Profile | Who is Chun Woo-hee, star of Netflix K-dramas The Atypical Family and The 8 Show and a long-time supporter of Korean independent films?
- Chun Woo-hee, star of Netflix K-dramas The Atypical Family and The 8 Show, has been acting for two decades and has not shied away from taking risky roles
- Career highlights include her performance as a student in film Han Gong-ju and her role in The Wailing – considered the greatest Korean horror film of all time
In a role that is bound to generate plenty of conversation, Chun plays “8th Floor”, a larger-than-life character who lives on the top floor of an eight-storey building as part of a unique game show – and she is at her most vivacious and surprising.
Why we love her
Chun began acting while still in high school, taking a small role in the 2004 theatrical romantic comedy Love So Divine, which was released when she was just 17.
The actress worked for several years before getting noticed, and has not shied away from taking risky roles.
She has split her time between independent and commercial productions and, before her big breakthrough a decade ago, had several roles that helped to raise her profile in the entertainment industry.
The star-making roles
All it takes is one role to put someone on the map. For Chun, this came in the form of a small indie film – she was chosen to lead filmmaker Lee Su-jin’s debut movie, Han Gong-ju.
Chun stars as a teenager forced to transfer schools and who tries to live her life quietly until a terrible secret from her past catches up with her. The film was a memorable one that touched on very sensitive issues, but it was Chun’s vulnerable performance that really connected with viewers.
Her performance earned her wide praise, including from French actress Marion Cotillard, and won several awards, including the best actress trophies at the Blue Dragon Film Awards and the Korean Association of Film Critics Awards – rare wins for an independent film.
In a hypnotic performance that gets under your skin, she plays a mysterious woman in a Korean village who is witness to horrible events. The Wailing is considered by many to be the greatest Korean horror film of all time.
The iconic parts
Although Chun is known as a big-screen star, she is steadily being recognised for her small-screen work as well. Her first appearance in a television series came in 2010 with a small part in the 2010 romantic drama The Woman Who Still Wants to Marry.
Her first signature television role came in 2019 as one of the leads in Be Melodramatic, in which she plays an unorthodox television drama writer.
The vibrant series was not a ratings hit when it first aired, but it has since developed a huge fan following and now enjoys a reputation as one of the best K-dramas of the past decade.
The unheralded performances
In 2015 Chun starred in The Piper, a film with a similar vibe to The Wailing. The rural-set horror drama puts a dark Korean twist on the Pied Piper of Hamelin fairy tale.
Tomorrow’s turns
After The 8 Show and The Atypical Family, Chun has earned herself a short break – but the versatile actress will no doubt return to our screens before long, whether it be in a major series or film, or an independent production to challenge herself once again.
