Edited by Hwang Hong Sun
Translated by Kim Hoyeun
Park So Dam has gained recognition not only in Korea but also overseas with the worldwide success of Parasite. In 2015, she played the role of Yeon Duk, a friend who helps Ju Ran, a transfer student who was being bullied in The Silenced, �leading the play with Park Bo Young. Since then, she continued her steady acting career, playing small but characterful roles in Veteran and The Throne. Park So Dam, who had been building her career step by step, met The Priests and marked a major turning point in her acting career.
The Priests tells the story of Father Kim and Deacon Choi performing exorcisms to save a girl suffering from mysterious symptoms after a hit-and-run accident. It well embodies the unfamiliar occult genre to fit the Korean culture and added the bromance of Kang Dong Won and Kim Yoon Seok, eventually attracting 5.44 million viewers.
In The Priests, Park So Dam appeared as Young Shin, a young girl who was possed by an evil spirit. The actor overwhelmed the audience with her blood-covered face and mad eyes as she played the role of a girl who used to be an ordinary Catholic but ended up being tormented from mysterious symptoms after a car accident.
Although the role was not easy to pull off, Park So Dam displayed a great passion for acting. She personally shaved her head for the role, and despite the pain from being tied up all day to film the exorcism scene, she endured the pain and showed one impressive concentration. Also, she perfectly pulled off the scenes where Young Shin gets possessed by an evil spirit and speaks in Latin, Chinese, and German without any dubbing and post-recording, surprising everyone.
The passion she showed in the movie was returned with much love since the release of the movie. The audience, who went to see Kang Dong Won and Kim Yoon Seok, was surprised to see Park So Dam. Even the media praised the actor, saying that “a monster rookie has been born.” As a result, she was recognized for her acting prowess by sweeping Best New Actor of the Year and Best Supporting Actor Awards at various award festivals, including the 54th Baeksang Arts Awards and the 37th Blue Dragon Film Awards.
Park So Dam, who has grown one step further as an actor through The Priests and Parasite, will meet with fans with two new films and one drama this year. In the two films, Fukuoka and Special Delivery (literal translation), she plays the lead role for the first time, and in the upcoming drama The Moment, she will work together with Park Bo Gum. Now, we look forward to seeing Park So Dam solely lead the work with her own strength.
