The very first Korean drama I watched, with the very first Korean drama actor I encountered of either gender on screen was Lee Chung-Ah, playing her role as Eun Bi in "Flower Boy Ramen Shop" (2011). Her facial expressions were quite cute, as she has fairly small and rather feminine features. I have since learned that according to Korean standards of beauty (which are the same for men and women), it's a compliment to say someone has a small face. In dramas at least, we often see the compliment-giver holding up a fist, as if to say "your whole face can be covered with your hand it's so tiny!" Now that I think about it, Lee Chun-Ah is the person who introduced me to the whole world of Korean drama and culture - what an honor for her and she'll probably never even know it! :p
What's even funnier is I didn't realize I have since seen her in another role, as Junko in "My Tutor Friend 2" (2007), until I was preparing to write this post. I love how these actors and actresses I enjoy keep popping up in my favorite films and shows.
The next Korean lady I'd like to mention is Yoon Eun-Hye - yet another actress that I hadn't realized I've seen before! She plays opposite my favorite Korean male, Kang Ji-hwan, and although he is AMAZING, Eun-hye manages to hold her own (hence why I even remember her), in the Korean drama "Lie to Me" (2011).She also plays in another of my favorite dramas, "My Fair Lady," (2009) with one of my favorite actors, Yoon Sang-hyun. I think that says quite a bit about these ladies' acting talents, if I don't even realize they're the same person until I'm looking at their acting history online. Either that or I'm just really white and can't see similarities OR differences among Asian faces, heh. (I'm allowed to make fun of myself, right?)
The next two ladies I've only seen in one work each, Im Soo-Jung in the Korean film "Finding Mr. Destiny" (2010), and Shin Min-ah in the Korean drama "My Girlfriend is a Nine-Tailed Fox" (2010), but I really liked their work and I'll try to find something else of theirs to watch in the future.Soo-Jung made her character feel more real, as she wasn't all dolled-up and chewed food like an actual person. She does have a scene where her character gets dressed up and has to perform, but it reveals her scope as an actress and doesn't detract from the reality of her character's mostly "normal" life.
Shin Min-ah had an innocence about her that made her character memorable, for more than just the reason that it was something out of a Korean folk tale. Yes, she might have been a mythical "demon," but as to the machinations of others, she was completely naive, and Min-ah captured that perfectly. I would definitely enjoy seeing her other works.
Anyway, I hope this entry sheds a little more light on the Korean acting world, and maybe these familiar faces will find their way into your living rooms, too!
