K-drama actress Han Ji-min goes from sweetheart to angry convict – and is loving it
The Korean star takes on the serious issue of child abuse in new film ‘Miss Baek’, and is unrecognisable in the lead role
Han Ji-min is no longer the girl next door who everyone falls in love with.
In her latest film Miss Baek, the 35-year-old Korean actress transforms into a tough convict, swearing, spitting and smoking on a grubby street corner, in a role that is at odds with her squeaky-clean on-screen image.
Known for her starring turns in lighthearted romantic films since her 2003 debut with the drama All In, Han seems to have finally turned a corner in her career.
In Miss Baek, Han portrays Baek Sang-ah, a woman scarred by childhood abuse. She goes on to serve jail time after defending herself during a horrific sexual assault, and emerges from incarceration to live an emotionally closed-off existence under the alias Miss Baek.
The gritty drama takes an uplifting turn when Baek meets a young girl in the street with a heartbreaking story that is similar to her own.
Han went to extremes to prepare for the film, bleaching her hair and shunning all make-up except for a smear of red lipstick to symbolise strength, and fans have praised the transformation.
But the actress, who is known for her humanitarian work with underprivileged children from North Korea and Asia, says it wasn’t merely the chance to change her on-screen persona that drove her to accept the film.
“Although I’ve always been looking for new characters and changes as an actress, it was not the reason I chose this film,” Han said in a recent interview. “I accepted the offer because it deals with the painful subject of child abuse, but looks at it with a warm heart.