In the year 2000, another rising star was born in the world of musical theatre.
Jeon Su-mi made her stage debut in the musical Guys and Dolls. Now, twenty-six years into her career, she has grown into a seasoned veteran of the musical stage.
This editor has had the pleasure of watching her perform on multiple occasions — most memorably in the 2020 musical Mozart!, where she moved audiences deeply with her emotionally resonant voice and acting as Nannerl Mozart, the composer's elder sister,
and in the strikingly contrasting role of Luisa, the pirate captain, in The Count of Monte Cristo.
Having once harboured a long-held dream of becoming a musical actress myself, I have always thought of Jeon Su-mi as a true all-round entertainer.
The most essential quality in an actor is the ability to build, analyse, and embody a character according to the role at hand. It is about finding the right fit — wearing a costume tailored to oneself, in one's own language.
Over her twenty-six years, Jeon Su-mi has encountered countless productions and stages, yet she says she approaches each new work with a completely fresh mindset.
She is currently performing in the musical Billy Elliot, playing Mrs Wilkinson, the ballet teacher who discovers the genius of Billy, a boy from a mining town.
For her, Billy Elliot is far more than just her next project.
"It was the one production I had wanted to do more than anything else in my twenty-six years as a performer. Even as I was auditioning, I told myself: 'Even if I don't get it this time, I will stand on this stage one day, no matter what.'" She recalled the audition process with quiet conviction.
[Key Interview Highlights]
Billy Elliot sets itself apart from other musicals in one significant way: child actors carry the bulk of the show. The lead role of Billy is itself played by a young performer, which means the rehearsal process demands an intensity of repetitive training roughly four to five times greater than that of a typical production.
"It was the most gruelling process I have ever been through — but because this was a stage I had dreamed of for so long, I barely noticed the hardship. With this production, I have absolutely no desire to stand out or put myself forward. None at all." She was emphatic about what the show means to her.
"At first, I thought, 'They're just kids' — and took it lightly. But as time went on, I grew ashamed of myself for thinking that. There's a scene early in the show where a character smokes a cigarette, and one of the children has to shout until the prop lighter finally catches. Sometimes the prop wouldn't cooperate, and the child would be screaming to the point of exhaustion. I'd gently suggest, 'Try breaking up the sound a little,' but the child would insist — 'This is the role the director gave me.' Watching that child's sheer determination, pushing through a raw throat to do what was asked of them, I found myself relearning what it means to take responsibility on stage." She took a moment to reflect on herself.
"There was a moment when I was delivering a line to Billy — 'You can do this. You've worked so hard.' — and suddenly my own past flashed before me, and I burst into tears. Because I was crying, even the foreign members of the creative team ended up in tears along with me. What moves people is different for everyone. Some are struck by the line, 'I'm going to change this nothing life through the power of art.' Others find comfort in a single throwaway line of everyday dialogue." The idea that not a single word on stage can be wasted struck me as a fascinating way to think about performance.
And isn't that precisely what makes live performance so universally compelling? Some people are moved because they see themselves in the protagonist. Others are swept away by a number. The emotion a show gives you is the show's greatest gift.
Returning to the stage a month after giving birth (Return to the stage a month after giving birth)
Jeon Su-mi returned to the stage just one month after giving birth. She credits her seemingly inexhaustible energy to what she calls an "ultra-positive mindset."
"I think I get by on this positive energy of: 'It'll be fine. You just do it.'"
She says that after dropping her child off at nursery each morning, she spends two hours on an exercise bike and doing strength training to build her stamina alongside motherhood. It is in moments like these that you see what it truly means to be a veteran performer — someone who has learned to find calm and space rather than rushing.
The effort behind becoming an irreplaceable, all-round performer (Effort to create a hexagonal actor)
Since her debut in the early 2000s, Jeon Su-mi has built her career step by step — from original Korean productions to large-scale licensed musicals.
The weapon that made her the irreplaceable, all-round performer she is today? Dance.
"In my day, if you couldn't dance, they wouldn't even let you sing at an audition. The hours of pain I put into mastering ballet turns and tap dancing became the foundation for the complete physical control I have on stage today." She opened up about the struggles she faced as a young performer.
"When I was starting out, I was dancing barefoot once and stepped on a large nail — and I didn't even realise it was there until after the show was over. Back then, I didn't know that what I was going through was hardship."
She reflected that it is precisely because she threw herself into every experience without hesitation that she is able to stand on stage today. Her next ambition is to break into film and television. Given the heights she has reached in musical theatre, her fans have made no secret of their hopes to see her on screen.
"When a director asks something of me, I am ready to say 'I'll give it a go, unconditionally' and mean it."
Watching her declare her ambitions with such confidence and spirit, I found myself — as both an admiring audience member and a fan — genuinely excited for whatever new chapter she embarks on next.
Her ultimate goal as an actress (Finally goal as an actress)
"The moment I step onto the stage, there's this instant — a shift in the air, a breath — where I become that character completely. That feeling is electrifying, and I love it. Whatever the production, I want to be an actress who simply disappears into the person she is playing. I want to stay on stage until the very end — even if that means playing a grandmother at ninety." Her passion and devotion to the stage were unmistakable.
Reflecting on everything she shared in this interview, one thing became clear: opportunity truly does find those who pursue a goal with genuine desperation. In many ways, Jeon Su-mi is an actress who makes the impossible possible. Returning to the stage within a month of giving birth. Taking on roles that are worlds apart and giving audiences something new to anticipate each time. An all-round entertainer who delivers explosive energy from the stage directly into the hearts of her audience — that is Jeon Su-mi.
Knowing she can inhabit any transformation with ease, I find myself wanting to cheer her on all the more as she sets her sights on the new frontier of television. Whatever path she chooses next, this editor will be rooting for her.
Full interview (original text)
