Soo Ae
{{Short description|South Korean actress (born 1979)}}
{{family name hatnote|Park|lang=Korean}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Soo Ae
| native_name = {{nobold|박수애}}
| image = 160804 국가대표2 무비토크 수애.png
| caption = Soo Ae in August 2016
| birth_name = Park Soo-ae
| other_names = Su Ae
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1979|9|16}}
| birth_place = Bongcheon-dong, Gwanak District, Seoul, South Korea[http://m.khan.co.kr/amp/view.html?art_id=20121224212433A&sec_id=100100 Kyunghyang Shinmun: 수애 "달동네 아이들 꿈꿀 수 있게" 1억 기부]
| occupation = Actress
| years_active = 1999–present
| agent = Makestar
| education =
| website =
| module = {{Infobox Korean name/auto|child=yes|headercolor=transparent
| hangul = %박수애
| hanja = 朴秀愛
}}}}
Park Soo-ae ({{korean|박수애}}; born 16 September 1979), known mononymously as Soo Ae, is a South Korean actress. She began her career on television, but after her breakout role in A Family (2004), she became well-known as a leading actress in films, notably in Sunny (2008), Midnight FM (2010), and The Flu (2013). She also appeared in the popular television dramas Emperor of the Sea (2004), A Thousand Days' Promise (2011), King of Ambition (2013) and Mask (2015).
Career
=Pre-debut=
Soo Ae nearly became a member of a K-pop idol group. Fresh out of high school, a record agent approached the young stunner on the street in the trendy Apgujeong area. She spent six months in grueling practice, but in the end had no album to put out. She reminisced in an interview, "I didn't sing well, but the six months I spent with the team was so fun. I was lucky to get into acting."[http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2007/08/17/2007081761009.html "Soo Ae Sheds Refined Image for Boorish New Role"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407191436/http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2007/08/17/2007081761009.html |date=2023-04-07 }}. The Chosun Ilbo. 17 August 2007.
=2002–2008=
Soo Ae made her small screen debut in 2002 in a one-act drama on MBC,{{cite web|url=https://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=081&aid=0000011250|title=반항아로 돌아온 수애|work=Seoul Shinmun|via=Naver|date=26 August 2004|access-date=13 December 2018|language=ko|archive-date=7 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407192824/https://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=081&aid=0000011250|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://news.naver.com/main/read.nhn?mode=LSD&mid=sec&sid1=105&oid=029&aid=0000023208|title=주목할만한 모델, 수애|date=4 April 2003|website=DT|language=ko}} then went on to star in Love Letter,{{cite web|url=https://news.naver.com/main/read.nhn?mode=LSD&mid=sec&sid1=102&oid=015&aid=0000589344|title=[인터뷰] MBC 드라마 '러브레터' 주연 탤런트 수애|date=5 February 2003|website=Yonhap News Agency|language=ko}} Merry Go Round,{{cite web|url=https://news.joins.com/article/1980895|script-title=ko:죽었다 살았다…수애 결국 살아난다|date=13 February 2004|website=JoongAng Ilbo|language=ko|access-date=13 December 2018|archive-date=15 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215223130/https://news.joins.com/article/1980895|url-status=live}} and April Kiss.{{cite web|url=https://news.naver.com/main/read.nhn?mode=LSD&mid=sec&sid1=103&oid=001&aid=0000624508|title=<연합인터뷰> KBS '4월의 키스'의 수애|date=16 April 2004|website=Yonhap News Agency|language=ko}} She rose to fame after starring in 2004 hit historical drama Emperor of the Sea, which was exported to other Asian countries, South America and the Middle East, introducing Soo Ae to a wider international audience.[http://english.kbs.co.kr/hallyu/entertainment_news_view2.html?No=659 "Su Ae Picked Best Actress of 2004 by Internet Users"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304115547/http://english.kbs.co.kr/hallyu/entertainment_news_view2.html?No=659 |date=2016-03-04 }}. KBS Global. 28 January 2005.[http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2005/04/15/2005041561015.html "Emperor of the Sea Drawing Attention of International TV Market"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215222509/http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2005/04/15/2005041561015.html |date=2018-12-15 }}. The Chosun Ilbo. 15 April 2005.
