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[Actor Spotlight] Song Hye-gyo

Our spotlight series continues, and this week we feature Song Hye-gyo, whose current drama Boyfriend is airing on tvN and performing quite well in its first few weeks. As one of the biggest celebrities in South Korea (currently #6 on the Korean Power Celebrity List, for what that’s worth), she hardly needs an introduction.

Born in 1981 in Daegu, South Korea, Song Hye-gyo got her start in the business when she won a modeling competition at the age of fourteen. She modeled, had some minor roles in TV dramas, and soon garnered a lot of attention. In 2000, she starred in Autumn Fairy Tale (part of the famed Endless Love drama series) with Song Seung-heon and Won Bin. Like many now-classic early Korean dramas, Autumn Fairy Tale’s success was not only a big driver of the Hallyu Wave, but also launched a good many careers, which happened here for the three stars.

Song Hye-gyo’s star power hasn’t diminished since her early success — in fact, quite the opposite. She’s not only starred in Korean dramas and films, but is a well-known star across Asia. She’s acted in some Chinese (and even American) productions. The success of Descendants of the Sun in 2016, and the genesis of the real-life Song-Song couple with her co-star Song Joong-ki, has only added to her popularity. She’s glamorous and sophisticated on the screen, but also has a softness to her character. Dramaland is pretty good when it comes to featuring strong female characters across the age spectrum, and it will be interesting to watch Song Hye-gyo’s career continue from here, since she’s so well-established as a classic leading lady.

Here are some Song Hye-gyo drama highlights, followed by her full filmography.

 
Full House (2004)

An oldie but a goodie. Full House is a classic Hallyu romantic comedy starring Song Hye-gyo and Rain. They are both really young, really green, and a lot of fun. Rain played a pop star who bought Song Hye-gyo’s house through a comedic turn of events. Song wants the house and they came to a contract agreement where she would work as his housekeeper to buy the house back (which doesn’t sound quite fair since it was illegally sold, but such is life in K-dramas). The drama was full of the tropes and plot elements that are second nature to the genre now, but their bickering and cuteness was what sold this drama. Also, Full House might be one of the first dramas about a girl who inherits a unique and/or architecturally important house from her father, and struggles to hold onto her inheritance — the same setup is seen in later dramas like Personal Taste and Your House Helper. It’s a concept that I love, for some reason.

 
That Winter, The Wind Blows (2013)

I sometimes feel like I’m on the only one that got a huge kick out of this melodrama. I could play it off otherwise, but what’s the use of pretending? I really did. Song Hye-gyo starred as a blind chaebol heiress, and Jo In-sung played the con man pretending to be her long lost brother. That Winter, The Wind Blows excelled at creating tension — all sorts — some really visceral and believable, some not so much. Song Hye-gyo was absolutely ravishing, and gave a great performance as a blind woman who is vulnerable and used by those around her, yet able to “see” into people better than most others. She and Jo In-sung had excellent chemistry, and the leads’ strong performances had me buying this drama’s melo hook, line, and sinker.

 
Descendants of the Sun (2016)

I have serious mixed feelings about Descendants of the Sun. On one hand, it felt as if the entire thing was written by a 14-year-old girl. It was all about those sweeping romantic moments, and the plot seemed to exist only to create those moments, with the actual reality of the drama not mattering one bit. On the other hand, because of this, it appealed to the 14-year-old girl that still lives somewhere in my heart. And she was happy. So, I had to ignore the plot slippage and ridiculousness, and just enjoy the parts of the story that I could, like the sweeping soldier-civilian romance, and the moments of bravery and courage. Of course, Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-gyo were lovely in this, and I really liked Song Hye-gyo take on the role of a battlefield doctor.

 
Boyfriend (2018)

It’s only a few weeks in, but so far Boyfriend is consistent, well-directed, and beautifully shot. For some reason I stupidly expected more than Episode 1 to be set in Cuba. As soon as she and Park Bo-gum’s characters went back to Seoul — and found out that she was the CEO of the hotel where Park Bo-gum had just gotten a job — I felt my heart sink a tiny bit. I’m hoping that the drama retains its freshness, and doesn’t sink into the realm of the banal. For instance, I never ever need to see another claw machine used in a drama love line. So far, so good though, and the cinematography and direction are helping to keep this drama feeling new and interesting. Song Hye-gyo’s portrayal of a woman who’s been stifled, controlled, and constrained all her life is quite nuanced — you can see glimpses of the inner life she can’t give voice to yet, and it’s quite moving.

 
Song Hye-gyo’s filmography:

  • Wedding Dress (1997) [Drama]
  • Small role in this drama starring Lee Seung-yeon and Kim Hee-sun as two sisters with upcoming weddings.

