Bae Jong-ok recalls writer Noh Hee-kyung choking her in an elevator over bad acting on drama 'Lie'

Bae Jong-ok appeared on YouTube channel Song Seung-hwan's Wonderful Life on July 24 and described how writer Noh Hee-kyung physically grabbed her—twice—while they were making the drama Lie.

The casting was troubled from the start. Noh and director Pyo Min-soo had their eye on Hwang Shin-hye, but Hwang declined the role because she was getting married. Bae came in late, after production was already underway. She was juggling another project and teaching at a provincial university. Not Noh's first choice. She knew it.

During script practice, tensions surfaced. Bae stumbled through her lines. She also kept snacking in front of the writer. "Noh Hee-kyung was a new writer at the time, so she was extremely sensitive," Bae said. "The problem was I couldn't act either. So she was upset. But I didn't even know about it."

When practice wrapped, the two found themselves alone in an elevator. Noh told her to improve her acting, then grabbed her by the neck. Bae removed her hand and promised to do better. "Since I said I would try, she seemed to have nothing more to say."

Bae kept her word. She sought out an acting professor for private lessons. She went through every line in the script, memorizing the emotions alongside the dialogue.

The second incident happened later, over coffee with actress Yoon Yeo-jung. Bae told Noh she came across as "very arrogant." Noh grabbed Bae's hand and bit it. Bae slammed the table. "So you must write well too," she said. Yoon Yeo-jung sat between them, silent, sipping her coffee.

Lie remains the drama Bae brings up when asked which role stays with her. "I really loved it," she said.