Lee Da Hae Lends Her Mandarin Skills To A New Drama

It's confirmed. Lee Da Hae will star in the Korean-Chinese comedy "Couple of the Century." The drama was scheduled to begin filming in August but only recently confirmed her participation. The drama is now scheduled to begin filming before the end of October.

Lee will play Choi Hwan Young, an heiress to a fashion company. Choi began her career as a member of a popular girl group and then made a name for herself in acting. Despite her talent, wealth and accomplishments, she is unable to trust others. Her past has left her emotionally scarred and this prevents her from finding true love.

When Choi's father dies, she discovers that she must marry within three months if she wants to inherit his fortune. But there is no one she wants to marry. She remembers meeting an actor and decides to hire him for the role of her husband. She does not like him but he is convenient. It's only a contract marriage but eventually the fake husband and wife begin to develop feelings for each other.

Lee Da Hae is very popular in China. One reason for her popularity is that she speaks Mandarin fluently. When other k-drama actors appear on Chinese television their lines must be dubbed over. Not so for Lee Da Hae. She was the first Korean actress to say her lines in Mandarin, having studied the language since 2005. That's the year her drama "Green Rose" was broadcast in China. The 31-year-old actress appeared on the Chinese variety show "Happy Camp" without an interpreter and starred in the Chinese drama "Love Recipe" with popular actor Joe Cheng.

Lee Da Hae is best known for her roles in "My Girl," "Green Rose," "The Slave Hunters" and "Miss Ripley."

Her most recent k-drama role role was playing a hotel heiress in the 2014 production "Hotel King" with co-star Lee Dong Wook. After "Hotel King" ended, she landed endorsement deals throughout Asia.

"Couple of the Century" is expected to premiere in December on China's Alibaba and can be seen in 2016 on China's Hunan TV.