  • Six Siblings (1998) [Drama]
  • Supporting role in this weekend family drama.

  • Soonpoong Clinic (1998) [Drama]
  • Long-running daily sitcom about the doctor of an ob-gyn clinic and his four daughters.

  • White Nights 3.98 (1998) [Drama]
  • Choi Min-soo and Lee Byung-hun star in this spy drama. It looks like Song Hye-gyo plays the younger version of one of the characters.

  • Sweet Bride (1999) [Drama]
  • Supporting role in this family/romance drama starring Kim Sang-joong (City Hunter!) and Kim Ji-soo.

  • Autumn Fairy Tale (2000) [Drama]
  • The huge Hallyu hit that defined the craze and made the careers of Song Hye-gyo, Song Seung-heun, and Won Bin (see above).

  • Hotelier (2001) [Drama]
  • Hotels are a favorite industry for K-dramas to explore, and this one stars Bae Yong-joon and Song Yoon-ah.

  • Guardian Angel (2001) [Drama]
  • Song Hye-kyo stars with Kim Min-jong and raises her friend’s baby after she passes away.

  • All In (2003) [Drama]
  • This drama stars Lee Byung-hun and Song Hye-gyo, and is set in the high-stakes world of professional gambling. Its highest episode rating was a staggering 47.7%, and it raked in the drama awards.

  • Sunlight Pours Down (2004) [Drama]
  • This drama sounds like a disaster, complete with possibly murdered father, remarried mother, mother’s untimely demise, baddie step-father who steals everything, and Song Hye-gyo as the daughter that has to deal with all this, and more! Sheesh.

  • Full House (2004) [Drama]
  • Early awesome Hallyu romcom hit (see above).

  • My Girl and I (2005) [Film]
  • Remake of a Japanese film with Song Hye-gyo and Cha Tae-hyun in the lead.

  • Hwang Jin Yi (2007) [Film]
  • Song Hye-gyo and Yoo Ji-tae (*brain explodes*) in this Joseon-era film about the most famous gisaeng in history.

  • Make Yourself at Home (2008) [Film]
  • Also promoted as Fetish, Song Hye-gyo stars in this American indie film about a recent Korean emigrant and the serious creepiness that ensues with her all-American neighbors. Hard pass!

  • Worlds Within (2008) [Drama]
  • Song Hye-gyo reunites with the director of Full House and stars with Hyun Bin in this inside look at the Korean drama broadcasting industry.

  • Camellia (2010) [Film]
  • Song Hye-gyo stars with Kang Dong-won in one of the segments in this omnibus film, set in a future where memories can be bought and sold.

  • Countdown (2011) [Film/Cameo]
  • Cameo in this Jeon Do-yeon caper film.

  • Today (2011) [Film]
  • Song Hye-gyo stars in this film about a woman who forgives the teenager who killed her fiance. The film sounds like a deep, dark look into moral conviction, faith, forgiveness, and how far those things can be pushed.

  • The Grandmaster (2013) [Film]
  • Song Hye-gyo stars with Tony Leung and Zhang Ziyi in this Chinese film by the amazing Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai.

  • That Winter, the Wind Blows (2013) [Drama]
  • Blind heiress is conned by good bad guy Jo In-sung (see above).

  • My Brilliant Life (2014) [Film]
  • Song Hye-gyo and Kang Dong-won star as the teenage parents of a child with a rare genetic disease. Too tear-jerkery for me.

  • The Crossing: Part 1 (2014) and Part 2 (2015) [Film]
  • Epic Chinese two-movie saga directed by John Woo about the Chinese Revolution in 1949 and the sinking of the steamer Taiping.

  • The Queens (2015) [Film]
  • Chinese ensemble/romance film that seems to lack a thing called depth.

  • Descendants of the Sun (2016) [Drama]
  • Song Hye-gyo is a doctor in a crisis-zone country, and Song Joong-ki is the swoony soldier. ‘Nuff said (see above).

  • Boyfriend (2018) [Drama]
  • Currently airing noona romance drama with Park Bo-gum and gorgeous cinematography (see above).

 
Note: A few of Song Hye-gyo’s bit parts in dramas from the mid-90’s prior to Wedding Dress are not represented here.

 
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Thank you for another great Actor Spotlight write-up, @missvictrix ~!!!!

"White Nights 3.98 (1998) [Drama]
Choi Min-soo and Lee Byung-hun star in this spy drama. It looks like Song Hye-gyo plays the younger version of one of the characters."

