victims in the Stephen Sondheim classic.
"There are roles you can only play when you're young and ones that mature as you age, and Mrs. Lovett is the latter," Jeon said. "People may think I'm nice and thoughtful thanks to my role in 'Hospital Playlist,' but I wanted to show another side -- an evil, tenacious and chilling side."
Todd is jailed for 15 years and exacts bloody revenge after serving his sentence, and Mrs. Lovett aids his vengeance.
"I tend to be more drawn to characters who appear bad and make mistakes but are understandable," she said. "That's because I also have shortcomings just like them."
She feels at home on the musical stage now. But she added, "Acting is like a maze that becomes more difficult the more you do it. If you ask me what good acting is, I would say it would be playing a role without acting. I set a goal of acting in a wide range of genres until I'm in my 80s to attain that level."
When asked what advice she would give to aspiring actors, Jeon said, "This might be apocryphal, but I heard there's a plant that doesn't grow for seven years and then suddenly has a growth spurt. If you don't lose your passion, refuse to give up and try your best, you will blossom sooner or later."
The actress is being inundated with requests to appear in TV dramas, movies and plays of every genre. "I can't say only good things happened in my life, but I'm very satisfied with the path I've taken, because all of it contributed to my personal growth," she concluded.
