This time for our Actor Spotlight we’re featuring the amazing Bae Suzy. I feel like she’s one of those amazing cases of idol turned actress that just worked. You gotta admit, it’s not always the case.
She was scouted by JYP while studying in the School of Performing Arts in Seoul, and quickly debuted as a member of the girl group Miss A in 2010. Leave their song ‘Bad Girl, Good Girl’ on in the background while you continue reading 🙂 It’s one of my favorites from this group.
Acting Debut
We’ve actually featured Suzy’s debut drama before; ‘Dream High’ came out in 2011, and starred multiple other singers/idols, most notably IU and 2PM’s Taecyeon. I think Suzy (the entire cast though, really) surprised everyone with her excellent performance in the lead role. She portrayed her character’s emotional growth with subtlety and humour, and enchanted us all with her smile. This role won her the ‘Best New Actress’ KBS award for that year, and together with co-star Kim Soo-hyun they were awarded ‘Best Couple’.
From there, it was exciting to see her continue her acting path, and move on to roles that didn’t involve her signing as well (although that’s a loss for a whole other reason). She played the second lead in 2012’s Big, a romcom by the Hong Sisters, but the real twist came a year later. As the lead heroine in ‘Gu Family Book’, Suzy showed us a whole other set of skills. Kick-ass fighting scenes? Check. Convincing star-crossed lovers? Check.
Suzy was clearly not in the acting game to play around; she’s here to stay and I, for one, stan.
Take-off
In 2016, we saw her in romantic drama ‘Uncontrollably Fond’, which I have to admit was not totally my cup of tea but that had more to do with the plot rather than anything else; Too melo.
But then came ‘While you were sleeping’, which was honestly, a revelation as a drama, and we got to see her in another very different role. Part legal drama, part fantasy, this drama is about three people who can see the future through their dreams. Once again we were captivated by her performance. Also, if you haven’t watched this drama, I cannot stress how fast you should be running to do just that.
Whatever you say, you certainly can’t call her pigeon-holed; If the variety of her starring roles so far was not enough for you, then ‘Vagabond’ is here to convince you. This 2019 series saw a reunion for Suzy and Lee Seung Gi, previously co-starring in Gu Family Book, and oh my god. This time, Suzy is a covert operative for the NIS, in this spy/ action/ crime/ romance drama. The romance bit was unnecessary, but otherwise, this was an excellent series.
Why we love her
I love it when an actress/or I like plays in different types of dramas (and kicks ass in all of them!). It gets me to watch genres I might have otherwise avoided (I see you Vagabond), it demonstrates their range and reinforces my urge to stan them, and it’s generally impressive. Suzy does all that and does it well. She could have comfortably starred in a couple music dramas, showed off her singing and dancing and moved on but instead she showed us that she’s a real triple threat. Personally I find her expressions captivating, like she can draw you in and convince you that it’s all real, even when the dialogue is not exactly stellar. She could be playing the angel or she could be playing the alpha b**ch, and I’d buy it.
I’m certainly looking forward to watching how ‘Startup’, her upcoming drama in October, looks like.
