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13 Things About Award-Winning Korean Actress Kim Tae-Ri

Can you believe this 'Twenty-Five Twenty-One' star is already 31 years old? She looks so youthful!

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Metro.Style Team

<p>We think <strong>Kim Tae-ri</strong> is one of the most baby-faced Korean actresses. The <em><strong>Twenty-Five Twenty-One</strong></em> lead actress portrays the role of a high schooler and a fencing prodigy in one of the most buzzworthy and high-rated K-dramas today. </p><div><br/></div><p>In the series, viewers first see her as a high-spirited 18-year-old, a character she’s plausibly breathing life into even when she’s already 31 years old in real life. With her youthful beauty and aura as well as her impeccable acting chops, Kim Tae-ri fits perfectly into the persona of <strong>Na Hee-do</strong>, who looks so cute and relatable with her unkempt hair, skirt-over-jogging pants uniform, and backpack. </p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/c020918f-6a32-4604-b197-ae6aa305f546_kim-tae-ri-twenty-five-twenty-one.jpeg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Kim Tae-ri in K-drama " Twenty-Five=""/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Kim Tae-ri in K-drama &#x27;Twenty-Five Twenty-One&#x27;<span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none"><em> Photo from tvN  </em></span></span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p><em>Twenty-Five Twenty-One</em> has an interesting mix of rom-com, melodrama, and coming-of-age genres一a combination made more delightful with hints of 90s nostalgia. Kim Tae-ri’s Na Hee-do, a member of a high school fencing team, and <strong>Nam Joo-hyuk’s Baek Yi-jin</strong>, a hardworking young man whose family went bankrupt due to the IMF crisis, meet when he was 22 and she was 18. In case you’re wondering why the show was titled as such, it’s because these two characters fell in love when he was 25 and she was 21. </p><div><br/></div><p>Kim Tae-ri’s filmography is impressive; she has so far only starred in five films and two TV series, and yet she has already received many awards. This says something about how she picks her roles and projects and how she always ends up choosing to portray strong female characters with compelling stories.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>Check out in the gallery below for facts and trivia about <em>Twenty-Five Twenty-One </em>lead actress Kim Tae-ri:</strong></div><div><br/></div><div class="article-content" itemProp="articleBody"><div class="media-content"><div class="slider-for"><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/fc8cc1b6-2e8c-40a4-926a-f4eba988f776_profile on korean actress twenty five twenty one star kim tae ri landscape.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/34ddf85d-ff87-469f-8b39-64c95e581619_273943012_122640816978297_9079025412261219319_n.jpg" alt="kim tae ri facts profile bio" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/c35c0593-b287-41dd-97a5-b1765e9524b2_275852902_380156420313941_633898016943549101_n.jpg" alt="kim tae ri facts profile bio" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/4a3491d4-0367-45d8-9617-4705778a5e27_258284801_260607976039846_26980145903358985_n.jpg" alt="kim tae ri facts profile bio" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/9c487411-5e06-434d-8c5d-ff627182204e_the_handmaiden-(2016)-kim tae ri.jpg" alt="kim tae ri facts profile bio" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/4b74edcb-6141-4a04-9183-ec89d2325a0b_273468223_5510228415660680_6400113948771392937_n.jpg" alt="kim tae ri facts profile bio" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/a9caeb2a-aba3-4202-91b8-42510cde445e_kim-taeri-mr sunshine.jpg" alt="kim tae ri facts profile bio" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/619ac5e2-3137-44f8-a9c3-6efb2c1b5e30_ezgif-5-4a0e79f74c.jpg" alt="kim tae ri facts profile bio" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/4043846e-c898-47c2-8207-9b09c7d27079_273519181_1910226589152503_488733883876773923_n.jpg" alt="kim tae ri facts profile bio" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/1be8d757-b256-4a7a-a3f7-ba831abe9e67_kim tae ri fashion muse.jpg" alt="kim tae ri facts profile bio" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/2411c8e3-3169-4524-b320-1dfac24db2dc_kim tae ri fencing.png" alt="kim tae ri facts profile bio" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/a72f9ecc-921b-4684-8b42-5847b2ddec8e_264932076_447384277025536_9175299543117362715_n.jpg" alt="kim tae ri facts profile bio" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/be1148ef-3128-41fc-8712-71ef569f592c_274183209_633075837975626_7132517512116511061_n.jpg" alt="kim tae ri facts profile bio" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/0b3cb523-0cea-4e9c-a8c7-7dac96fe9b1f_185010990_786848275313199_3134474804198224675_n.jpg" alt="kim tae ri facts profile bio" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div></div><div class="media-content slider-desc"><div class="item-desc"><div></div></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Her zodiac sign is Taurus. - She was born on April 24, 1990 in Seoul, South Korea. Those under this sign are known for being reliable, responsible, patient, and practical; they’re said to be strong-willed, too, something that also applies to her latest character, Na Hee-do, who Kim Tae-ri describes as “frank and bold.” In the press conference of “Twenty-Five Twenty-One,” she cited a similarity with her latest character, saying, “I am a kind of person who is always honest, and when I’m happy, I get happy, and when I’m sad, I get sad, so that’s quite similar to Hee-do.”