Get To Know Korean Actress And "Minari" Star Han Ye-Ri
This award-winning actress is a trained dancer of traditional Korean dance too!
Korean actress Han Ye-ri graced the 93rd Academy Awards in Los Angeles, California, wearing a striking red Louis Vuitton dress. She walked the Oscars 2021 red carpet alongside her Minari co-stars Steven Yeun and Youn Yuh-jung, and it fascinatingly signaled a new chapter in her acting career.
The spotlight is on Han Ye-ri and everyone behind the American drama film Minari really, considering the amazing feats of the cast members and the movie itself. At the 93rd Academy Awards, Minari was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay (Lee Isaac Chung), Best Actor (Steven Yeun), and Best Original Score (Emile Mosseri); veteran Korean actress Youn Yuh-jung won the Best Supporting Actress award.
In an interview with The Korea Times, she said that she took inspiration from her own mother to breathe life into the character of Monica. “To portray Monica, I thought about my mother a lot. It made me think about women who lived in that era and raised children in their early twenties, trying to make better decisions for their families," she shared.
Speaking of family, Han Ye-ri also starred in a family-oriented K-drama last year, My Unfamiliar Family, which is nominated for Best Drama at the upcoming 57th Baeksang Arts Awards.
Scroll through the gallery below to get to know Korean actress and Minari star Han Ye-ri:
About Korean Actress Han Ye-Ri
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Han Ye-ri isn’t her real name.
This 36-year-old actress was actually born as Kim Ye-ri, and Han Ye-ri is just her stage name. | Photo from Y Magazine via @hanyeri_official
Photo Credit: For more Korean celebrities who use stage names, click on this link:
Her zodiac sign is Capricorn.
She was born on December 23, 1984 in Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province in South Korea. Capricorn women are known for being thoughtful, hardworking, determined, yet they are typically shy and have a quiet demeanor. Three of the famous Capricorn women are Michelle Obama, Kate Middleton, and Regina King.
Photo Credit: Y Magazine via @hanyeri_official
She started out her career with short films and indie movies.
Han Ye-ri started out as an actress in 2006, with a minor role in the short film “Passionate Sonata.” She worked on several movies for each year from 2009 to 2011 until she landed a significant role in the 2012 film “As One” which starred Bae Doona and Ha Ji-won. The year after, Han Ye-ri was cast in her first-ever lead role in a movie, “South Bound.” The other films she starred in were action drama “Commitment” (2013), rom-com “Love Guide for Dumpees” (2015), drama “Love And…” (2015), romance melodrama “Worst Woman” (2016), thriller “The Hunt” (2016), drama “A Quiet Dream” (2016), drama “The Table” (2017), sports comedy “Champion” (2018), and of course, 2021 American drama film “Minari.”
Photo Credit: Saram Entertainment
Her K-dramas are also a must-watch.
She has way more films than K-dramas in her filmography, but the series that she worked on also prove to be hidden gems. Han Ye-ri starred in the youth drama “Hello, My Twenties!” (2016), legal drama “Switch” (2018), period drama “Nokdu Flower” (2019), and family drama “My Unfamiliar Family” (2020). In 2015, she also lent her voice to the character of a stray cat, the co-star of actor Yoo Seung-ho in the 8-episode rom-com series “Imaginary Cat.”
Photo Credit: Saram Entertainment
She’s an award-winning actress.
Her latest film, “Minari,” earned her four acting nominations, including the Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture from the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Other titles that gave her acting accolades were “Nokdu Flower,” “A Quiet Dream,” “Worst Woman,” “As One,” “Giraffe & Africa,” and “Be With Me.”
Photo Credit: Saram Entertainment
She’s a trained dancer of traditional Korean dance.
Han Ye-ri has loved dancing ever since she was a child, so much so she even took up traditional Korean dance in college at Korea National University of Arts. While she worked hard on developing her dance skills in school, she also discovered her interest in acting there. In an interview with Elle Korea, Han Ye-ri said, “It was nice dancing in college, but I needed a new stimulus. I faced a period of time in which it was difficult for me to repeatedly go through a similar curriculum. As I got to know film major friends at Korea National University of Arts, I got the opportunity to act.”
Photo Credit: Saram Entertainment
She can definitely sing, too!
The talented Han Ye-ri has a gem of a voice too. Although she shies away from the idea of pursuing singing, she dabbles in music once in a while. In fact, she sang two tracks for the OST of “Minari:” “Rain Song” and “Wind Song.”
Photo Credit: Saram Entertainment
She has an upcoming mystery thriller K-drama.
What’s next for Han Ye-ri is the OCN series “Hometown,” which also stars Um Tae-goon and Yoo Jae-myung. She is taking on the lead role of Jo Jung-hyun whose life gets ruined because her older brother is a terrorist; her character ends up taking care of his daughter who later goes missing. Han Ye-ri is currently in the US to attend the Oscars, but will return to South Korea right away. “I’ll be quarantined for two weeks, and then I’ll start shooting for a TV drama series. I’m going to memorize my lines while quarantining,” she told WWD.
Photo Credit: Y Magazine via @hanyeri_official
Lead photos by @hunterabrams via @dereksyuen and from @sarament_official
