"Mine" Star Jung Yi Seo Talks About The "Parasite" Scene That People Don't Know She Was In

Jul 03, 2021

In a recent interview and pictorial for Esquire magazine, Jung Yi Seo dished on her minor role in the award-winning film “Parasite”!

The rising actress recently starred in tvN’s hit drama “Mine” as Kim Yoo Yeon, the young maid who falls in love with chaebol heir Han Soo Hyuk (played by VIXX‘s Cha Hak Yeon). However, unbeknownst to many viewers, Jung Yi Seo made a brief appearance in an even more famous production two years ago—in “Parasite,” she played the pizza shop owner who quarrels with Kim Gi Taek (Song Kang Ho)’s family towards the beginning of the film.

“No one seems to know about it at first,” shared Jung Yi Seo. “Whenever I introduce myself on a set, if I say that I was the pizza shop owner in ‘Parasite,’ people respond, ‘Really?'”

Jung Yi Seo explained that she initially auditioned for the role of Park Dong Ik (Lee Sun Gyun)’s daughter Da Hye, which ultimately went to Jung Ji So instead.

“At the time, I was just amazed and happy to even be auditioning for a film by director Bong Joon Ho,” recalled Jung Yi Seo. “Because back then, it was hard for me to even get the chance to audition for a role.

“I didn’t expect to get anything, and several months went by before I suddenly got a phone call from a staff member. They said that I might be able to play the role of the pizza shop owner. Originally, the character was supposed to be in their forties or fifties, but they had decided to lower their age. I was at a loss for words, and I couldn’t believe it.”

Jung Yi Seo went on to note that she also made a second appearance in the film that many people aren’t aware of.

“Actually, most people don’t know this, but I appear again towards the end of the film,” she said. “Initially, I was only supposed to appear in the beginning of the film, for the quarrel over the pizza boxes, but they added one more scene for my character. You know how Gi Taek (Song Kang Ho)’s family evacuates to the gymnasium because of the flood? If you look carefully, the pizza shop owner is in that scene wearing an orange T-shirt.”

“It’s almost like a find-the-hidden-objects game,” she added with a laugh. “[She’s there] since she’s a resident of the same neighborhood.”

Looking back on her role in the film, Jung Yi Seo remarked, “In a way, I think ‘Parasite’ was essentially my acting debut. After I appeared in ‘Parasite,’ there were suddenly far more people who recognized me on the street compared to before. Sometimes people would even talk to me on the street, saying, ‘Oh? It’s the pizza shop owner.’ At first, I was amazed by that kind of interest, but since I’d never experienced it before, I started feeling a bit scared and pressured by it as time went on.”

She went on with a laugh, “Fortunately, the period of time during which people recognized me [from ‘Parasite’] didn’t last long. These days, I think there are way more people who recognize me as Yoo Yeon from ‘Mine.'”