Metro.Style Most Beautiful Korean Actresses: Kim Go-Eun And Her Career Highlights

There are two kinds of actresses: the first has dreams of seeing her name in lights and living a life of glamor and luxury, taking any project that comes her way. As long as there's work , she's happy. The second is the kind that dedicates her heart and soul to the art of storytelling. She takes great care in learning how best to communicate her thoughts and emotions, seeking out real-life experiences that add authenticity to onscreen performances; this actress is the "art first, fame later" kind of woman. Kim Go-eun, an actress who debuted eight years ago, is proud to represent the latter. Her filmography might not be as prolific as other actresses of her generation, but she's more than okay with that. She's purposely picky, and for good reason; she's chosen to use her talent in projects and causes close to her heart, the best of which we look back on right here.

Photo Credit: Mind Bridge

We can't talk about Kim Go-eun's career without taking a look at her childhood. Spending a decade in China as a young girl, it was there where she discovered a film festival favorite from 2002 titled "Together," a Chinese drama about a violinist and his family. Not only did it convince Kim Go-eun to pursue a career in film, but its very story would influence her own take on her identity as an actress. Like the "Together" lead character whose dreams of becoming a musician are intertwined with personal challenges and realizations, she embraced the inseparability of her own life experiences with the kinds of roles and characters she eventually portrayed.

Photo Credit: Mind Bridge

Another decade would pass after she saw "Together" for the first time and when she was cast in her first major role. Immediately, directors, producers, and casting committees took notice of how her maturity preceded her age. She was 21 when she first auditioned for a film and without prior experience (her only acting experience were in high school and college student productions), yet it was clear that she was unflinchingly serious about the job. She never wanted to choose the safe route of playing roles that required just sweetness and innocence; instead, she dove deep, head first, into heavy drama, something that would demand her to stand her ground amidst veteran costars, portray emotionally complex characters, and have zero hesitation acting out scenes that many actresses would most likely have issue with.

Photo Credit: Mind Bridge

Her openness and maturity paid off, both of which landed her the female lead in 2012's "A Muse," a film that garnered her multiple awards and nominations for Best New Actress. It was her first official acting credit and also her breakout role. "A Muse" saw her play a teenager who becomes the object of desire for two adult men, a role that at first seemed too heavy for her to handle, but one she portrayed with grace and depth. It was also an experience that would eventually shape her opinion on what it meant to be a "woman" as she got older, growing up and coming of age in front of the camera.

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In an interview with "Elle" magazine, she indulged readers with her thoughts on what it means to be an empowered 21st century woman. Drawing from her own career, she talked about the advantages of being physically beautiful, but also how looks and youth are most certainly not a woman's defining characteristics. There are intangible things, like creativity and wisdom, that are better gauges of womanhood and can stand the test of time. More so, coming from a society that values age-defying beauty, she also said that every age group, from young to old, can be beautiful as all stages of life offer different kinds of "beautiful" life experiences and lessons.

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She treated the next years of her blossoming career with the same level of versatility. Focusing on films instead of K-Dramas, Kim Go-eun quickly established her image as a dramatic talent. She was discerning with the projects she chose to take on, making sure that each would showcase a different side to her acting capabilities. 2014 saw her play a disabled woman in "Monster," a syndicate leader in 2015's "Coin Locker Girl," a martial arts fighter in period piece "Memories of the Sword," and a tough lawyer in "The Advocate: A Missing Body." Thinking she would be limited to independent films and arthouse productions, there was a point in her life where she she felt a need to adjust her goals as an actress.

Photo Credit: Mind Bridge

In fact, she worried about having goals at all, considering that even years after her acting debut, she was satisfied by simply being given new characters to bring to life and projects to star in. As for what she wanted to accomplish for herself, personally, she struggled with pinpointing an answer. She knew wasn't in it for awards, wealth, or to become the ultimate K-Idol and inspiration for the next generation of aspiring artists, so why was she doing what she was doing? It's something she admitted to often reflecting on, showing her audience that she was an ordinary person in this sense. Just like everyone else, she thought about her true purpose and how to live her life with meaning.

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Just as Kim Go-eun was asking herself these big questions, mainstream success finally found its way to her with 2016's K-Drama "Guardian: The Lonely and Great God" (better known as "Goblin" among Filipino fans) and film "Tune in for Love." The titles broke TV rating and box office records, propelling Kim Go-eun to earn household name status. Both projects were her first experiences of success outside Korea, too. The success influenced her choice of characters from then on, encouraging her to balance her filmography previously defined by complex roles with more relatable roles.

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Her most recent TV project is something you'll likely recognize. She starred in "The King: The Eternal Monarch" which also stars Lee Min-ho in a fantasy world of parallel universes. As much fun as she had onset, she did encounter her fair share of challenges with the script as it essentially required her to play two entirely different characters at the same. It was a first for her career, she said in a "L'Officiel" interview, but one that she welcomed for its immersive experience. She admitted to brushing up on physics and math a to better appreciate her character of Luna, and learning the value of intuition and believing in the abstract when she switched to playing Tae-eul.

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That wasn't the first time that Kim Go-eun went a step further to get primed and prepped for a role. 2018's "Sunset in my Hometown," a drama with a feel-good ending about staying true to your roots, had her put on weight, ditch the makeup, and even learn a dialect for authenticity. It was further proof of her commitment to authentic acting in stories that mattered to her. She has one film lined up next for 2020. Titled "Hero," it will be 13th movie since her debut, and it'll be South Korea's first musical film. Its story focuses on the life of Korean activist Ahn Jung-geun who dies in the hands of Japanese jailers in the early 1900s.

Photo Credit: Mind Bridge