Cover Story: Roh Jeong Eui on climbing up the showbiz hierarchy

Roh Jeong Eui is making strides in the entertainment industry enjoying success in the aftermath of her new Netflix series Hierarchy. The 22-year-old Korean actress talks to Zaneta Cheng about perseverance, dedication and her admiration for her craft

At the tender age of 22, when most are just stepping gingerly out of college and into their careers, Korean actress Roh Jeong Eui is marking 13 years in the entertainment industry. The Gyeonggi Province native made her first film and television appearance on I Am a Dad and the series Bachelor’s Vegetable Store in 2011. Since then, she’s made a name for herself in the 2020 television series 18 Again as Hong Shi-ah, and more recently in 2024 as Jung Jae-I in Hierarchy.

Many have buckled under the pressure of growing up in the entertainment industry, trying to carve out a career under the gaze of so many but for Roh, it’s something she has long come to terms with. “Initially, people on television looked cool and above all, I really admired the fact that they could showcase their different talents in front of others. I think the difficulty of growing up in the public eye is something I’m going to have to live with for the rest of my life,” Roh says. “I just try to overcome those challenges with the mindset of living a life that is upright and where I work to be the best version of myself while enjoying the things I do.”

Despite her years in the industry and the popularity she has seen – the actress has 1.7 million followers on Instagram – or perhaps because of it, Roh has seemingly remained constant and humble. “Professionally, I don’t feel like there’s been tremendous change to myself as an actress since my debut,” she says. “That probably means I still have a lot to learn. I think I’m still like a child who has so much left to learn, dreaming of becoming a better actress. But I suppose the biggest lesson I’ve learned is to view characters sincerely and that emotions don’t have to be expressed outwardly in a big way. But that might change. Next year, I might have a different takeaway in mind.” She says this as she laughs but Roh is clearly dedicated to her metier. It’s evident in the focus that she brings to this cover shoot that she takes her occupation seriously.

Of Hierarchy, the South Korean teenage coming of age romance series that Roh starred in as lead character Jung Jae-I, the eldest daughter and heir apparent to conglomerate Jaeyul Group, Roh’s character’s duties and every action in life have been predetermined given her family background. Considered untouchable and aloof Jung returns to school and breaks up with Rian, also considered school royalty and instead finds herself revealing her vulnerabilities to lesser privileged scholarship and transfer student Kangha.

To prepare for the role, Roh would discuss the character at length with Bae Hyeon-jin, the show’s director. “Because my character has hurdles that she has to overcome by herself, I would talk to the director at length about how to convey that I was hiding those emotions and not revealing them in my interactions with other characters. Of course there were lots of different entanglements and dynamics that my character had with other characters so I really had to flesh it out and talk about it with the director and other actors to really bring out the character,” Roh says. “I remember speaking with the director for over an hour the day before we began filming Hierarchy, where we went through all the scenes that were going to be shot the next day and the character of Jung Jae-yi. I really think that the fact that the director was there thinking things through with me made acting more enjoyable.”

While the life of Roh’s character Jung is very different from her own life, the actress was compelled to play the heiress because of what she found to be a resemblance in temperament. “I felt drawn to the character because the way she overcomes trials internally is very similar to me. Although we’re not in the same situation, the way she keeps her worries and hardships to herself without expressing them to others is very much like me.” While filming, Roh would watch playbacks of takes and professes that she found the process difficult. “I monitor every scene but it’s really hard to watch each one. I can only see details that I could have improved or didn’t do well enough so each time it really pushes me to try harder, learn more and improve.”

The hard work paid off as the series ranked second in Netflix’s Global Top 10 TV (Non-English) category three days after its release and listed Top 10 across countries in Asia, Africa, India and South America. For Roh, it’s the audience’s appreciation of her efforts to create convincing on-screen relationships, “the reactions of people really connecting with the relationship between Jae-yi and Rian left the most impact on me,” she says. “Everyone said they liked Jae-yi and Rian, Jae-yi and Kang-ha and Jae-yi and In-han. I was so grateful and happy that everyone enjoyed watching our interactions and they genuinely appreciated all the relationships we worked so hard to build.”

Roh’s gratitude is sincere because when asked what one of the main challenges to her character was, aside from laughing about the significant height difference between her and her cast mates, she says, “because Jae-yi meets with and speaks with so many people, I had to pour a lot of emotional energy into the character, which was probably the hardest part of filming.”

After Hierarchy, Roh says she wants to play characters who “live brightly and positively”. Having starred in more rigorous and intense productions such as Badland Hunters and Hierarchy, the latter series starts with a student dying in a pool of blood and tackles the issues of class inequality and school bullying head on, audiences have seen Roh’s ability to transform into characters with deeper and more troubled thoughts. And while she takes each character in stride, “working on each of my roles doesn’t vary very much because the characters are all in situations that I’ve never experienced so I approach each one as I think they should be expressed based on the script and how I as the actor and the crew and cast as a team imagine and picture it to be.”

Given her slow and steady rise to fame throughout her decade-long career, what has given Roh strength has been her fans and her followers. “They give me strength to keep on acting without giving up,” she says. “Everytime I prepare for a new project, I’m really aware of my own shortcomings and I often feel quite upset and troubled as to whether I’ll be able to deliver the expected quality and not disappoint. But then I think about the fans who support me and that really gives me a sort of strength to really keep going and to persevere.”

When asked who she admires most in the industry, she remarks without pause, “all the actors who started before me are amazing. Just watching them on set or accomplishing things I can’t or haven’t yet done is so inspiring, and there’s so much I can and want to learn from them. Besides the actors senior to me, many of my peers are also doing incredible things and have talents that I don’t possess and that also gives me great inspiration and drive to improve myself.” So it’s difficult when I ask her who her #legend is. “Everyone is a legend to me, but if I had to pick one, it would be the actress Kim Hye Soo. Every moment of hers is just impressive.”

In the future, Roh sees herself still devoted to her metier. “I want to become an actress who can provide respite and solace to audiences across the world through my films and shows,” she says. “Even in ten years, I think I’ll still be acting and working hard to improve.”

CREDITS
Production: thiziscompany
Photographer: Jawook Park
Videographer: TSG (Shin Taeseok)
Stylist: Sunyoung Sung
Hair: Kate Cho
Makeup: Su-ji Choi

Also see: Cover Story: Ryeoun on why he loves Hong Kong, his passion for cinema and picking the right roles