BLACKPINK’s Jennie Opens Up About Acting In “The Idol” And If She Has Any More Acting Plans In The Future
BLACKPINK Jennie‘s debut role in the acting world is with the American HBO show, The Idol, which will be released sometime next year. The creators of the show include some big names, like the Canadian music artist, The Weeknd, and the creator of the hit show Euphoria, Sam Levinson.
#JENNIE kim for the idol pic.twitter.com/w7fjZPtyon
— ୨୧ (@jnktiz) August 21, 2022
In a recent interview with ELLE, Jennie opened up about her experience with acting, the challenges she faced, and the surprising similarities between her actress self and her idol self.
What drew Jennie to The Idol was Sam Levinson, as she had always been a huge fan of his work. Though she humbly credits fate and luck for landing the role, Levinson’s evaluation and praise of Jennie’s character prove that her hard work and talent earned her the spot.
For his part, Levinson calls Jennie ‘so professional and hardworking.’ Her experience as a pop star, he says, lent a meta quality to her character: ‘Watching her learn a full dance routine in about an hour and then perform it flawlessly 10 times in a row was amazing, and of course that’s just a tiny piece of her talent and ability.’
— ELLE
Sam also played an important role in helping Jennie with her acting. As it was her first time, Jennie thought she should completely focus on memorizing and revising the script and getting into character. However, Sam and The Weeknd encouraged her to let go of perfection and instead focus on being herself, and by relaxing in the role, Jennie would be able to create an even more impactful character.
In my head, I thought I would have to revise all the script and get into character. But luckily, I had Sam there. What he said was to just be me. I didn’t try to prepare it perfectly, which I really would do. I had many conversations with Sam and Abel, and I think that helped me. And they just made sure that I didn’t have to be so nervous about things.
— Jennie
For Jennie, the most significant difference in acting versus her previous work as an artist and a fashion icon was that she was so out of her element, working with unfamiliar people in her second language. However, the creative process felt the same. As an idol, she’s had to act for scenes in her music videos, and as a model and global ambassador, she’s had to embody a certain aesthetic or charm for photoshoots, so Jennie is used to “becoming” different personas.
But in terms of creativity, it felt just the same. Acting needed all the creative senses that I would use in a music video or any music or any other thing that I have already been doing. So surprisingly, it didn’t feel too much apart from what I’ve been doing so far, which was good. So I’m just so thankful.
— Jennie
Thanks to the positive experience of acting in The Idol, Jennie is eager to see what other opportunities lie in her future. As it’s something she’s always wanted to do, learning so much from her co-workers, including her fellow actress Lily-Rose Depp, has only heightened her excitement to explore the actress side of herself.
Oh, I think definitely having this experience has opened my eyes to a new fun way of expressing myself. I learned a lot from Lily[-Rose Depp] while I was shooting, too. So I’m going to say yes. I loved it. I loved my experience so far.
— Jennie
We’re all super excited to see what Jennie has in store with The Idol, and in the meantime, BLINKs all over the world can be prepared to experience Jennie’s breathtaking charisma as the girls continue with their BORN PINK world tour.
