Hallyu legend Ha Ji-won – 5 things to know about the legendary Korean action star of Secret Garden, The King 2 Hearts and Empress Ki
We grew up watching females become damsels in distress. However, Korean action star Ha Ji-won is one of the few female actresses that has successfully deviated from the norm. She played a stuntwoman in K-drama classic Secret Garden, a North Korean special agent in The King 2 Hearts and a ruler of the Yuan dynasty in Empress Ki.
As she celebrates her 42nd birthday on June 28, here are five things to know about the hallyu star.
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She sweats for those awesome action scenes
Ha Ji-won thrives in preparing for her action roles. The actress starred as a female assassin in the 2017 movie Manhunt, by Hong Kong action master John Woo. In an interview with The Straits Times, she shared, “I wanted to make sure that I conveyed that smooth flow in my own action scenes, so I worked on my flexibility through jiu-jitsu and ballet for three months before shooting”.
She failed 100 auditions – really
Before stardom, she auditioned for a whopping 100 projects but didn’t snag any roles. Eventually, the stars aligned after she gained fame through her film debut in the 2000 thriller Truth Game.
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Her stage name Ha Ji-won is based on her manager’s first love
The actress has revealed that Ha Ji-won is only a stage name, while her real name is Jeon Hye-rim. Her stage name was based on her manager’s unfulfilled first love. She told Soompi, “The first time I heard the name Ha Ji-won, I thought it was pretty and also bold”.
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She’s skilled at boxing, hapkido, swimming and horseback riding
Performing stunts requires a lot of training, so Ha Ji-won is well-versed in many sports. She spent eight hours per day weight training and swimming for her fight scene in the 2011 movie Sector 7.
In between films, she practices sports like aerobics, boxing, traditional Korean dance, tango, horseback riding, Korean fencing and golf.
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She has won four Baeksang awards
There are no less than four Baeksang Arts Awards sitting on Ha Ji-won’s shelf, honouring her contributions to the Korean entertainment industry.
At the 46th Baeksang Arts Awards she was awarded best actress in film for Closer to Heaven. She also won best actress in TV for What Happened in Bali, most popular actress in film for Sex is Zero and best new actress in TV for Secret.
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She has thrilled audiences with her action movie stunts, but between films she loves aerobics, boxing, Korean traditional dance, tango, horseback riding, Korean fencing and golf – as she turns 42, who is the real Ha Ji-won?