Kim Ji Won is known for having a shy and introverted persona behind the K-drama scenes. But with her reputation as an accomplished actress, it’s no surprise that the star can convincingly slip into haughty and oft-standoffish characters. Before portraying Hong Hae-in in Queen of Tears, Ji Won was best known as Rachel Yoo in 2013’s The Heirs. To play the role of the school’s resident mean girl, the Korean actress took inspiration from another queen bee–none other than Blair Waldorf from the hit American series Gossip Girl!
READ: Kim Ji Won Took Inspiration From Blair Waldorf of “Gossip Girl” to Portray Rachel Yoo in “The Heirs”
In a 2013 interview with the Korean news outlet My Daily as translated by Soompi, Kim Ji Won delved into her preparation process for The Heirs to portray Rachel Yoo, a wealthy clothing heiress betrothed to Lee Min Ho’s Kim Tan. Known as the “Paris Hilton of Jeguk High School,” Rachel is characterized as someone snooty. She looks down on characters like Park Shin Hye’s Cha Eun-sang, a new scholarship-backed student who won the affection of Tan.
To internalize the character, Ji Won took inspiration from Blair Waldorf, as portrayed by American actress Leighton Meester in the 2007 TV series Gossip Girl. In the hit show, the character is depicted as the queen bee of Constance Billard School in New York City. Like Rachel, Blair comes from an upper-class upbringing who was known for her snobbish side–at least, at the beginning!
According to the report, Ji Won noted Blair’s “vicious expressions” and “conceited gestures of superiority,” translating them to her portrayal of Rachel. However, some aspects of the character were entirely hers and the production team’s–including Rachel’s iconic bangs!
“Writer [Kim Eun Sook] expressed that it would be good if I got heavy bangs,” Ji Won said. “She thought that the stuffy bangs would suit Rachel’s image better. I liked having bangs. It was a small change but made a world of difference. I can’t imagine a Rachel without bangs right now.”
Interested in seeing more of Ji Won? Check out the rest of her filmography on our list!
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