- Interesting... So Song & Lee actually kinda-sorta crossed paths even before co-starring as a couple in 2003's "All In" (and then reel became real for a bit)

"Worlds Within (2008) [Drama]
Song Hye-gyo reunites with the director of Full House and stars with Hyun Bin in this inside look at the Korean drama broadcasting industry."

- another reel-to-real situation

"The Grandmaster (2013) [Film]
Song Hye-gyo stars with Tony Leung and Zhang Ziyi in this Chinese film by the amazing Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai."

Too bad it was such a small role for her T.T And I think all her scenes, because they were so small and insignificant, actually got cut in the final version of the movie :( But she got to meet one of her now-besties, Zhang Ziyi, who also attended the Song-Song wedding and was one of the biggest/most famous attendees :)

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I really like Song Hye Kyo. I adored World's Within and Full House. Those were my favorites of hers. I like that winter the wind blows too. Descendents was fun for the obvious chemistry between the leads, but the GIANT Kdrama Truck of Death size plot holes prevented it from being better.

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beauty !!!.. the most b'ful korean ever.. one of the most b'ful asians
and just one of the most rare b'ful lady overall

elegant!

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I loved her in the movie 'The Brilliant Life'. It's my most fav work of hers.

That was the one of her work besides 'The Worlds Within' which didn't distract me from the story. Because in most of her work I ended up getting distracted by how beautiful she looks on screen. Cause she always looks super super gorgeous. And her chemistry with Hyun Bin in Worlds Within was no joke. I was a happy fan when they announced dating and later heartbroken when they broke up. But now since she is living HEA in real life all is well. And Hyun Bin still single, so may be I got a shot? A girl can dream right?. LOL jk.

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I always heard Worlds Within was boring? Maybe I need to give it another shot...

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I loved Words within. Her role felt somewhat different (more realistic) and loved her with Hyun Bin -even read scandal and rumors about them afterwards.

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Thank you for this article. I started watching kdrama because of Autumn in My Heart but i fall in love with Kyo more watching Full House.
I love that after so many years, am still seeing her in dramas but most is that i can see her acting progressed. Over the years as fans we go through so much pain when she was down but am happy that she always comes back stronger after each fall. Love her

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I really have no idea why Descendants of the Sun is so popular. Things happens in the show but also at the same time NOTHING really happens. It just felt like plot points popped up just because. It was just odd and random.

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She is very beautiful and I like her acting. Wish her all the best...

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Autmn tale was my first introduction to Kdrama, i remember thinking Song Hye Gyo was the most beautiful girl i've ever seen and crying my heart out with this classic melodrama, i also fell in love with Won Bin and suffered for the first time from the second lead syndrome xD It's amazing that this lady is still as classy and charming and bautiful after all these years :))

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Just realized I have only ever watched Song Hye-gyo in something once and that was back in high school (Hwang Jin-yi). I wish she did more dramas I'd be into. :(

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Full house became the key to my love for Korean Dramas. The plot was very fresh at the time I discovered - it think it was 2006-2007? And I remembered it being the funniest I’ve seen that I switched from watching TWdramas to purely K-Dramas since then.

Also found her again in Autumn in My Heart where I bawled my eyes out, it hurt to watch every episode. I don’t watch Makjang dramas anymoew, but darn dramas back then really could really break your heart into pieces with their tragic stories. I remember how hard I used to cry that they were siblings/not really siblings that fell with each other, and that she was actually seriously ill! Now I dread and hate watching Makjang over the top dramas.

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I didn't start out liking Song Hae-gyo. While I found her face really pretty (one of the first Kactresses when I embarked on my first drama - Autumn In My Heart - with its 3 gorgeous beings: SHG, SSH, WB) - I also found her role a little irritating. As I did the next drama I saw her in next - Hotelier. Didn't register her at all in Wedding Dress - it was Kim Hee-sun who was more interesting. Caught a bit of Sunlight Pours Down and some of the older dramas but nothing captivating.

I liked her with her calm maturity in All In finally ... but then the later Full House was super-noisy and kind of immaturely-inane (to me).

SHG earned my respect in her break up with LBH, and daring to go up against his legions of fans. All that brouhaha about her then only sparked more curiosity and respect - for being the independent strong child in a single parent family.
It was finally the Worlds Within which warmed me up to SHG and I started enjoying her acting since - That Winter, The Wind Blows ... Hwang Jinyi ... Descendants of the Sun (wasn't a fan of the drama, but it was enjoyable for the ride nevertheless) ... and now Boyfriend aka Encounter.

She is gorgeous. As a model, she can rock so many looks. As an actress - these days she captivates - she has improved so much, over the years since Autumn and Hotelier days. And lucky girl, she has an adorable puppy who dotes on her.

