Actress Yeom Hye-ran (49) has a rare gift: the ability to deeply move audiences, often making her characters feel like real people. This emotional resonance was especially evident in Netflix’s hit drama When life gives you tangerineswhere she plays Gwang Rye, the mother of Ae-sun (played by IU), a hardworking haenyeo from Jeju who dies tragically young from decompression sickness. Even months after the show aired, viewers still remember The strength and heartbreak of Gwang Rye.
Now, Yeom Hye-ran shows a completely different side of herself. In director Park Chan-wook’s film No other choiceshe plays Ara, Beom-mo’s (Lee Sung-min) wife, who is also the rival of the film’s protagonist Man-soo (Lee Byung-hun), a man fired from a paper company seeking reemployment. Ara is a sensual and artistic woman who never loses self-confidence despite repeated failures at acting auditions: a character who radiates charm and vitality every time she appears on screen.
Meeting Yeom at a bar in Jongno, Seoul, he admitted, “Ara was supposed to have an aura of sensuality, but that’s not really my image. I even wondered if director Park hadn’t looked at my previous work when he offered me the role. But he said, ‘That’s exactly why I chose you. It will be more interesting to see you play someone unexpected.’ This gave me the courage to accept the challenge.”
To embody Ara, Yeom transformed from the outside in. She went on a diet, got nail extensions for the first time, wore eyelash extensions and wore wigs to portray a woman who refuses to give up her long hair. “Ara is a person who never lets go, even as she gets older: she continues to love herself,” Yeom explained.
Despite her excitement, Yeom confessed that she was nervous working with Park Chan-wook for the first time. “I was worried about how audiences who knew me from Mask Girl or When Life Gives You Tangerines would react to Ara,” he said. Art director Ryu Seong-hee advised her: “If you’re nervous, visit the set often. The more comfortable you feel, the better your performance will be.” Yeom took this advice to heart, visiting the set whenever possible, even on days he wasn’t filming. “Watching the scenes come to life from the script was an incredible experience,” he recalled.
At first, Yeom felt that Ara was completely different from her, but she soon found similarities. “Like Ara, I always have the desire to create and a mindset of, ‘If I can’t do it, I’ll find another way.’ I’m a practical person,” he said. “For me, acting always starts with who I am, it’s the journey from myself to the character.”
Yeom began his career in 2000 on the Daehak-ro theater stage and made his film debut with a minor role in Bong Joon-ho’s film. Memories of Murder (2003). He gained public recognition through tvN Dear My Friends (2016) and has since appeared in numerous acclaimed projects such as Guardian: the solitary and great God, When the camellia blooms, The mysterious counter, The GloryAND I can talk.
Only in 2025, Yeom acted When life gives you tangerines, Law and cityand movies like Virus, Wall to wallAND No other choicefirmly establishing herself as one of the most sought after Korean actresses. “These days, people introduce me as ‘the trendiest actress, Yeom Hye-ran’” he said. “When you work alongside Park Chan-wook, Lee Byung-hun, Son Ye-jin and Park Hee-soon, how could you not feel like one? It’s a truly precious opportunity.”
Looking back, Yeom says he has already achieved his dream. “My dream was simple: I just wanted to act without worrying about paying the bills. I never dreamed of acting in a Park Chan-wook film or winning awards. I just wanted to make a living from my art. Now that I can, I realize I’ve made it.”
As for the future, Yeom remains humble. “My only thought is to do my next project well” he said with a smile. However, she is eager to show audiences more sides of herself. “Gwang Rye’s image as a devoted mother has left a strong impression, and some fans still cry when they see me. I’m grateful, but I don’t want to limit myself to that image. I want to experience everything and continue to surprise people.”
Sources: Daum
