This article contains spoilers
By Park Jin-hai
In the recently concluded Netflix sensation When Life Gives You Tangerines, singer-actress IU delivers a captivating performance by seamlessly embodying two distinct characters – the spirited young Ae-sun and, later, her ambitious daughter Geum-myeong – in a multigenerational story of life, love and resilience.
Despite the challenge of playing dual characters, IU, real name Lee Ji-eun, skilfully captures the intricate nuances of both their lives.
Viewers have praised the 31-year-old for setting a new milestone in her acting career – in which her breakout role was in the 2018 drama My Mister – and once again expanding her acting spectrum.
Expressing her joy and disbelief upon receiving the script for When Life Gives You Tangerines, IU revealed she read it on the spot and felt an immediate desire to take on the role of Ae-sun, a character very different from the darker roles she had previously portrayed.