Superpowered Self-Love

After making waves in three seasons of penthouse, a new E Jiah is ready to emerge. All set to embrace fresh challenges, the South Korean actress reflects on why the phrase “love yourself” has always been so special to her

- Ian Lee

With almost 15 years of experience as an actress and with numerous acting awards under her belt, E Jiah is easily considered one of South Korea’s finest names in television and film.

Since breaking out in 2007’s series The Legend, she has been lauded for her performances in shows such as Beethoven Virus, Style, Athena: Goddess of War, and Thrice Married Woman.

Then came Penthouse in 2020 and 2021, and to put it simply, the show took Netflix by storm – and E Jiah took home an SBS Drama Top Excellence Award for actress in a mid-length drama. Now, the accomplished actress says she is ready for a new challenge.

Since 2020, we’ve seen you on three seasons of the very successful Penthouse. In 2022, what can we expect from E Jiah?

This year, I want to try playing a character that is totally different from what I’ve shown you in Penthouse. I know getting a role needs some luck or fate, but I would love to try playing various roles with comic, clumsy, or even over-the top characteristics.

Speaking of Penthouse, which many viewers in Singapore watched faithfully, how do you feel looking back on the three incredibly successful seasons?

I didn’t know that Penthouse was being streamed in other countries. I am truly grateful that so many people loved it. While shooting the 48 episodes over a year and a half, there were some hard times but thanks to the great staff members and my fellow actors, I enjoyed every single moment of it.