Audiences are increasingly demanding more realistic performances from actors. In response, actors are going to great lengths to meet these expectations. Today, we’ve gathered a list of actors who have mastered music, art, and sports to bring their artistic and athletic roles to life.
‘Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born’ – Kim Taeri
Jeongnyeon: The Star is Born is a drama that depicts the journey of Yoon Jeongnyeon (played by Kim Tae Ri), a girl born with a natural talent for singing, as she grows into a master singer shortly after the Korean War in the early 1950s. The third episode broke its own viewership record and achieved first place in the same time slot across all channels. The audience was impressed by how well the actors knew and performed pansori, a Korean genre of musical storytelling performed by a singer and a drummer. To portray this role Kim Taeri practiced singing for three years and reportedly delivered 98% of the sounds in the show without a stunt double. She revealed that the remaining 2% was enhanced with sound editing assistance.
>> ‘Jeongnyeon’s Big Risk: Improvised Scene Backfires on Kim Tae Ri’s Character
‘Keys to the Heart’ – Park Jung Min
Park Jung Min portrayed Jin Tae, a musically talented boy with autism, in the 2018 film Keys to the Heart. To authentically capture Jin Tae’s character, he paid meticulous attention to every detail, including his speech, gait, and hand movements. He notably practiced piano for five hours a day for six months to perform the role without a stunt double or computer graphics. His decision to play the piano himself was inspired by Ryan Gosling’s portrayal of a jazz pianist in the 2016 film La La Land, where Gosling performed all his piano pieces without a double. Thanks to Park Jung Min’s passionate performance, Keys to the Heart achieved immense commercial success, surpassing 3.4 million viewers.
‘Do You Like Brahms?’ and ‘Castaway Diva’ – Park Eun Bin
Park Eun Bin portrayed Chae Song Ah in the 2020 drama Do You Like Brahms?. Song Ah is a late-blooming music student who decided to pursue her passion for the violin and entered music college after failing the entrance exam four times despite graduating from a prestigious business school. To prepare for the role, Park Eun Bin practiced the violin intensively for six months. She had actually played the violin during her childhood acting days and was so passionate about it that she joined the orchestra club in college. Thanks to her dedication, she nailed the much-discussed graduation concert scene and other musical performances in the drama without a stunt double.
In the 2023 drama Castaway Diva, Park Eun Bin portrayed Seo Mok Ha, a singer who is rescued from a deserted island after 15 years. To prepare for this role, she took 43 lessons—three hours each—over six months to learn guitar and vocal techniques. As a result, she recorded an OST for The Diva of Deserted Island that showcased her vocal talent, comparable to that of professional singers.
‘Diva’ – Shin Mina, Lee Yoo Young
The actresses underwent rigorous training for four months before filming even began to perfectly transform into divers for the film Diva. This training included trampoline practice, wire stunts, and, of course, diving itself. Shin Mina, who played the role of diving queen Lee Young, overcame her acrophobia to perform her dives directly from the diving board.
Lee Yoo Young, who portrayed Lee Young’s hardworking friend Su Jin, consistently practiced and progressed from lower dives to eventually leaping from the highest platform. The striking scene in the film where Su Jin performs a handstand on the 10-meter diving board was also performed by the actress herself. Diva is currently available to stream for free on Amasian TV.
‘Take Off’ – Kim Dong Wook
Take Off is based on the true story of the South Korean ski jumping team that competed in the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics. Kim Dong Wook, who played the role of the ski jumper Heung Chul in the movie, confessed that he was terrified during filming. Suffering from fear of heights, Kim joked that he only did it ‘because he got paid.’
For three months of training and seven months of filming, the actors struggled to overcome their fear, which was akin to standing on a 12-story building. Fortunately, the actors themselves didn’t actually jump. They were wired up and filmed standing at the top of the ski jump until the moment of takeoff. The gliding and landing portions were performed by professional ski jumpers from both Korea and abroad. The actors would then rejoin the scene for the landing shot, completing the sequence.
‘Portrait of a Beauty’ – Kim Gyuri
Kim Gyuri’s passion for Korean traditional painting began in 2008 when she was cast in the movie Portrait of a Beauty. To portray the role of Shin Yun Bok, a renowned Korean female painter, she spent nearly a month learning to paint before filming. The habit of continuously painting even during filming, to better embody her character, has continued to this day. Inspired by this movie, she has already held her 7th solo exhibition this year. Portrait of a Beauty was also a commercial success, attracting 2.32 million viewers nationwide.
>> Stream popular Korean dramas and movies, including titles featuring your favorite actors, all for free on Amasian TV!
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