Has everyone watched The Remarried Empress yet? Lee Se Young has taken on her first villain role, portraying the captivating yet infuriating escaped slave Rashta! Speaking at the production press conference, she shared her thoughts on interpreting the character and laughingly admitted that to keep viewers from completely hating her, she put far more effort into managing her appearance than in any of her previous works!
Reflecting on how she portrayed Rashta, Lee Se Young described her as being like a child: “When a child is hungry, they cry out of pure instinct; similarly, Rashta pursues her desires so fiercely simply to survive.” She sees Rashta as a character driven by innocent instincts who is desperately trying to stay alive, hoping to convey a complex side of someone who appears naive yet possesses intense desires.
In the series, Rashta has many actions and lines that leave viewers fuming. When asked about the most memorable scene during filming, Lee Se Young specifically highlighted a line that was featured in the previews: “Can I call you big sister?” She laughingly recalled that when delivering the line, even she couldn’t help but think, “Rashta truly has zero self-awareness!”—bringing bursts of laughter to the crowd.
As for how to make audiences feel a mixture of anger and love toward Rashta, Lee Se Young candidly shared that she kept questioning herself: “Even though she does annoying things and says frustrating words, what kind of charm must she have so that people don’t completely hate her?” She even joked, “I thought that if she wasn’t fair-skinned and pretty enough, people would probably just despise her!” Because of this, she worked much harder on her physical appearance than for any past project, hoping viewers would leave with complex feelings like, “I really want to kill her, but she’s so pitiable that I can also understand her”—showing just how much effort she poured into the role.
Adapted from the hit web novel of the same name, The Remarried Empress follows Empress Navier (played by Shin Min Ah) of the Eastern Empire, who is served divorce papers by Emperor Sovieshu (Ju Ji Hoon) after he falls for the escaped slave Rashta (Lee Se Young). Navier accepts the divorce on the condition that her remarriage to Prince Heinrey (Lee Jong Suk) of the Western Kingdom be approved. The 10-episode series released early on November 3, with two new episodes dropping every Wednesday.
