5 Things You Should Know About Rising Star Stephanie Lee

If you have been following SBS’s latest hit drama “Yong Pal,” then you have seen Stephanie Lee in action. The model turned actress has been receiving praise for her role as Cynthia Park in the Wednesday-Thursday drama. Even though her character has exited from the drama, you can get to know the woman behind the fierce fighter. So what do you want to get into first? Let’s start with the basics, shall we?

1. She’s a Model, Of Course.

The Michigan-born beauty has walked in shows for designers such as Tom Ford, Chanel, and Adidas since her debut. She’s also had CFs with top actors like Gong Yoo and Yoo Ah In and has modeled for former supermodel and “America’s Next Top Model” creator/judge Tyra Banks during her rookie days. Yes, that Tyra Banks. Since then, Stephanie’s career has skyrocketed and she’s been one of the most sought after models with Elite Models Management and K-Plus (now YGK-Plus) signing her.

2. Pizza Made Her Grow??

According to Stephanie herself, she was always short until her family moved back to the United States when she was 11 and started eating more. She’s said that she believes eating all the pizza, hamburgers, and spaghetti caused her to suddenly grow to her current height of 177 cm (approx. 5’10”)! Although she was tall, she never believed she looked good enough to be a model until she started watching “America’s Next Top Model” and saw others who looked like her. She then went on to New York and signed with Elite Model Management right away.

3. Neutrogena Girl

I bet you didn’t know she’s best known for her Neutrogena commercials. Fans have adored the way she pronounces the product name and have dubbed her “Neutrogena girl.” Aww cute.

4. She Made Her Acting Debut Last Year

Stephanie Lee made her official debut through jTBC’s “Sunam Girls’ High School Detectives” and starred alongside other young actresses Jin Ji Hee, Kang Min Ah, Girl’s Day’s Hyeri, and Lee Min Ji. She played Choi Sung Yoon, a member of the detective’s club who was tall, but clumsy and loved to bake. Not much like her real life profession, huh? Fans of the show praised her comedic timing and the various facial expressions she portrayed.

5. Which Makes “Yong Pal” Her Second Drama

This was very surprising to some viewers since she became a beloved character within such a short amount of time and many found it hard to believe she was a rookie. Like Sunam, Stephanie received praise for her minor, but memorable role. She recently stated that she immersed herself in her character to really become Cynthia, and we can see that it worked. Viewers were sad to see her go so soon, but we know that there are only good things ahead for her future in acting and she already has a flourishing career in modeling. Until her next role, you can keep up with her by following her on Instagram!