With her classical beauty and innocent, elegant image, Soo Ae gained the moniker "queen of tears" for her well-received takes in melodramas. But she revamped that image in the 2007 romantic comedy Two Outs in the Ninth Inning opposite Lee Jung-jin, playing a 30-year-old foul-mouthed, disheveled and jaded single woman struggling with life and love. Soo Ae in reality was known for her a husky, neutral voice, which helped her tomboyish performance feel so natural. But her voice wasn't always a plus. She said, "I've been told many times that my voice would be a detriment to my career. When I first got started, a lot of viewers posted comments online that they changed the channel because of the way I talk. [...] It was odd because I thought of my husky voice as my biggest asset. So I would tell people, "Keep on listening, you'll get to like it."{{cite web|last=Jeon|first=Su-mi|title=Soo Ae Talks About Trust and Being an Actress|url=http://mwave.interest.me/enewsworld/en/article/42514/soo-ae-appears-in-dresses-in-1st-look|publisher=enewsWorld|date=4 August 2013|access-date=22 April 2015|archive-date=18 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150118175003/http://mwave.interest.me/enewsworld/en/article/42514/soo-ae-appears-in-dresses-in-1st-look|url-status=live}}
After a successful big screen debut in A Family,Kim, Gab-sik (25 August 2004). [http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?biid=2004082666088 "Suae Sounds Off on Her Role in Family"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140729135803/http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?biid=2004082666088 |date=2014-07-29 }}. The Dong-A Ilbo. Soo Ae starred opposite Jung Jae-young in the comedy Wedding Campaign, and Lee Byung-hun in the melodrama Once in a Summer.{{cite web|url=https://www.hancinema.net/farmer-looks-for-love-in-upcoming-wedding-campaign--3740.html|title=Farmer Looks for Love in Upcoming 'Wedding Campaign'|date=21 August 2005|website=The Korea Times|access-date=5 February 2018|archive-date=10 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410022500/https://www.hancinema.net/farmer-looks-for-love-in-upcoming-wedding-campaign--3740.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.hancinema.net/first-love-7821.html|title=First Love|date=23 November 2006|website=The Dong-A Ilbo|access-date=5 February 2018|archive-date=12 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191012090920/https://www.hancinema.net/first-love-7821.html|url-status=live}}
In 2008, she was cast as the titular Sunny in a film about an ordinary housewife who becomes a "consolatory band" singer in order to search for her husband who has been dispatched to fight alongside American troops in the Vietnam War. Director Lee Joon-ik sought to tell a war story from a female-centric point of view, saying the film deals with the meaning of love and humanitarian as it depicts a long voyage of self-discovery.Lee, Hyo-won (1 July 2008). [https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2008/07/141_26839.html "Sunny to Bring New Light to Vietnam War"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160412164141/http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2008/07/141_26839.html |date=2016-04-12 }}. The Korea Times. In a scene where she drinks heavily at a U.S. army base, Soo Ae revealed that she drank more than half a bottle of whisky at the director's criticism that she didn't look convincing enough. As a result of drinking so much alcohol, she became really drunk, adding reality to the scene where she throws up in the toilet and blacks out.[http://ilove-koreanmovie.blogspot.com/2008/08/su-ae-admits-to-passing-out-in-film.html "Su-ae Admits to Passing Out in Film"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120327161641/http://ilove-koreanmovie.blogspot.com/2008/08/su-ae-admits-to-passing-out-in-film.html |date=2012-03-27 }}. KBS World. 8 August 2008. Her commitment to the film paid off, and Soo Ae received multiple Best Actress awards for her performance.