<cite>@polham_official</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>She graduated with a degree in journalism. - Kim Tae-ri took up journalism and communication at Kyung Hee University whose alumni include Hallyu stars like Rain and G-Dragon. With this course, Kim Tae-ri could’ve taken the career path of being a news anchor, but when she joined a college theater club, she discovered and nurtured her love for acting which inspired her to eventually pursue it professionally. <cite>@polham_official</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>She dabbled in theater acting first before going mainstream. - They say experience is the best teacher. And in Kim Tae-ri’s case, working with a theater group called Iru gave her the basic training and knowledge on acting. She wasn’t always on stage in front of an audience though; she actually started out as a member of the technical crew of a theater group as well as a standby for the 2012 production of the play “Spoonface Steinberg,” for which she was eventually cast for its rerun the following year. Her theater dossier also includes acting stints in plays “Pansy” and “To Ask About Love.”<cite>@iloom_official via @management_mmm</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>She bested more than a thousand actresses for a lead role in “The Handmaiden.” - South Korean erotic pschological thriller film “The Handmaiden” marked Kim Tae-ri’s feature film debut in 2016. The critically-acclaimed, award-winning film by Park Chan-wook is set in Japanese-occupied Korea; she was cast as Nam Sook-hee, a pickpocket who was hired to become the maid of a Japanese heiress named Lady Hideko (Kim Min-hee), to help a count (Ha Jung-woo) seduce her and steal her inheritance. However, Lady Hideko falls in love with Nam Sook-hee and forms an intimate relationship with her; the sexually explicit scenes between the two female characters became controversial. Despite being a rookie at the time, Kim Tae-ri showed a huge potential, and she was recognized and given the Best New Actress / Best Newcomer award by Blue Dragon Film Awards, Buil Film Awards, Busan Film Critics Awards, Director’s Cut Awards, Apolo Awards, and Asian Film Awards. Kim Tae-ri was chosen from 1,500 actresses who auditioned for the role.<cite>CJ Entertainment</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>She’s an award-winning actress. - She’s only been a part of the entertainment industry for almost six years, and yet she’s proven time and again that she’s worthy of being in the spotlight. To add to the accolades she received for her first mainstream project, the film “The Handmaiden,” Kim Tae-ri’s next stints allowed her to explore a varied spectrum of characters that challenged her like never before. Her 2017 political thriller film “1987: When the Day Comes” gave her Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress nominations. Her 2018 drama film “Little Forest” gave her four acting nominations and four Best Actress and Popular Actress awards. Her 2018 historical romance melodrama “Mr. Sunshine” gave her three acting nominations and a Best Actress award. Considering how effortless she is in expressing her emotions, especially through her eyes, it’s really not at all surprising why Kim Tae-ri is receiving so much love from viewers and critics alike. We’re already looking forward to the awards she could receive for her heartwarming portrayal in “Twenty-Five Twenty-One.”<cite>Netflix</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>She landed her first-ever lead role in a series via the high-rated drama “Mr. Sunshine.” - Opposite veteran actor Lee Byung-hun, Kim Tae-ri starred in this 2018 historical romance melodrama as Go Ae-shin, an aristocrat’s granddaughter who’s part of the Righteous army; she’s a Joseon noblewoman who’s trained as a sniper. “Mr. Sunshine” is currently the sixth highest-rated drama in Korean cable television history with a nationwide household rating of 18.129%. That same year, she also received a commendation from the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Following the success of “Mr. Sunshine,” Kim Tae-ri’s popularity soared and she was included in Forbes’ Korea Power Celebrity list. Late last year, it was reported that she was offered the lead role in a new series by “Kingdom” playwright Kim Eun-hee titled “Evil Spirit.”<cite>tvN</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>She starred in South Korea’s first sci-fi movie. - Kim Tae-ri was cast in Netflix’s outer space sci-fi blockbuster “Space Sweepers,” directed by Jo Sung-hee, alongside Song Joong-ki, Jin Sun-kyu, and Yoo Hae-jin. The movie is set in 2092 when Earth will soon become inhabitable. The film follows a crew of space sweepers, who earn by collecting space debris floating in Earth’s orbit, aboard their ship called the Victory. Kim Tae-ri’s role is Captain Jang Hyun-sook, a feisty former special forces squad officer who created her own pirate organization. Although the movie received mixed reviews, there’s no denying Kim Tae-ri made quite an impression in it. If you enjoyed watching her in this movie, look forward to her next sci-fi films, “Alien” parts 1 and 2, which she has already finished filming with co-actors Ryu Jun-yeol (her “Little Forest” co-star), So Ji-sub, and Kim Woo-bin.