Kim So Hyun Grows Up

The 24-year-old South Korean Actress Has Always Lived A Life On-screen. Now, With A Renewed Spirit And Sense Of Purpose, She’s In Pursuit Of Exactly What She Wants

- FARISIA THANG

Hitting the silver screen at a young age may seem like the kind of thing that sets one’s path in life forever, except that it’s not quite true — there are child actors who grow up and choose to do something else and then there are child actors who decide to stay the course as adults.

At just seven years old, Kim So Hyun was already playing supporting roles in several series. And while her interest in acting may have begun from a place of curiosity, by the age of 16, it had transformed into something that she wanted to commit to.

“It was during the filming for Who Are You: School 2015 that I realised I would continue acting,” she recalls, “Before that, I honestly had a lot of doubts about whether I was the right person for an acting career and whether I should continue. Filming Who Are You helped assure me and clear my doubts.”

The series saw her filling a dual role, playing a set of identical twins who were separated when they were young. It was an accomplished performance, where she managed to create two distinct characters — the naive and meek Eun Bi and the abrasive and bold Eun Byeol — that it was hard to believe they were not played by two separate actresses. For a single actress, moreover, one who was still a teenager, it was an impressive achievement.

But when it comes to Kim So Hyun, this is how it goes. Time and time again, she reveals a persistent spirit that tells people she is not to be underestimated.