South Korean actress, Park So-dam is known for her role as ‘Kim Ki-Jung’ in the 2019 film ‘Parasite’ globally. She is regarded as ‘the gem of independent films.’
Wiki/Biography
Park So-dam was born on Sunday, September 8, 1991 (31 years as of 2022) in South Korea. Her zodiac sign is Virgo. She studied at Jangsin Girl’s High School in Seoul, South Korea, and got perfection in Drama at the Korea National University of the Arts, Seoul, South Korea.
Physical appearance
Height: 5’5″
Eye color: Brown
Hair Color: Dark Brown (She changes her color quite often with colors like teal, golden blonde, golden brunette, etc.)
Family
Parents & Siblings
Among her siblings, she is the eldest of all. She has a brother and a sister younger than her.
Relations, Husband, & Kids
Her dating history is not known.
Other Relatives
She has a niece.
Park So-dam with her sister-in-law
Career
Agency: Artist Company (August 2017-present)
Movies
She has given many auditions for various films during her studies but was rejected by all. According to So-dam, she basically auditioned for approximately seventeen projects in one month. She made her acting startup with the short film “No More No Less” (2013) as a “schoolgirl”. Thereafter, she acted in the Korean Academy Film Arts feature films “Ingtoogi: The Battle of Internet Trolls” (2013) and “Steel Cold Winter” (2013). “Steel Cold Winter” is the first feature film to her credit.
Park So Dam in Ingtoogi: The Battle of Internet Trolls (2013)
Small roles are assigned to her at the beginning of her career. She got roles in multiple films such as The Legacy (2014), Scarlet Innocence (2014), Suzi (2014), and The Royal Tailor (2015). She was cast in the hits, The Silenced (2015), Veteran (2015), The Throne (2015), The Priests (2015), Man of Will (2017), Ode to the Goose (2018), Parasite (2019), and Fukuoka (2019).
Television
She got her K-drama debut with the 2015 KBS Drama Special “Crimpson Moon/Red Moon” and there she played “Princess Hwawan.”
Park So-dam in a scene from ‘Red Moon’ (2015)
She has also performed in many K-dramas including My First Time (2015), A Beautiful Mind (2016), Cinderella with Four Knights (2016), and A Record of Youth (2020). Her participation in the Korean reality cooking show “Three Meals a Day: Mountain Village” was recognized in 2019.
Park So-dam in Three Meals A Day (2019)
Other Works
She made her dramatic debut with “Let Me In” (2016) as “Eli”. Henceforth, she acted in the plays Closer (2016) and The Student and Mr. Henri (2017).
Awards and Achievements
- Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Motion Picture for the film “Parasite” in 2020.
Park So dam and his cast displaying Screen Actors Guild-Award
- Blue Dragon Film Awards for Best Supporting Actress for the movie “The Priests” in 2016.
Park So dam delivers acceptance speech at Blue Dragon Film Awards
- Baeksang Arts Awards for Best New Actress (Movie) for “The Priests” in 2016.
- Buil Film Awards for Best Supporting Actress for the film “The Priests” in 2016.
- Busan Film Critics Awards for Best New Actress for the movie “The Silenced” in 2015.
Signature
Park So-dam’s autograph
Favorites
- Food: Kimbap, shrimp, kimchi, Sundubu-Jigae, Ramyeon, Jajangmyeon
- Actress: Kim Hye-soo, Charlize Theron
- Director: Kim Yoon-Seok
Facts / Anecdotes
- She was motivated by the musical “Grease”. She went to see it when she was in high school. It inspired her to become an actress. She stated,
“When I was in high school I went to see the musical Grease and I thought the performers looked so happy, singing and sweating as they ran around the stage, that’s when- there that I decided what I wanted to do. I thought, “I want a life as fun and happy as theirs” and started dreaming about acting. “
- Because of her identity crisis, she was always looking for good projects. She wondered what she was good at. Speaking of that time speaks So-dam,
“I thought a lot about what I was good at, so instead of choosing my projects, I often ended up doing things here and there.”
- At first, her family rejected her idea of becoming an actress, as they were worried about the difficulties she might face as an actress, but eventually, they acknowledged her. She says,
“After they saw me come home at night, exhausted but happy, they became more supportive, because they wanted me to be happy. That was the biggest motivation for me, the support of my family. I also had the chance to meet such amazing people in the industry and that kept me going.”
- She was selected among 2000 girls, who came to audition for the part of ‘Lee Young-shin’ for the film ‘The Priest’ (2015). Talking about the selection process and how she handled wrapping the film, So-dam said,
I went through four stages of the audition process. I didn’t know there were 2000 people trying. At the time, black priests made headlines by auditioning rookie actresses who were willing to shave their heads. They’re not really going to shave my head. Are they?” was my thought process, but on the second round they told us to put the wig on, and I realized that they were actually going to force us to. When I put the wig on, people there complimented me, “You really look good on you”, and I was dazed. I’m not someone with a striking look, and with long hair, I could have easily blended in with the crowd. But the director who saw me in the second round of auditions said, “This girl has a unique aura.” I think the short hair wig changed my fate in the process of hearing.”
Park So-dam in a scene from The Priest (2015)
- Park So-dam and leading South Korean actress Park Won-sook are the closest in the family; as Park Won-sook is Park So-dam’s grandfather’s cousin.
