Edited by Seo Hayne
Translated Kim Hoyeun
In the film Minari, there’s another actress who we must pay attention to. And she’s Han Yeri, who got on the Oscars’ red carpet with Youn Yuh Jung. In Minari, she left a deep impression as Monica, a woman who followed her husband to Arkansas with her two children. Her song “Rain Song” added gentle afterglow to the ending credit with her soft voice as if she was putting her exhausted family to sleep.
Han Yeri made her debut in 2005 with the short film Apple (literal title). Later, she won the Special Jury Prize for Acting at the Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival with two films Giraffe & Africa (2007) and Be with Me (2009). Like that, the actress opened a new chapter of her career.
Before she became an actress, Han was actually a dancer who majored in Korean traditional dance. Despite what her staff told her about giving up on dance for better acting, she managed to keep both dancing and acting on her plate. In 2021, when she became everyone’s Monica, Han got on stage as a dancer for the original dance performance Dear Luna. Soon, she was appointed as the ambassador for the 40th International Modern Dance Festival. This certainly proves her endless love for both crafts.
Han played North Korean table tennis player Yu Sun Bok in her first commercial film, As One (2012). And for her role, she gave up on her dancer’s body and trained her body to look more like an athlete. Then in 2017, she won three acting awards at three different film festivals with her three different movies. She played aspiring actress Eun Hee in Worst Woman (2016) and Korean-Chinese woman Yeri in A Quiet Dream (2016). Han also starred in The Table (2017) as Eun Hee, a woman who stops by at the table. These three women have one thing in common: they don’t blindly follow love. And that makes these movies more realistic and empathetic. And yes, this is the charm of Han Yeri’s romance.
The actress also portrayed the lives of various family members. In Age of Youth (2016-2017), which depicts the dreams and daily lives of young people living together in a share house, she played Yoon Jin Myung, an office worker who lives each day to the fullest. With the role, she gained much sympathy from female viewers. Before she had become Soon Ja’s daughter Monica in Minari, she starred in My Unfamiliar Family (2020). Han was really on the ball as Kim Eun Hee, the second daughter who sincerely looked after her family. In an interview, she was asked what family is to her. To which, she answered, “I wanted to say that ultimately is that there are various types of family. Even if we bicker and fight, those who shared the happy moments and memories are your family.”
Soon, she will return with a distinctly colored genre. She starred in OCN’s new mystery thriller Hometown with Uhm Tae Goo and Yoo Jae Myung. For this project, Han will turn into a woman who became a social outcast after society brands her as a terrorist’s family. Let’s get ready to watch the new type of family of our time she will draw. I’m sure you will exclaim the word “wonderful” before you know it.
Editor Seo Hayne: I like actors as they faithfully lead through their long running-time. I also like idols who accomplish everything on stage within 3 minutes.
Translator Kim Hoyeun: If you are a fan of K-drama, K-movie, and K-pop, I am your guy. I will continue to provide you with up-to-date K-entertainment news.
