Lee Si-young

Los guantes antes que los guiones

Lee Si-young debuted in 2008 with a small role in Urban Legends Deja Vu. She was 26 years old. In an industry that often looks for teen faces for its romance dramas, her entrance was late and low-key.

In 2009 she landed a supporting role in Boys Over Flowers. The series was a phenomenon across Asia. But she didn't get trapped in the stereotype of the jealous rival that the script demanded.

She took the sport seriously.

In 2010 she began training in boxing for a TV drama that never got made. Most actors would have quit the gym once the project fell through. She decided to register with a federation and compete officially.

In 2011 she won the national amateur boxing championship in the 48-kilogram division. It wasn't a marketing stunt to gain followers. The bruises on her face during press conferences were real and often complicated the filming schedules of her movies.

In 2013 she joined South Korea's national boxing team. She was the first celebrity in the country to reach national athlete status in a contact sport. But joint injuries forced her to retire from professional boxing in 2015.

Building a Physique for Action Roles

Her full return to the screen moved away from the romantic comedies of her early career. In 2019 she starred in No Mercy. In this pure action film, she performed almost all of her own stunts without needing stunt doubles.

In 2020 Sweet Home premiered on Netflix. Her portrayal of a firefighter hardened by tragedy drew attention for one specific physical detail. Her back muscles went viral because many viewers believed they were digital effects.

Audiences prefer her when she’s throwing punches.

For that role she cut her body fat to 8% through six months of military-style training. Director Lee Eung-bok was looking for a physical presence that would feel believable in a post-apocalyptic setting. And she met the technical expectations of the shoot.

In 2022 she appeared in the science fiction series Grid. Here she played a mysterious entity that travels through time. The script demanded absolute restraint in her gestures, which contrasted with her usual energy on social media.

Because her digital side is also profitable.

Starting in 2020, she began posting short comedy and action videos on digital platforms. She gained millions of followers in a short time. But she always kept a clear separation between her online parodies and the toughness of her movie shoots.

In 2023 she reprised her role in the second installment of Sweet Home. The production was far more ambitious than the first and required months of filming on location under harsh weather conditions.

In 2024 she ended her commitment to this franchise after the premiere of the third season. The series’ total budget topped 30,000 million won for each block of episodes produced.