Actress Jeon Do-yeon discovers facial expressions she never knew she had for The Price Of Confession

SEOUL – The Price Of Confession, launched on Dec 5 as one of Netflix Korea’s year-end tentpole projects, is a propulsive thriller engineered for uninterrupted bingeing.

Blending a whodunnit with a touch of human drama, the series opens with a unique premise: A husband is murdered and his free-spirited art teacher wife Yoon-su (Jeon Do-yeon) gets locked up despite her protests of innocence.

Inside prison, she encounters fellow inmate Mo Eun (Kim Go-eun), who suddenly offers a bargain. Mo will take the fall for the murder if Yoon-su agrees to kill someone on the outside once she is released.

The narrative accelerates from there. Yoon-su is freed, only to find herself stalked by Mo’s escalating threats pushing her to fulfil her side of the deal.

For Jeon, a stalwart of the South Korean silver screen known for heavy-hitting turns in Kill Boksoon (2023) and Beasts Clawing At Straws (2020), the project’s appeal lies in the cat-and-mouse mystery at its core: discovering who is behind the killings.

Jeon notes that beyond its tightly constructed detective framework, The Price Of Confession, which also stars Park Hae-soo and Jin Seon-kyu, is a story steeped in prejudice.

“This project has the elements that let viewers enjoy tracking down the culprit,” Jeon, 52, said at a press interview on Dec 12.

“But when I was working on the show, what I focused on most was the women’s personal stories. I felt it was more important to show how this dangerous deal changes the lives of Mo and Yoon-su, and the choices they make.”

She added: “The director seemed to be exploring how frightening people’s prejudices can be and how they can sway someone’s life. It’s not an overt or heavy-handed message, but I felt that aspect still comes through. I think the director wanted to talk about those things through this project.”

In portraying Yoon-su’s spiralling desperation, Jeon said she found new sides to herself.

“A close acquaintance of mine told me they saw expressions in me that they’d never seen before, expressions they discovered through this role. I liked hearing that. I think I conveyed a lot of Yoon-su’s desperation and urgency through my facial expressions. I felt like I used more facial muscles than ever, trying so hard to portray what she was going through,” she said.

As with many veteran performers, Jeon also had a strong hand in shaping her character, particularly in crafting the motivations driving Yoon-su’s desperate bid for freedom, even if it means killing a stranger.

While returning to her young daughter is a crucial on-screen motivation, Jeon said she wanted the character’s urgency to feel layered.

“I always felt that motherhood is something that inevitably appears in women-centred narratives. But in Yoon-su’s case, motherhood is something inherently built into her character, so I told the director early on that I didn’t want to force it or highlight it twice over,” said Jeon.

“So while there isn’t just one single reason behind Yoon-su’s desperate struggle to survive, it’s a mix of many things. Among them is her determination to uncover her husband’s killer, reveal the truth and several other factors.”

The series also brought Jeon together with a number of junior cast members.

“It was a bit overwhelming, but not to the point where it weighed me down. The younger actors have grown so much that it felt fine. I’m sure the juniors felt something new while acting alongside an actor who also directs, and I felt the same way,” she said.

“That’s why, in this project, having actors I truly admire deliver such wonderful performances – even in roles that aren’t very big – felt like a deeply appreciated opportunity for me.” THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

The Price Of Confession is showing on Netflix.