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Actor Spotlight: Esom

This week’s actor spotlight is dedicated to an actress with an incredible filmography and a superb talent. Let’s dive into Esom’s works. 

Beginnings

Lee So-young (aka. Esom) started off in entertainment work in 2008 when she had a participation in the TV show ‘Check it Girl’, during this same year she was also featured in TVXQ’s video for the single ‘Wrong Number’.

Her official acting debut was in 2010 in the movie ‘Second Half’ where she had the main role. In 2011 she had a support role in the movies ‘The Last Blossom’ and ‘Hindsight’.

Between 2012 and 2013 she got the main roles for the movies ‘Behind the Camera’, ‘The Story of Man and Woman’ and ‘The X’, the short film ‘Skyscraper’, as well as a support role for the movie ‘The Gifted Hands’. 

Breakthrough role 

Esom had a busy 2014, she landed supporting roles for the movies ‘Man on High Heels’ and ‘Santa Barbara’. Her career took a leap in popularity when she got the main role for the movie ‘Scarlet Innocence’, for this film she earned the Best New Actress award at the 2015 Director’s Cut Awards. 

After a well deserved short break, she came back in 2016 with the main role in the movie ‘Like For Likes’ and the supporting role in the film ‘The Queen of Crime’.

TV Roles 

Despite having appeared in drama in 2011 and 2012, Esom’s first major role in a TV Series was in the 2017 drama ‘Because This Is My First Life’. This role was followed by the movies ‘My Little Brother’ and her supporting role in ‘Warriors of the Dawn’.

In 2018 Esom won the award for Best Actress in the Busan Film Critics Awards and in the Wildflower Film Awards for her role in the movie ‘Microhabitat’. This same year she also had the lead role for the JTBC drama ‘The Third Charm’. 

These productions were followed by the 2019 productions ‘My Exceptional Brother’ and ‘Save Me 2’.

Latest works

Esom has an extensive acting career, she has proved her incredible talent by taking on roles with a wide range of characteristics, and she has delivered an outstanding performance for all of them. 

In 2020, her role in ‘Samjin Company English Class’ earned her the Best Supporting Actress Award at the Blue Dragon Film Awards, as well as the Star of the Year at the Buil Film Awards in 2021. 

Her most recent role was in the drama ‘Taxi Driver’, and she is confirmed for the upcoming drama ‘Black Knight’ and the film ‘Single in Seoul’. 

Make sure to follow her on Instagram for cute pics, and you can check Esom’s entire filmography here.  

K-Beauty enthusiast, Drama Lover, Melophile and Foodie, writing about her faves on a daily basis.