From Shooting Targets To Shooting Scenes: Viral Olympian Announces New Gig

There were a number of memorable highlights from the recent Paris Olympics, and one of the most talked-about images came during the 10-meter air pistol women’s sharpshooting event.

South Korean competitor Kim Ye-ji of South Korea fueled seemingly endless social media discussion due to an image depicting her trademark cool, laid-back shooting style.

Silver medal to silver screen

Although the 31-year-old sharpshooter missed out on the gold in Paris, she’s turning her second-place finish into a brush with showbiz. According to new reports, the role Kim will be portraying in the new series “Crush” is tailor-made to showcase her skills.

She’ll be playing an assassin, sharing the screen with Indian actor Anushka Sen.

“Kim Ye-ji’s casting as a global Korean assassin was a natural choice given her precision and performance at the Olympics — particularly her shooting skills,” said “Crush” writer and director Lee JungSub. “The moment I saw that, I was convinced we had to cast her as the killer. It brings unparalleled credibility to the character.”

What we know about the plot

The only glimpse we’ve gotten thus far of Kim’s role in the series is a 15-second clip apparently depicting an armed showdown between her character and Sen’s character. Although there aren’t too many details regarding the storyline, “Crush” is a spinoff of another popular series, “Asia,” which also features a broad cast of international stars.

And Kim herself hasn’t done too much promotion for the project yet, so it’s not clear how nervous she is to make the switch from athlete to actor. If it’s anything like how she was feeling prior to the Olympics, however, she’s going to be just fine.

“I don’t feel any pressure at all,” she said at the time. “My confidence comes from a reason. It’s confidence based on a foundation.”

Chris Agee September 26th, 2024

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