=2009–2012=
Her 2009 film The Sword with No Name depicted a desperate romance between the last queen of the Joseon Dynasty and her bodyguard. Empress Myeongseong, a forward-thinking advocate of modernity, wields her political influence to further her ideals, but is often at odds with her orthodox father-in-law, regent Daewon-gun. The movie is loosely based on history, with clearly fictional elements.Yang, Sung-hee (1 October 2009). [http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2910746 "Sword presents the softer side of actress Soo-ae"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141213201054/http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/Article.aspx?aid=2910746 |date=2014-12-13 }}. Korea JoongAng Daily. Soo Ae said the role "was something I had always wanted to do from the moment I started my acting career. When I got the screenplay, I said yes without a moment's hesitation.Park, Sun-young (27 August 2009). [http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2909275 "Another side to Empress Myeongseong"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180323031215/http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2909275 |date=2018-03-23 }}. Korea JoongAng Daily. [...] Playing Empress Myeongseong was not easy, because in addition to the mother of the nation, I had to show her womanly and human side, the joy and anguish she felt at being in love." Having to wear heavy wigs and layers of Korean traditional costumes in the steamy hot summer made the job even more difficult. The fact that she had to appear in almost every scene was another challenge.[http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2009/10/17/2009101700231.html "Su-ae on Playing Empress Myeongseong"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120910052352/http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2009/10/17/2009101700231.html |date=2012-09-10 }}. The Chosun Ilbo. 17 October 2009. Describing herself as "timid" and "too introverted," Soo Ae credits her co-star Cho Seung-woo for making it easier for her to fully absorb herself in the love aspect of her role, such that it felt "like [they] were actually in a relationship during the shoot."
Frustrated by usually receiving melodrama scripts and wanting to take on roles in different genres, Soo Ae next starred in the 2010 suspense thriller Midnight FM. She said she decided to challenge herself by choosing the role of a strong female character fighting against a villain. She talked about the heightened fear she felt in a confined studio as her radio DJ character receives threatening phone calls from a kidnapper (played by Yoo Ji-tae), as well as the physical difficulty of filming chase and fight scenes in high heels.[http://english.kbs.co.kr/hallyu/entertainment_news_view2.html?No=7544 "Soo Ae: 'I Want to Show a Strong Image'"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304115503/http://english.kbs.co.kr/hallyu/entertainment_news_view2.html?No=7544 |date=2016-03-04 }}. KBS Global. 15 October 2010.[http://english.kbs.co.kr/hallyu/entertainment_news_view.html?No=7518 "Soo Ae: 'I Felt Relieved After Filming Scenes Heaping Insults'"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140429075725/http://english.kbs.co.kr/hallyu/entertainment_news_view.html?No=7518 |date=2014-04-29 }}. KBS Global. 20 September 2010. She tied with Yoon Jeong-hee (Poetry) for Best Actress at the Blue Dragon Film Awards.[http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/11/27/2010112700335.html "Today's Photo: November 27, 2010"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410131144/http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/11/27/2010112700335.html |date=April 10, 2023 }}. The Chosun Ilbo. 27 November 2010.
In her return to television, Soo Ae played a cold-blooded double agent in Athena: Goddess of War, undergoing martial arts training to perform her intense action scenes in the spy series.Chung, Ah-young (9 April 2010). [https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/special/2010/04/178_63949.html "Su Ae Cast in Sequel to Hit Drama Iris"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410024007/http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/special/2010/04/178_63949.html |date=2023-04-10 }}. The Korea Times.
Then in the miniseries A Thousand Days' Promise by famed drama writer Kim Soo-hyun, Soo Ae impressed critics and audiences with her unsentimental portrayal of a woman who is slowly losing her memory due to Alzheimer's disease.Oh, Jean (12 October 2011). [http://view.koreaherald.com/kh/view.php?ud=20111011000756 "Kim Rae-won returns in melodramatic sob fest"]. The Korea Herald.[http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2012/01/07/2012010700417.html "Fear No Barrier for Actress Su-ae After All"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120213111146/http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2012/01/07/2012010700417.html |date=2012-02-13 }}. The Chosun Ilbo. 7 January 2012.
