Parasite by Bong Joon-ho has gained worldwide acclaim and recently won Best Picture at the 2020 Oscars. The film has been praised for its dynamic and riveting storyline. The actors in the film have also been praised for their on-screen roles. Fans of K-dramas or Korean films would have recognized a number of the actors in the film.
Song Kang-ho is a famous Korean actor that has appeared in multiple films by director Bong Joon-ho. He has been applauded with his ability to adapt and commit to any role he plays. While actor Choi Woo-Sik has been making his name known playing roles in film, he has also done a number of television roles. Before the success of Parasite, the cast aren’t strangers to the small screen.
W (2016)
Actor, Jung Ji-so played the role of Park Da-hye in the film Parasite. Her career as a child actor making her first breakthrough role in the show May Queen in 2012. She went on to play minor roles in the dramas My Spring Days (2014) as Kang Poo-reum and Hyde, Jekyll, Me (2015) as a young Jang Ha-na.
Her most recent television drama was in 2016 in the show W. She played the younger version of Oh Yeon-joo. Oh Yeon-joo is the female protagonist of the show who is sucked into a webtoon and falls in love with its main character.
Hogu’s Love (2015)
One of the main characters of Parasite, Kim Ki-woo/Kevin was played by Koreana ctor Choi Woo-shik. Woo-shik has taken part in K-drams since 2011 with one of his first being Living In Style. In 2015, he starred as Kang Ho-gu in the show Hogu’s Love. Kang Ho-gu has never had a proper girlfriend as he is taken advantage of because of his sweet and naive nature.
He attends his high school reunion to meet the girl of his dreams and his school crush Do Do-hee (Uee). He takes it as an opportunity to win her over, but she has a secret that no one can know. Choi Woo-shik’s latest K-drama is the 2017 show The Package starring as the character Kim Gyung-jae. The show centers around a tour group as they develop relationships.
Listen To Love (2016)
The family patriarch of the rich family in Parasite was played by Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun. Lee Sun-kyun os no stranger to the big screen and has taken part in numerous television shows. In 2016, he starred as the main role, Do Hyun-woo/Toycrane, in the Korean melodrama Listen to Love. Also known as My Wife’s Having an Affair.
Do Hyun-woo suspects his wife of eight years on the verge of having an affair. Hyun-woo was under the impression that they had a strong marriage but now questions their relationship. In an effort to try and save his marriage, he seeks help from strangers online in order to find a solution.
Crash Landing On You (2019)
In Parasite, actor Jang Hye-jin played the role of Kim Ching-sook whoo infiltrates the Park family as their housemaid. In 2019, she played a supporting role in the K-drama, Crash Landing on You. She played the role of Go Myeong-eun, Dan’s mother.
The show revolves around Yoon Se-ri (Son Ye-jin), a South Korean heiress, and Ri Jeong-hyuk (Hyun Bin), an elite in North Korea. Se-ri gets finds herself in a forbidden forest in North Korea after a paragliding accident. She meets Jeonh-hyuk, an officer, who helps her return to South Korea. They start to fall in love despite their country’s turmoil. Jeong-hyuk is engaged to a musician from a rich family, Seo Dan.
What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim (2018)
Audiences who are fans of K-dramas would have automatically recognized Korean actor, Park Seo-joon in his minor role in Parasite. He made a cameo appearance as Min-hyuk who visits Kim Ki-woo and his family with a peculiar rock as a gift. He also persuades Ki-woo to take his position as the tutor for Park Da-hye. This sets the whole film in motion.
Seo-joon is recognized for his role as Lee Young-joon in the K-drama, What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim. Young-joon is a narcissistic and self-absorbed CEO who realizes he has feelings for his secretary when she announced her resignation after nine years. Parasite actor, Park So-dam also appeared as a cameo in the show.
Fight For My Way (2017)
Park Seo-joon has been titled the “master of romantic comedy” by the Korean press for good reason. He is also known for the K-drama, Fight for My Way, where he had the lead role as Go Dong-man. Dong-man is a retired taekwondo fighter after his painful past halts his career.
He and his three close friends are underdogs who wish to gain some recognition in their lives. Dong-man starts to realize his childhood best friend, Choi Ae-ra (Kim Ji-won) is much more than a friend. They both grow as individuals while trying to understand their feelings for one another. Choi Woo-shik, from Parasite, also played a minor role as Park Moo-bin. Moo-bin was a classmate of Dong-man who becomes a conceited doctor and tries to win over Ae-ra, but is really stringing her along.
Cinderella With Four Knights (2016)
Cinderella With Four Knights starred Parasite actor Park So-dam, who played Kim Ki-jung/Jessica in the film. In the show, she played the main role as Eun Ha-won. Ha-won dreams of being a doctor but her mother dies in a tragic accident. She goes to live with her evil stepmother, but one day helps an old man who invites her to move in with his family.
She soon finds her self in the most complicated love story involving three gorgeous cousins who live in the mansion. While dealing with social class divide, Eun-ho gets trapped having complicated feelings for each cousin but only one can have her heart.
My First Time (2015)
Park So-dam played one of the main characters in the original show, My First Time. She played the role of Han Song-yi . She and five of her other friends all have different backstories. They gather at Tae-oh’s (Choi Minho) rooftop as they try to navigate their lives.
The shows center around the group of friends telling each of their stories and trying to understand love. The show also includes actors Kim Min-jae as Seo Ji-an, Jung Yoo-jin as Ryoo Se-hyun, Lee Yi-kyun as Choi Hoon and Cho Hye-jung as Oh Ga-rin. The show was later rebooted on Netflix in 2019 as My First Love.
Divorce Lawyer In Love (2015)
Korean actor, Cho Yeo-jeong played the role of Mrs.Park in the film Parasite. Yeo-jeong is a popular Korena actor with a number of television and film roles. In the K-drama Divorce Lawyer in Love, she played the main role of Go Cheok-hee. Cheok-hee and So Jung-woo (Yeon Woo-jin) used to work at a law firm together.
So Jung-woo was consistently put down by Cheok-hee, who believed she was superior. Years later, after Cheok-hee loses her license, they meet again at a different law firm. This time he is the divorce lawyer while she is the office manager. The opportunity to get his revenge turns into something more.
Woman of 9.9 Billion (2019)
Cho Yeo-jeong takes on a different role in her latest television show titled Women of 9.9 Billion. In this drama action thriller, Yeo-jeong played the role of Jeong Seo-yon. Seo-yon finds herself in a predicament as she comes to obtain 9.9 billion won. She comes from a violent family past and makes her escape to find love and a new life.
A happily ever after doesn’t last long for Seo-yon and she struggles to find happiness again. She comes across 9.9 billion won in her possession and will do everything possible to keep it. Her paths cross with a detective, Kang Tae-woo (Kim Kang-woo) who is looking for the truth behind his brother’s death.
