Veteran Actress Lee Yu Ri Gets Real About The Striking Difference In The Way Actors And Actresses Are Treated As They Get Older

The world of K-Dramas sees new stars rising to the top, but also veteran actors and actresses cementing their dominance in some of the biggest shows. In particular, recent shows seem to be bringing the spotlight back to those deemed “older” in the industry.

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Yet, while netizens like to paint a beautiful picture of K-Pop and the world of K-Dramas, there is still a lot of internal misogyny in the industry. Recently, veteran actress Lee Yu Ri shone a light on the impact aging has on actresses compared to actors.

Actor Lee Yu Ri | @leeyuri007/Instagram

Since her acting debut in 1999, Yu Ri has shined in a number of roles throughout the years. Recently, the actress confessed how the roles actresses get as they grow older change dramatically.

At first, fellow star Go Du Shim seemed to think it was natural to happen and that Yu Ri should accept it as something that happens. Yet, Yu Ri hit back at that by explaining that while it’s natural, there is a huge discrepancy between the changes seen in roles for actors and actresses.

Male actors still take on cool roles even as they get older. In the drama, they even take on melodrama too, and it’s a shame actresses don’t have many roles like this.

— Lee Yu RI

| Insight

Yu Ri then went on to say that it wasn’t as bad as before, as she explained that the seniors have been trying to help with the issue. However, she couldn’t hide her sadness at the reality of aging for actresses.

Although senior actors have opened more doors, it’s still a bit sad.

— Lee Yu Ri

| Insight

While Go Du Shim started by trying to reassure Yu Ri, the actress’s explanation seemed to bring more light to the issues within the industry. She explained that it seems like directors and producers are aging actresses older and that there needs to be something done to expand roles.

I feel like they make actresses play older roles faster. There needs to be a flood of roles coming out.

— Go Du Shim

| Insight

While it’s not a surprise that actresses struggle as they get older with roles, hopefully, the actions of the senior stars will change it. However, it won’t be easy as the issue is something seen across industries worldwide, not just in Korea.