- The role model of Park So-dam is South Korean actress Kim Hye-soo, who starred in films like 3 Extremes II (2002), The Thieves (2012), and Coin Locker Girl (2015). In a discussion, speaking about Hye-soo, So-dam said,
“I have immense respect for her. I think it’s so much that her acting experience covers a broad spectrum, and I want to be like that.”
- Park So Dam starred as ‘Kim Kijung’ in the 2019 film ‘Parasite’. This film won the Palme d’Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival and three Oscars in 2020.
Park So-dam posing with her Oscars
- Park So-dam also acted in the role of “Ki-Jung”, the daughter of Song Kang-ho’s character in “Parasite”. Park So-dam felt a strong affinity with him while filming “Parasite.” The connection was such that So-dam invariably calls him “Appa” (Father), instead of Sunbae (Senior). Speaking of Kang-ho, So-dam said,
“It was such a pleasure to meet someone as amazing as Song Kang Ho. Having him as a father and being able to call him “dad” was such an amazing experience. He’s someone I’m going to cling to for life because I want to learn from him so much and take from him.”
Park-So-dam with Song Kang-ho
- So-dam generally parties with her high school buddies or comedian friends she met at work. According to her, she can swallow a bottle of Soju, and usually, she drinks a can of beer. Uttering about her drinking habits, she said,
“Drinking habits? My friends say my speech is slowing down. I think it’s because even in the haze of alcohol, I try to convey my point of view as accurately as possible.”
Park So-dam having alcohol
- Park So-dam and Korean actresses Kim Go-Eun and Lee Yoo-young were classmates in their college years.
Park So-dam, Kim Go-eun and Lee Yoo-young
- She adores animals and has a pet doggie.
Park So-dam with her pet dog
- She has double eyelids. She even commented on her appearance and how it affects her self confidence,
I think having a different appearance than other people is part of my charm. I’ve never thought of getting plastic surgery. I’m not 100-percent satisfied with my face, but I like that it’s the type of face that is hard to replicate with surgery. I think it’s important for actors to have their unique charms. Because other people can’t easily copy it, it can be an advantage to me. If there are actresses who look like dolls, shouldn’t there also be actresses who look like me? Especially since there are so many different roles to play out there. It’s more interesting to watch if there are different types of charms on display. Of course, at first I thought that people with sharp facial features would stand out better on camera. I started acting because I wanted to perform, but I didn’t think I’d actually be able to stand in front of a camera one day. When I graduated, I didn’t think I’d be able to shoot even one film, but when I turned 21, I kept being contacted by acting productions. From then on, I started gaining confidence in my looks.
- With her hectic schedule, she says that she needs a two-week vacation! In her words,
I want to travel. It doesn’t matter where, but I would like to go on a two-week journey
- Park So Dam was diagnosed with Papillary Thyroid Cancer in 2021 and had to skip the promotions of her film, “Special delivery.” She underwent surgery immediately after being diagnosed. She reveals she was shocked and scared but is looking forward to maintaining a healthier lifestyle.
- Park So Dam stars in Special Delivery as Jang Eun Ha, a talented driver who has a 100 percent success rate when it comes to making special deliveries. She reveals it is her first major solo project. However, she says that she was afraid to drive a car before because she has gotten into car accidents before. But now thanks to the training, she feels more confident.
- During the shooting of Special Delivery and due to her character’s unique hair color, the production team had to rent a hair salon in Busan to dye Park So Dam’s hair. The actress expressed gratitude to the makeup and outfit team for always having been by her side and making her feel as if she wasn’t alone when in front of the camera.
Park So Dam in Special Delivery as Jang Eun Ha
- In an interview, she reveals that “Parasite” director Bong Joon Ho had wanted to cast her and Choi Woo Shik as siblings because of their physical resemblance. She says that she is thankful to Choi Woo Shik because he was cast first and she was casted because she looked like him according to the director.
“Director [Bong Joon Ho] said he wanted to cast the two of us as brother and sister,” she recalled. “For our first meeting with both of us there, he asked us to come without wearing any makeup at all. So we really showed up without even washing our hair—a completely all-natural look. And as soon as he saw the two of us, director [Bong Joon Ho] was so happy.”
Choi Woo Shik and Park So-dam in Parasite (2019)
- The actress recalled that even though he was older than her, Anupam Tripathi had been one year below Park So Dam in school—and so he always respectfully called her “sunbae” (senior).
Anupam Tripathi and Park So-dam
- On Feb 7, 2021, Park So-dam confirmed that she had COVID-19 and was in quarantine. During this time, she was also receiving her treatment for cancer.
- Anupam Tripathi and Park So-dam took part in his first college production, Romeo and Juliet. Park So Dam portrayed Juliet, while Anupam played her housekeeper.
- Park So Dam once made Anupam a scallion pancake at school because he doesn’t eat meat.
- She has a special figurine doll of herself.
A figurine of Park So-dam
- She did a campaign with Louis Vuitton and Elle magazine in collaboration. She appeared on the covers of Elle and Vogue magazine Korea too.
Park So-dam’s photoshoot for the Vogue magazine
Park So-dam in a video campaign for LV and Elle
Park So-dam on the covers of Elle Magazine Korea
- Park So-dam likes to eat non-vegetarian food like chicken, fish, and eggs. She frequently posts pictures of her meals on Instagram.
Park So-dam’s meals
Park So-dam posting about her meals
- Her first post on Instagram was a picture of herself on July 3, 2015.
The first picture of Park So-dam on Instagram