=2013–present=
In 2013, she played an amorally ambitious woman who wants to become the First Lady of South Korea in Yawang ("King of Ambition"), from the same manhwa artist as Daemul.{{cite web|last=An|first=So-hyoun|title=Soo Ae Says She's Pressured about Having to Act as a Young First Lady on Yawang|url=http://mwave.interest.me/enewsworld/en/article/26077/soo-ae-talks-about-her-role-on-yawang|publisher=enewsWorld|date=11 January 2013|access-date=22 April 2015|archive-date=4 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150704200117/http://mwave.interest.me/enewsworld/en/article/26077/soo-ae-talks-about-her-role-on-yawang|url-status=live}} This was followed by disaster outbreak film The Flu, in which she said she played a doctor and single mother who searches for a cure after her daughter is infected. Soo Ae said she is attracted to roles with an oeyunaegang quality, which literally translates to "iron fist in a velvet glove," meaning those who appear gentle but are determined and strong.{{cite web|last=Lee|first=Claire|title=Soo Ae: Best characters have iron fist in a velvet glove|url=http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20130819000927|publisher=The Korea Herald|date=19 August 2013|access-date=30 July 2014|archive-date=23 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130823104352/http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20130819000927|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Son|first=Bo-kyung|title=Interview: Soo Ae Praises The Flu, Jang Hyuk and Kim Sung Soo|url=http://mwave.interest.me/enewsworld/en/article/44196/soo-ae-talks-about-her-film-and-her-character|publisher=enewsWorld|date=23 August 2013|access-date=22 April 2015|archive-date=18 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150118094557/http://mwave.interest.me/enewsworld/en/article/44196/soo-ae-talks-about-her-film-and-her-character|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Lim|first=Hyun-dong|title=Soo Ae ready for a little romance|url=http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/Article.aspx?aid=2977452|publisher=Korea JoongAng Daily|date=12 September 2013|access-date=30 July 2014|archive-date=8 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808032808/http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/Article.aspx?aid=2977452|url-status=live}}
In September 2013, Soo Ae left Star J Entertainment, her agency of 12 years,{{cite web|url=http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2976704|publisher=Korea JoongAng Daily|title=Agency announces Soo Ae's departure|date=28 August 2013|access-date=10 July 2017|archive-date=4 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170904155743/http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2976704|url-status=live}} and joined Management Soop.{{cite web|title=Soo Ae Changes Agencies and Joins Gong Yoo and Gong Hyo Jin at Soop Entertainment|url=http://www.soompi.com/2013/09/25/soo-ae-changes-agencies-and-joins-gong-yoo-and-gong-hyo-jin-at-soop-entertainment/|publisher=Soompi|date=15 September 2013|access-date=30 July 2014|archive-date=25 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141225074929/http://www.soompi.com/2013/09/25/soo-ae-changes-agencies-and-joins-gong-yoo-and-gong-hyo-jin-at-soop-entertainment/|url-status=live}}{{Unreliable source?|reason=See reliable sources list on WP:KO/RS|date=June 2025}}{{cite web|title=Su Ae|url=http://www.soopent.com/bbs/board.php?bo_table=star0901|publisher=Management Soop|access-date=22 April 2015|archive-date=2 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402044502/http://www.soopent.com/bbs/board.php?bo_table=star0901|url-status=live}} She returned to Star J Entertainment in January 2015. Soo Ae next played dual roles in Mask, about a debt-ridden department store clerk who takes on an heiress's identity and marries into a chaebol family.{{cite web|last=Doo|first=Rumy|title=Two sides of Soo Ae|url=http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20150520000601|publisher=The Korea Herald|date=20 May 2015|access-date=27 May 2015|archive-date=15 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215223745/http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20150520000601|url-status=live}} Her performance won her Best Actress at the 28th Grimae Award, an honorable award chosen by directors in every broadcasting station in Korea. She was then cast as a North Korean defector who becomes part of the first South Korean women's national ice hockey team in Take Off 2, the sequel to the 2009 hit sports drama.{{cite web|last=Jin|first=Min-ji|title=Soo Ae gets top role in first hockey flick|url=http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/Article.aspx?aid=3007269|publisher=Korea JoongAng Daily|date=31 July 2015|access-date=6 August 2015|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304083353/http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/Article.aspx?aid=3007269|url-status=live}}