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Descendants of the Sun will always hold a very special place in my heart. I dropped Boyfriend but I have to say, Song Hye-gyo's acting in that drama was really good. The maturity and personality she manages to exude is compelling. I don't know. I felt like I had to say something about that.

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Whoops. Didn't mean to bold all of that.

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That is the best description of Descendants ever, thank you! Love it.

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I saw SHK for the first time in Full House back in 2004. Full House was my first and only kdrama for 12 years! I never saw any kdrama after that. So when people talked about Korea (K-pop, kdrama and mostly k-skin care), I only had SHK in my mind.
I recall back in 2004 when I watched Full House, I was perplexed by her beauty. I realized she's beautiful but not in the definition of beauty that I understand at the time. High cheek bones, sharp nose, small and pouty mouth, I think she's the epitome of Korean beauty. I only see her in three production, Full House, DoTS and Boyfriend, but I really enjoy her performance in all of them. I'm glad that my first Korean celeb crush still on the top of the industry 14 years after I saw her for the first time.

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I love, love, love My Brilliant Life and I think it is her best film.

She and Kang Dong-won ( seriously, he a chameleon and one of the best working right now) totally worked as young parents growing up with their kid. The scene when it finally hit them that their son was not getting better, man, you finally saw two parents in their 30's.

I absolutely adore the film because while the subject is sad, it is also uplifting, charming and funny as hell.

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Thanks @missvictrix I actually watched 3 out of the 4 shows with Song Hye Kyo that you featured. I did enjoy them, warts and all.

When I think about what Korean beauty is, I think of SHK. She has a great stillness on the outside, with a suggestion of much going on underneath as she observes silently. I cannot imagine her acting wildly emotional in a makjang way, but her comedic timing is not bad and the sense of her being in another world naturally flows from her.

Her style is particularly suited to the current show, Encounter/Boyfriend, where she is always on display and unable to express herself freely. In portraying almost quiet submission verging on despair, she got me rooting for her character to break free and assert herself: the sign that I find her a great actress, with her own special style.

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i really love Song Hye Kyo as she's naturally beautiful i am happy for her that all these years she's still beautiful and popular as ever she's got the face that sells a million bucks the endorsements she's signing up and still counting can attest to it. A very talented actress as well, no wonder she's still hot in the entertainment industry

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Yeogsi, our @missvictrix. We definitely share similar taste for kdramas. I love how you describe That Winter, The Wind Blows & Descendants of the Sun, coz it’s exactly how I feel too. However, I could never write it out so beautifully. *looking forward to your future posts too!*

P.S. Can’t wait to start on Encounter!

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SHK, while not a favorite actress of mine, will always hold a special place in my heart for appearing in the two dramas that really got me into kdramas, Autumn Story and Full House. A couple of years have passed and it is great to still see her starring in blockbuster dramas.

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Just realised the first DVDs I bought were Song Hye-gyo's works: "Full House" and "My Girl and I." I used to re-run and marathoned "Full House" in the weekdays and got fluffy eyes the next day because I went to bed really late. She and Rain were super cute back then. The serial was light, and funny with a simple plot; although the whole serial was just like to wait they kissed in the episode 16, LoL. This drama is my first encountering with Tous les Jours, even though the franchise itself started selling in my country years after this drama aired, LoL. Back then, I wanted to try eating croissant while sipping hot chocolate.

And I bawled my eyes watching "My Girl and I." The I regretted why bought the DVD in the first place. But then I remembered that I love SHK, LoL. I only watched the movie just once, and I don't know where the DVD now.

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She's so beautiful and the more i watch her the more i get drawn. Her movies and dramas never fails to entertain me.

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How about Lee Kwang Soo next as a male lead and Im Joo Hwan

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She's lovely, no one can deny that, so pretty to look at, but that's about it.

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i was introduced to hallyu wave then via 2 dramas Winter Sonata and Autumn Tale. Thats where i saw Song Hyegyo (and Won Bin) and more than a decade later they are still my favourite faces and actors. too bad Won Bin is not active in acting anymore.

I remember watching Fullhouse every semester break from college at home back then that my mom comes to recognize Song Hyegyo and sometimes will ask me where is the pretty lady, whats she up to these days and stuff hahaxp

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Oh man... I remember Full House as being the first K drama I've ever seen EVER; on TV with my parents when I was just one-digit years old. I remember the house, the bike rides, the fun dynamic and the OST. I did not, however, remember SHG's face; so when I found out she was in it after researching her for Boyfriend, I was delighted. So in a way, she was a part of my childhood. XD

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