[SBS Entertainment News | Reporter Kang Seon-ae] Im Yoon-ah's passionate performance in 'The Tyrant's Chef' captivated viewers.
Im Yoon-ah is giving a passionate performance as French chef Yeon Ji-young, who time-slips to the past and meets the worst tyrant and absolute taste bud, King Lee Heon (played by Lee Chae-min), in the tvN weekend drama 'The Tyrant's Chef' (directed by Jang Tae-yoo, written by fGRD).
In episode 8, which aired on the 14th, Yeon Ji-young was left stunned when the red pepper powder, her secret weapon for the first culinary competition with the Ming Dynasty, disappeared. However, she quickly regained her composure and reimagined a flavor that no longer existed in this era. Then, with a brilliant idea, she presented beef bourguignon using rice wine, captivating the palate of Ming envoy Woo Gon (played by Kim Hyung-mook).
Before the competition scores were announced, Yeon Ji-young, with her sharp reasoning, discovered that the Ming Dynasty's chief concubine, Abi-su (played by Moon Seung-yoo), had used the red pepper powder she had prepared and that Prince Jesan (played by Choi Gwi-hwa) was behind it. However, Yeon Ji-young also mentioned that she was responsible for not protecting the ingredients, and the competition ended in a draw.
In the second round of competition, Yeon Ji-young chose Peking duck as her main dish, and even after receiving help from Gil-geum (played by Yoon Seo-ah) due to her clumsy hands and learning about Maeng Sook-soo's (played by Hong Jin-ki) situation, who was being threatened by Kang Mok-ju (played by Kang Han-na), she completed the dish with unwavering concentration. Yeon Ji-young, who received praise from Lee Heon (played by Lee Chae-min) and Woo-gon as a "world-class beauty," reached the ending before the announcement of the scores, raising the curiosity of viewers to the peak.
In this process, Im Yoon-ah maximized the immersion in the scene with her detailed yet solid acting skills that connected the emotional ups and downs as a single flow, from the moment when she was at a loss due to the disappearance of an important ingredient, to the scene where she regained her composure and wisely dealt with the situation by coming up with a new recipe, to the confident leadership that led the cooks.
In particular, Im Yoon-ah captivated viewers with her signature delicate breathing and natural expressiveness, building tension throughout each cooking competition scene throughout the drama. She even minimized the use of a hand double, personally performing the cooking process, further enhancing the character's persuasiveness.
Thanks to Im Yoon-ah's great acting, episode 8 of 'The Tyrant's Chef' broke its own record once again with viewership ratings of 15.4% nationwide and 15.8% in the metropolitan area (based on Nielsen Korea).
They also minimized hand movements.
You must have practiced a lot