Lee You-mi, best known for her breakout role in Netflix's global phenomenon 'Squid Game,' has taken on one of her most challenging performances yet in the streaming platform's new Korean psychological thriller 'As You Stood By.' The actress portrays Hee-soo, a terrified wife trapped in an abusive marriage, a role that required both profound emotional depth and significant physical transformation. Despite the darkness of the character, Lee says the experience ultimately made her stronger and helped her grow as both an actor and a person.
'As You Stood By' follows the story of Hee-soo and her close friend Eun-soo, played by Jeon So-nee, as they conspire to kill Hee-soo's abusive husband. The series presents a gripping narrative that explores themes of domestic violence, friendship, and survival. For Lee, who has maintained an extensive 17-year career since beginning as a child star, Hee-soo represents one of her most demanding roles to date - a woman completely stripped of agency and living in constant terror.
'Playing Hee-soo was something I approached with great caution,' Lee explained during a press interview in Seoul on Tuesday. 'There are so many real victims of domestic violence and the idea of portraying that through acting made me wonder if I even had the right to do so.' This initial hesitation reflects the actress's deep awareness of the responsibility that comes with depicting such sensitive subject matter, particularly given the real-world impact of domestic abuse.
Lee's perspective on the role shifted dramatically after receiving a handwritten letter from the director that included Paulette Kelly's 1992 poem 'I Got Flowers Today,' which was written in memory of domestic abuse victims and survivors. The poem served as a crucial turning point in her understanding of the character. 'Reading it, I began to feel that I might be able to express Hee-soo's emotions,' Lee shared. 'The poem follows a flow where, after each act of violence, the speaker says she received flowers again, and by the end, she has died. It begins with love, but as it goes on, it carries emotions that can no longer be defined, such as the feelings of someone trapped, unable to escape.'
This literary inspiration became more than just artistic guidance for Lee - it transformed into a personal mission. 'That letter became a powerful source of persuasion for me and a deep comfort,' she continued. 'I felt a desire to save the character Hee-soo through my acting. I wanted to think of her, to give her warmth and somehow make her a little happier.' This emotional connection to the character would prove essential in bringing authenticity to such a complex and painful role.
Bringing this empathy to life on screen required considerable restraint and subtlety from Lee. Throughout the series, Hee-soo speaks very little, existing primarily in silence and fear, which meant the actress had to convey the character's inner world through purely physical means. 'When there are no lines, I had to rely on appearance, behavior and physical expression, which made me think even more deeply,' Lee explained. 'I tried to fill in the gaps in Hee-soo's story by focusing on actions, gazes and expressions that could best convey who she is. And when the camera was rolling, I imagined myself as Hee-soo completely and acted as her.'
To physically embody the character's fragility and trauma, Lee underwent a dramatic physical transformation that involved losing a significant amount of weight. Standing 162 centimeters tall and already naturally thin, the actress revealed she lost nearly 5 kilograms to portray the role, bringing her weight down to a severely underweight 37 kilograms. 'When you look at her meal scenes with Jin-pyo, they feel very tense. They are not a comfortable or natural setting,' Lee described. 'For Hee-soo, food isn't something she eats because she wants to; it's something she has to eat because he is eating.'
The physical transformation was intentional and symbolic, designed to reflect the character's emotional state. 'So I wanted her to appear cold, almost hollow, with the kind of pain that shows even through her body,' Lee explained. This commitment to authenticity demonstrates the lengths to which the actress was willing to go to honor both the character and the real-life experiences of domestic abuse survivors.
Despite the inherently dark and challenging nature of the material, Lee managed to maintain her emotional well-being throughout the filming process. The key, she discovered, was learning to separate herself from the character she was portraying. 'Once I separated myself, Lee, from the character Hee-soo, I realized those emotional difficulties didn't arise as much as I'd feared,' she said. 'In fact, that separation allowed me to approach filming in a much healthier state of mind.'
Rather than being diminished by the experience, Lee found the role to be ultimately transformative and empowering. 'For me, Hee-soo feels like the character who made me stronger as a person,' she reflected. 'Through her, I experienced so much inner conflict and made so many choices. And in the process, I think I, Lee You-mi, became more grounded. Every character I've played has helped me grow, but Hee-soo helped me grow in a healthier way.' This growth speaks to the power of empathy and artistic expression in processing difficult human experiences.
All episodes of 'As You Stood By' are now available for streaming on Netflix, offering viewers a chance to witness Lee's powerful performance and the important story it tells about survival, friendship, and finding strength in the darkest of circumstances.
