Just as those who dream of becoming actors or actresses in the United States head toward Hollywood, aspiring artists in South Korea aim for Daehakro, the mecca for performance culture. Featuring small theaters for monodramas and large ones with over 600 seats, this theater and performing arts district provides diverse opportunities for acting hopefuls to improve their skills through diverse situations in engaging their audience. Many renowned actors and actresses in South Korea made their debut or met their first audience at Daehakro theaters.
Although recognized as global celebrities, they once started with minor roles at small theaters. Sometimes, they took turns playing several roles alone or wore animal masks on stage. Their present glory is attributed to the sweat shed on such stages along with countless experiences. Let us introduce the stories of top-class actors or actresses who have solidly established their acting skills since they began their careers in Daehakro.
Lee Jung-eun
Actress in the film Parasite who made her debut as an assistant director in Daehakro
Lee Jung-eun, who appalled people worldwide in the 2020 film Parasite, is a typical actress who spent 20 years in Daehakro. She debuted not as an actress but as an assistant director in 1991 in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. At first, she was in charge of producing props at Hanyang Repertory Theater Company, and then she worked as a staff member after receiving the director’s offer for an assistant director position. Upon accepting the offer, she made a proposal: letting her appear as an actress in a film after three productions as an assistant. She finally appeared onstage after completing three works, as promised. She acted as a human trafficker in the play That Star is In Danger in 1994, which commemorated the fifth anniversary of the Dongsoong art center.
While continuing her stage roles in Daehakro, she made her screen debut in the film A Masterpiece In My Life in 2000 but returned to the stage because of camera shyness. However, she didn’t give up. While performing onstage, she appeared in over 30 short films to overcome this struggle.
It was performing in the musical Bballae in 2008 that allowed her to be known to the public in earnest. The musical is synonymous with the original Korean musical, where Lee Jung-eun took on two roles for four years: an old woman picking up waste paper and a female employee. This work was the beginning of a relationship with Bong Joon-ho, the director of the film Parasite. Director Bong praised her as “an actress who can change her expressiveness or tone naturally like a voice magician and represent all kinds of emotional changes with her voice alone.” After winning nine awards locally and abroad for Parasite, she is having the time of her life, vigorously playing roles in several dramas and movies.
Filmography
- 1991
- Play A Midsummer Night’s Dream
- 2008
- Musical Bballae as an old lady
- 2009
- Film Mother as A-jeong’s relative
- 2012
- Musical Assassins as Sara Jane Moore
- 2016
- Film The Wailing as Deok-gi’s wife
- 2017
- Film Okja as the voice actress for the character Okja
- 2017
- Drama Mr. Sunshine as Haman-daek
- 2019
- Film Parasite as the housekeeper Moon-gwang
- 2019
- Drama Hell Is Other People as Eom Bok-soon
- 2020
- Film The Day I Died: Unclosed Case as Mrs. Sun-cheon
Kim Seon-ho
A top-notch actor who returns as a detective
People usually have a stereotype of actors or actresses from Daehakro—that they keep a low profile but excel at acting. However, there is always an exception. Kim Seon-ho is not only a skilled but also a highly recognized actor. The plays he acted in would be sold out five minutes after ticket releases, and people stood in long lines to buy tickets. For some time, he was called “Daehakro Idol,” attracting hoardes of female fans thanks to his good looks and affable impression. Surprisingly, he would cheerfully take selfies with his fans waiting for him after his performances and sign autographs for each one. Such gentleness and kindness have made him even more popular.
His first stage role was in New Boeing Boeing held at Doorehall in 2009. Since then, he has steadily built his career by performing in at least one play yearly, such as Rooftop Room Cat, Sherlock, Kiss of the Spider Woman, and Closer. It was not a coincidence but the result of his endeavor that a producer scouting for a new face cast him after seeing his performance in Closer. After making his first screen debut in the drama Good Manager as Sun Sang-tae in 2017, he gradually appeared in dramas and gained explosive popularity by taking on a secondary main character, the tough but friendly Han Ji-pyeong, in the drama Start-Up that aired in 2020. In addition, he is growing more popular with his innocent and bright appearance in the reality show 2 Days & 1 Night.
It is often said that actors or actresses do not return to the stage after a great success on the screen, but it is not true of Kim Seon-ho. He has met his fans onstage even when there has been no drama shooting. This year, he will appear in the two- person play Ice as Detective 2 at Sejong S Theater from January 8 to March 21. Playing humane Detective 2, he will once again exude charm that endears him to people.
Filmography
- 2009
- Play New Boeing Boeing as Sung-ki
- 2010
- Play Rooftop Room Cat as Lee Kyung-min
- 2015
- Play Rules of Dating as Choi Ji-sung
- 2017
- Play Kiss of the Spider Woman as Valentin
- 2017
- Drama Good Manager as Sun Sang-tae
- 2018
- Drama 100 Days My Prince as Jong Jae-yoon
- 2019
- Play Memory in Dream as Eden
- 2020
- Fourth season of the reality show, 2 Days & 1 Night
- 2021
- Drama Start-Up as Han Ji-pyeong
- 2021
- Play Ice as Detective 2
Kwak Sun-young
The musical diva knocks on the small screen
If an actor or actress keeps a low profile in a drama but is good at acting, he or she is likely a stage actor or actress from Daehakro. So is Kwak Sun-young, who began to appear as a unique supporting screen actor years ago. Well known as a celebrity in the musical world, she has starred in a number of musicals with idol stars since her debut in the musical The Great Catsby in 2007.
It was through the musical Goong that she has been renowned among people. Opening in 2011 in South Korea and at Minami-za Kabuki Theater in Kyoto, Japan, it tells the story of an ordinary high school girl who got married to the Crown Prince assuming that Korea was a constitutional monarchy. It attracted an audience of about 20,000 people in Japan. In Goong, she played with idol stars SS501’s Kim Kyu-jong and TVXQ’s Yunho, which made her the target of jealousy and envy.
Her emotive facial expressions, precise pronunciation, and accurate emotional gestures made her beyond her years in the roles she took on. She left the stage because of her pregnancy in 2015 and then came back. She has actively acted in stage performances and dramas, including Encounter, VIP, and Hospital Playlist.
Even after she gained popularity, she still returned to the stage in Daehakro. The play Lungs, which opened at Artone Theater in 2020, is her second play. Her answer to why she chose the play rather than the musical as her comeback is simple: “I have longed for performing in a play so much.” This seems to show who she is and what she does best.
Filmography
- 2007
- Musical The Great Catsby as Sun
- 2008
- Musical Notre Dame de Paris as Fleur-de-Lys
- 2009
- Musical Bballae as Seo Na-young
- 2011
- Musical Finding Mr. Destiny as Woman
- 2012
- Musical Mozart, L'Opera Rock Rock as Constanze Weber
- 2014
- Musical Gloomy Day as Yun Sim-deok
- 2014
- Musical Goong as Chae-kyung Shin
- 2017
- Musical Me, Natasha and a White Donkey as Jaya
- 2019
- Drama Encounter as Jang Mi-jin
- 2020
- Play Lungs as Woman
- 2020
- Drama Hospital Playlist as Lee Ik-sun
