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[UP AND COMING TALENTS (14)]Lee Do-hyeon aims to become 'inspiring' actress

This is the 14th and last in a series of articles about rising stars who are expected to stand out in the coming year. - Ed.

By Yang Sung-jin

Everybody has a dream, and Lee Do-hyeon is no exception. She wants to be a professional actress - an "inspiring" actress in her words. But the road ahead is filled with rough patches and blocks. No problem, she says.

Lee usually starts her day at around 8 a.m. in her one-room apartment in southern Seoul, then she heads to a gym nearby. For aspiring actress-wannabes, staying fit is a prerequisite. So she doesn't mind spending a couple of hours there. Her trainer at the gym says she sometimes works out too much. But Lee says she wants to lose extra kilograms, though she weighs just 48kg, a surprising figure considering her 167cm height.

Unless there are special schedules for auditioning or showing up for a television program, she goes to an acting school near Hongik University in western Seoul. She takes singing and acting classes there for several hours. And the training is tough. Along with other young actors, she practices strengthening her voice and sharpening her ability to control her voice level. An experienced trainer throws sharp criticism at her and other students whenever they show some weakness or miss their cue.

When Lee memorizes television drama lines and acts out a monologue to express her feelings, the coach repeatedly points out the parts she misses. At one point, she exaggerates the emotion too much. The next minute, she gets the emotion right but her vocal expression loses its edge.

In the evening, she takes part in a photo shoot at a studio near Shinsa-dong, and holds a meeting with modeling agents for a contract.

"The daily schedule is very simple, but it's very hard to maintain", Lee says. The intensive training and daily routine are essential to improving her chances of solidifying her position in the domestic entertainment industry.

Over the past years, Korea's movie and drama industries have witnessed an explosive growth. So has the number of actor-wannabes who dream of emerging as the country's new star on the silver screen or on television. Competition is grueling. But the number of young people stepping into the sector is fast growing.

Lee, 22, is now just beginning to make her name known in the fiercely competitive industry. She appears in "A Millionaire's First Love", a romantic melodrama flick starring Hyun Bin, Korea's emerging heartthrob. Lee's role was originally bigger than a simple minor character, but in the process of editing, the director tightened the plot and eliminated much of the scenes where Lee showcased her talent.

It happens all the time. The question is whether an actress gets the chance to show off her talent and eventually take off.

Last week, Lee was invited to the "Star Special" program on MBC-TV as a member of the panel. The shooting at the studio lasted for two and a half hours, and Lee's image was broadcast on Monday, and is set to be shown again on March 13.

"I was more comfortable doing that than what I did for the moive, maybe because I majored in drama", Lee says.

Lee studies at the Seoul Institute of the Arts, a leading performing arts college which has produced a number of recognizable stars.

Fortunately she got a call from the "Star Special" program producer to join another show.

But Lee has a long way to go before she really leaves her name on the map of the country's entertainment industry. The big question is when and how she secures a major role for movies.

The basic procedure is that a candidate, who has decent qualifications and talent, gets a major or semi-major role for a movie as a platform to make his or her name known widely. Or the candidate can aim to grab the publicity and media spotlight through television commercials.

If successful, they can get an offer to play a central role for daily soap opera on major television stations - the sure-fire path to join the list of major stars in Korea.

Yang Chang-yong, director at the management team of Norman Entertainment Co., to which Lee belongs, says the initial screening for major roles in movies is incredibly tough.

"Most directors and producers prefer well-known names for major roles, so there are only a small number of major characters available for new entrants", Yang says.

While the number of parts in promising movies is limited, the demand is literally exploding. There are about 400 management agencies, and leading firms like Sidus support dozens of well-known actors and models. The exact number of obscure actor-wannabes is anybody's guess.

The crucial auditions for movie roles take place intermittently. Sometimes, a big film production house places an ad to find new talent. Unsurprisingly, tens of thousands of star-wannabes participate in the competition. In other cases, some directors and casting staff organize a small audition because they just want a couple of new faces for supporting roles.

"Getting into the shortlist at the audition means something in this field, and Lee is now invited to the audition and gets a spot on the shortlist, which is highly encouraging", Yang says.

Yang's initial encounter with Lee, however, was far from encouraging. It was in 2003 when Yang spotted a photo of Lee at a photo studio. He believed there's something in her image, so he called her and asked about her willingness.

"I thought he's just one of the entertainment crooks, you know, the people who lure some young people on the street, saying they're famous managers or producers", Lee says, having a big laugh.

It took a while before Yang's intention was known to Lee, and the formal training began from late 2003. "Once the training started, it was real fun. But when I failed in an audition for a movie, I felt ashamed and I thought I had to take formal acting lessons, so I prepared to enter an acting college. For four months, I practiced singing, dancing and acting like crazy, and I finally got into the college in 2004", she says.

Yang says Lee looks a bit cold when she doesn't say anything but, in fact, she's a take-it-easy type and doesn't care about formality. "This is a crucial moment for her. She has come a long way but she has to move a step further, getting a major or supporting role in a movie. I believe she'll make it because she works really hard, and she doesn't want to lose any game", he says.

Lee says she was deeply hurt when she failed in auditions, and cried together with her manager Yang in the past. What she realized is that she has to get her acting right to realize her dream - a glittering dream that is now just within her reach.

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