In 2020’s ratings hit The Penthouse: War in Life, she plays a famous but cold-hearted soprano and musical school director, who will stop at nothing for fame, power and money. Kim likens her role as the scheming Cheon Seo-jin to her iconic villainess role in All About Eve, saying, “The goal for this drama is that when people think of a female villain, they think of Cheon Seo-jin, just like how Heo Young-mi was remembered.”

She picked up piano in two-and-a-half months for The Penthouse, and had an unforgettable scene where she played with blood on her hands. She also learned to speak Hungarian for her role in 2009 big-budget series Iris, where she played a North Korean spy. She also trained hard for her action scenes in the thriller. Such a professional! 

They met on the set of 2016 K-drama Happy Home, and married in 2017. He had a cameo in The Penthouse as a reporter, and apparently hates watching her kissing scenes in the hit series.  

She’s great at playing devious characters you love to hate, but actress Kim So-yeon is often praised for being nice and thoughtful in real life, being equally kind to fellow actors, staff members and reporters. Suffice to say, she is nothing like the diva she plays in The Penthouse!

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