Actresses Take Over the Film Industry With Extreme Changes

In the first half of 2023, the performances of actresses stood out. As female-centered works led the content market, actresses with star quality and acting skills drew attention. This shows that the limitations of actresses who were confined to certain roles in the past have been broken. Their work also played a role in expanding the base of K-content by gaining popularity not only in Korea but also abroad.

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• Breaking the stereotype with 'empathy' and 'challenge'

Actresses who received attention through movies and OTT in the first half of this year include Song Hye-kyo, Kim Hee-ae, Moon So-ri, Jeon Do-yeon, and Kim Hyun-joo. Their performance can be divided into two keywords. Empathy and challenge. They have special meaning in that they broke the existing framework and took on a new challenge.

First, Song Hye-kyo, Kim Hee-ae, and Moon So-ri captivated viewers with 'empathy'. Earlier this year, the "The Glory" craze spread across the world beyond Korea. "The Glory", which was released on Netflix in December last year and March this year, caused a huge social stir. It raised awareness by throwing topics about school violence, and enjoyed syndrome-like popularity by spreading various lines from the drama.

Song Hye-kyo was definitely at the center. Song Hye-kyo decomposed as Moon Dong-eun, a victim of school violence, and gave the perpetrators a sense of satisfaction by triumphing, and through this, she had a good influence by recalling the problem of school violence. As a result, Song Hye-kyo also won the best prize in the TV category at the Baeksang Arts Awards.

Kim Hee-ae and Moon So-ri showed their skilled acting skills through "Queenmaker". The two are veterans who celebrated their 40th and 24th anniversary, respectively. "Queenmaker" was selected as an early anticipated work as Kim Hee-ae and Moon So-ri played title roles in political dramas that were considered exclusively for male actors.

Even after the release of "Queenmaker" on April 14th, the response was hot. Viewers cheered and cheered and applauded the romance drawn by the two. In addition to the story of the political version, it has increased its immersion by reenacting various social problems and political realities that caused public outrage.

Jeon Do-yeon and Kim Hyun-joo showed their potential by 'challenging' colorful actions. Jeon Do-yeon proved her infinite possibilities through the Netflix movie "Kill Boksoon", which was released on March 31st. Jeon Do-yeon plays the role of killer Gil Bok-soon. She is famous enough to make a name for herself in the killer world, but she has an unexpected charm that hides her identity from her daughter. "Killing people is simple, compared to raising a child". She freely depicts a mother who kills people without hesitation enough to spit out the line, but she becomes weak in front of her daughter. She was also praised as Jeon Do-yeon and solidified her position one of the representative actresses in Korea.

Kim Hyun-joo also showed her true value by performing high-intensity actions as a combat robot Yun Jung-yi in the Netflix movie "Jung E". She was praised for opening a new horizon for Korean science fiction films with natural CG and good performance by actors.

They also have one thing in common. They topped Netflix's non-English-speaking film and TV categories. This means that their work, acting skills, and topicality were also recognized overseas.

• K-Contents with female narratives

"I once said that I wanted to dress up as a man because there were many works where male actors appeared. I am grateful and happy to participate in the work focusing on female narratives".

This is what Kim Hee-ae said at the production presentation of "Queenmaker" held in April. Now, female narrative works are steadily appearing, but they were not easily found until just over a decade ago. At that time, actresses were often portrayed as falling in love with a prince on a white horse, being eccentric or innocent.

But times have changed. The status of women engaged in economic activities has increased, and the number of people living as working mothers while raising children and working at the same time has also increased. This soon changed the eyes of viewers. Viewers began to want a female character that depicts an independent life, not a candy-type character saved by the male protagonist. Creators moved quickly to create the story that viewers wanted. The content currently in circulation shows the direction in which our society is now flowing.

Kim Heon-sik, a pop culture critic, said, "It is impressive that actresses are meeting the public with various characters. They are trying to transform themselves while showing what viewers want to see", he said. "The actresses are showing familiarity and novelty well.

Cho Sung-kyung, a drama critic, also said, "Male actors have begun to escape to larger works", adding, "As various works are made, they are being produced mainly by actresses with good acting skills and recognition".

A broadcasting official predicted that the female wind would become stronger. An official said, "Not only in the first half of this year, but also a few years ago, many women-centered works began to be produced. This year, there were many actresses familiar to the public, such as Song Hye-kyo, Kim Hee-ae, and Moon So-ri, and they even act well". He explained, "Actresses who are familiar but have proven their acting skills met good works and created synergy".

Actresses are expected to continue their activities in the second half of the year. In July, masterpieces, including the movie "Smugglers" starring Kim Hye-soo and Yum Jung-ah, will flood the theater. Kim Hye-soo said at a recent production report on "Smugglers", "I cheered when I heard that the actress who will be with me was Yum Jung-ah". "Smugglers" is the first Korean blockbuster with 20 billion won starring middle-aged actresses.

Being able to meet the best actresses in one work is a positive change brought about by the trend of the times. Expectations are high for the actresses' continued performance beyond the first half of the year.