K-pop group Red Velvet’s Yeri explains how she handles public perception

Yeri from the K-pop group Red Velvet sat down for an interview with Cosmopolitan where she discussed how she deals with the public perception of her. She also revealed what she likes best about being able to act.

When discussing her role as the cruel queen bee in the show Bitch x Rich, she explained: “I tried this [drama] as I wanted to expand the spectrum of my acting. As it’s a character I haven’t done before, people were very surprised. I did my lines thinking most importantly about my tone, speed, and rhythm. Rather than a kid who just plays around, I had to look like a princess. An authoritative character who speaks slowly and seeks power over people. Since she’s the complete opposite of me, I worried about how to portray that image.”

She also touched on the difference between working as an idol and working as an actress. “As Red Velvet, I’ve promoted for a long time, have many hit songs, and am recognized wherever I go. But with acting, I’m a complete rookie. But I really like that. Because I can learn a whole lot. Also, since it’s a job where you work really closely with the director, assistant director, filming director, and lighting director, I like that you can work in a friendlier way. I really like working in that way. Even people I meet for the first time feel like family after filming and being together for two to three months.”

She revealed that the public perception of her used to affect her more greatly than it does now. 

“This is a career where if your eyebrow shape changes a bit, you hear people wonder why you did angled eyebrows when they think straight eyebrows suit you better. In the past, this bothered me. I didn’t know myself and had no backbone. When I heard things like that, I wondered, ‘Should I only do straight eyebrows?’ but that’s living for others, not living a life for myself. I didn’t know very well because I debuted at a young age, but now that I’m older, I’ve come to think about living a life for myself. While doing things I want to do. Now, I no longer pay attention to thoughtless criticism from people I don’t know.”