<cite>Netflix</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>She’s a fan girl. - In “Twenty-Five Twenty-One,” Kim Tae-ri’s Na Hee-do was a huge fan of high school fencing gold medalist Ko Yu-rim (played by Bona), and we can all relate to her fangirling moments here. In real life, she’s an ARMY, a fan of global, phenomenal South Korean boy band BTS. In her “Elle Korea” interview, she said, “When I watch BTS videos on my smartphone, sometimes my face is reflected on a black screen. Without realizing it, I was making a very happy expression (laughs). Actually, it’s my first ‘virtuous’ after becoming an adult, and I think it’s really good to have time to just enjoy something.” We can imagine how happy she must have felt when BTS’ Jungkook shared on social media a video of his screen that showed he was watching “Twenty-Five Twenty-One” and obviously enjoying it because he could be heard giggling in the background.<cite>@itmichaa.official</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>She’s a fashion muse. - Kim Tae-ri appears to be timid and an introvert, but when she has to pose in front of the camera for magazine and campaign pictorials, the effortlessly beautiful actress transforms in a jiffy. Kim Tae-ri has graced many magazine covers through the years, rocking different looks each time. And it’s easy to see why brands love working with her: she’s quite a pro in modeling. She’s currently the face of three fashion brands: Korean clothing brands itMICHAA and Polham, as well as Italian luxury fashion house Prada.<cite>@itmichaa.official @polham_official @prada</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>She took fencing lessons for her role in “Twenty-Five Twenty-One.” - Kim Tae-ri doesn’t mind going out of her way to make sure she delivers on her role’s requirements the best possible way. During her series’ press conference, she shared that it took her about five to six months to practice fencing before shooting for “Twenty-Five Twenty-One.” She said, “I took some lessons from the gold medalist as well and while I was working on fencing practice, I realized just how fun and how aggravating it is. It’s a really tough sport, but it was such a fun and entertaining time practicing fencing. Bona and I took some lessons from the same instructor, too, so we did some competitions together and I lost so many times so I felt like I really wanted to win against her. So every single day I actually felt like Hee-do. I was even writing a diary of fencing practice and that diary I wrote is actually used as a prop in the show as well.” <cite>tvN</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>She has an audio book. - Kim Tae-ri loves reading, and during the height of the pandemic-caused quarantines, she started on a passion project: an audio book called “Kim Tae Ri’s Recovery Book.” Reading can indeed be therapeutic, and this project introduces people to a new format that can also allow them to discover or rediscover that love for reading一in this case, ignited by listening to Kim Tae-ri reading classic literature like like Albert Camus’ “Stranger,” Ernest Hemingway’s “The Old Man and the Sea,” George Orwell’s “1984.”<cite>@iloom_official via @management_mmm</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>She’s under Management MMM. - When Kim Tae-ri debuted in the industry, she was with J-Wide Company. In July 2021, it was announced that she had moved to a new agency, Management MMM, which was formed by former employees of her previous agency. Actress Jeon Yeo-been also moved from J-Wide Company to Management MMM during the same time. Now, good thing, whenever her new agency posts promotions about her, they can tag and mention her on social media because Kim Tae-ri has her own Instagram account (@kimtaeri_official), which currently has almost one million followers. She’s pretty new to the platform because she only created the account on February 5, 2021, the same day her movie “Space Sweepers” was released. Follow her if you haven&#x27;t yet.  <cite>@itmichaa.official</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>She’s an animal lover. - Kim Tae-ri shared that when she was filming the 2018 drama movie “Little Forest,” she adopted two stray cats. Last year, in her interview with “Dazed” Korea magazine, she said that she already has three cats. Because of her love for animals, she once even funded a campaign for Korea Animal Rights Advocates (KARA).<cite>@kimtaeri_official</cite></p></div></div></div></div><div><br/></div><div><em>Twenty-Five Twenty-One is available on Netflix.</em></div><div><br/></div><p>Lead photos from <strong>@kimtaeri_official</strong> and <strong>J-Wide Company</strong></p><div><br/></div><div><strong>Related Story: </strong><a href="/people/celebrities/new-k-drama-cuties-were-crushing-on-this-2022/32644" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Cutest Actors We&#x27;re Crushing on in Recent K-Dramas</a></div><div><strong>Related Story: </strong><a href="/people/celebrities/facts-kdrama-star-canadian-actor-ahn-hyo-seop/32616" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">14 Things About K-Drama Star Ahn Hyo-Seop</a></div><div><strong>Related Story: </strong><a href="/people/celebrities/facts-about-song-kang-fan-meet-with-netflix/32559" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">14 Things We Learned About Song Kang At His Virtual Fan Meet</a></div>