Nine years after her last romantic-comedy drama Two Outs in the Ninth Inning, Soo Ae starred in KBS2's romantic-comedy Sweet Stranger and Me in 2016.{{cite web|url=http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/news/2016/10/20/0200000000AEN20161020010900315.html|title='Sweet Stranger and Me,' a rom-com with suspense|publisher=Yonhap|date=20 October 2016|access-date=10 July 2017|archive-date=4 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170904155128/http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/news/2016/10/20/0200000000AEN20161020010900315.html|url-status=live}}
In 2018, Soo Ae starred in the drama film High Society.{{cite web|url=http://koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/news.jsp?pageIndex=1&blbdComCd=601006&seq=4539&mode=VIEW&returnUrl=&searchKeyword=|title=Su Ae, PARK Hae-il, and LEE Jin-wook to Perform Together in High Society|date=9 November 2017|website=Korean Film Biz Zone|access-date=25 August 2018|archive-date=4 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404150808/http://koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/news.jsp?pageIndex=1&blbdComCd=601006&seq=4539&mode=VIEW&returnUrl=&searchKeyword=|url-status=live}}
In May 2019, Soo Ae signed with new agency Huayi Brothers.{{cite web|url=http://www.osen.co.kr/article/G1111154391|script-title=ko:수애, 화이브라더스와 전속 계약…유해진X이다희와 한솥밥 [공식]|date=31 May 2019|website=OSEN|access-date=31 May 2019|archive-date=31 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190531100325/http://www.osen.co.kr/article/G1111154391|url-status=live}}
In November 2022, Soo Ae signed with Ghost Studio.{{cite web|url=https://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=609&aid=0000648845|last=Park|first=Ah-reum|script-title=ko:주원X수애X이다희X김옥빈X김성오, 신생 고스트 스튜디오서 새 출발[공식]|trans-title=Joo Won X Soo Ae X Lee Da Hee X Kim Ok Bin X Kim Seong Oh, A New Start at the New Ghost Studio [Official]|work=Newsen|via=Naver|date=November 1, 2022|access-date=November 1, 2022|language=ko|archive-date=November 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101045551/https://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=609&aid=0000648845|url-status=live}}
In August 2023, Soo Ae signed with new agency Makestar.{{cite web|author=Kang Seo-jeong|url=http://www.osen.co.kr/article/G1112174100|script-title=ko:수애, 메이크스타와 전속계약…박해일과 한솥밥|trans-title=Soo Ae, exclusive contract with Makestar... Park Hae-il and Hanpot Rice|publisher=OSEN|via=Naver|date=September 1, 2023|access-date=September 1, 2023|language=ko|archive-date=September 1, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230901012405/http://www.osen.co.kr/article/G1112174100|url-status=live}}
Filmography
= Film =
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role |
|---|
| 2004
| A Family | Lee Jeong-eun |
| 2005
| Kim Lara |
| 2006
| Seo Jung-in/Lee Jung-in |
| 2008
| Sunny | Soon-yi / Sunny |
| 2009
| Min Ja-young, later Empress Myeongseong |
| 2010
| Ko Sun-young |
| 2013
| The Flu | Kim In-hae |
| 2016
| Take Off 2 | Ji-won |
| 2018
| Oh Soo-yeon |
= Television series =
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Network |
|---|
| 1999
| School 2 | KBS1 |
| rowspan=2|2002
| MBC Best Theater: | | rowspan="4" | MBC |
| The Maengs' Golden Era
| Heo Joo-yeon |
| rowspan=2|2003
| Jo Eun-ha |
| Merry Go Round
| Seong Jin-kyo |
| rowspan=2|2004
| Song Chae-won | rowspan="2" | KBS2 |
| Emperor of the Sea
| Lady Jung-hwa |
| 2007
| Two Outs in the Ninth Inning | Hong Nan-hee | MBC |
| 2010
| Yoon Hye-in | rowspan="4" | SBS |
| 2011
| Lee Seo-yeon |
| 2013
| Joo Da-hae |
| 2015
| Mask | Byun Ji-sook/Seo Eun-ha |
| 2016
| Hong Na-ri | KBS2 |
| 2021
| Yoon Jae-hee |JTBC |
Awards and nominations
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
{{commons category}}
- {{HanCinema person}}
- {{kmdb person|00010136}}
- {{IMDb name|1595196}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Soo Ae
|list=
{{Baeksang Arts Award Best New Actress Film}}
{{Blue Dragon Film Award Best Actress}}
{{Blue Dragon Film Award Best New Actress}}
{{Buil Film Awards for Best Actress}}
{{Director's Cut Awards for Best New Actress}}
{{Grand Bell Awards for Best Actress}}
{{Korean Association of Film Critics Awards for Best Actress}}
}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Soo Ae}}
Category:21st-century South Korean actresses
Category:20th-century South Korean actresses
Category:People from Gwanak District
Category:South Korean film actresses
Category:South Korean television actresses
Category:Best New Actress Paeksang Arts Award (film) winners