Lee Yoo Bi Talks About Her New Drama "The Escape Of The Seven," How She Was Cast, And More

Oct 04, 2023

“The Escape of the Seven” actress Lee Yoo Bi recently posed for GQ Korea!

“The Escape of the Seven” follows the story of seven characters involved in the disappearance of a young girl, who was tangled in a complicated web of lies and ambition. “The Escape of the Seven” is the third joint project by scriptwriter Kim Soon Ok and director Joo Dong Min, who previously worked together on “The Last Empress” and the hit “The Penthouse” series.

In an interview that followed the photo shoot, Lee Yoo Bi was asked how long she has been golfing, and she revealed, “It’s been about a year and a half. I know a lot of people who are really good golfers. I started golfing on a screen driving range during COVID-19 and only went out on the field once. And then I went right into filming ‘Escape of the Seven,’ so I can’t go golfing right now.”

Revealing how she felt going out on the field to play golf, the actress shared, “I felt immersed in nature, walking on the grass, talking to people, enjoying my leisure time. I also love surfing, but I usually do indoor exercises like pilates, swimming and working out at the gym. I think golf is a bit special.”

On whom she wants to go golfing with when “Escape of the Seven” wraps up, she responded, “A person who is good at golf. I think I’d be able to quickly discover the fun of golf if I went with someone who can teach and guide me.”

Explaining how she first met the writer and director of her current drama “The Escape of the Seven,” Lee Yoo Bi—who previously made a special appearance in the duo’s hit drama “The Penthouse 3″—recalled, “I really enjoyed watching the first and second seasons of ‘The Penthouse,’ and then I received an offer to make a special appearance in Season 3. I thought, ‘Me? Really? In “The Penthouse”?’ At the time, I was filming the second season of ‘Yumi’s Cells,’ and the atmosphere on the sets of the two dramas was completely different. I was overwhelmed by the intense energy of the set. I think it was my first time seeing such an energetic filming site.”

She went on to reveal that after she filmed her special appearance in “The Penthouse 3,” the director thanked her and promised to contact her again soon. She shared, “After we finished filming, director Joo Dong Min said to me, ‘Yoo Bi, thank you for a job well done. I think I’ll be contacting you next time.’ At the time, I thought it was just a compliment, but he contacted me immediately after ‘The Penthouse’ wrapped up.”

She continued, “I met writer Kim Soon Ok for the first time through ‘The Escape of the Seven.’ She’s a very cute and lively person, and she’s also witty.”

When asked if she tries to completely transform into a character when she takes on a new role, Lee Yoo Bi replied, “When I was in my twenties, my dream was to become an actress with my own unique color. In previous works like ‘Twenty‘ and ‘Pinocchio,’ I reflected a lot of my own colors. However, as time passed, I started to think that it might also be nice to be seen as a completely different person. I thought that it might even be better that way.”

She continued, “While I was thinking about that, I came across the character of Han Mo Ne (from “The Escape of the Seven”), who is a completely different person from me. She’s a character I can’t understand at all. So I thought it was a great opportunity to completely change myself and try something that I haven’t tried before.”

After noting that it is said that there is no greater praise for an actress playing a villain than the hate she receives from viewers, the interviewer asked Lee Yoo Bi if she was prepared to accept hate for her character in “The Escape of the Seven.” Lee Yoo Bi commented, “I want to hear people say, ‘She’s no joke.’ If I hear people say, ‘She’s something else,’ wouldn’t that mean I did a good job?”

When asked what lesson she would like to take if life, like golf, had lessons for specific skills, Lee Yoo Bi shared, “I would want to take lessons that would help me be more confident in what I do. As we live our lives, we can become weak and shaken at any time. But I don’t want to lose myself.”