We all know Song Hye Kyo as a beloved Hallyu star revered for both her timeless beauty and award-winning performances. While she’s mostly garnered fame for her globally successful K-dramas, the actress has also starred in a number of critically acclaimed movies, one of which was even nominated twice at the 86th Academy Awards. Not yet familiar with her film repertoire? Keep scrolling below!
8 Movies Starring Song Hye Kyo:
1. My Girl and I (2005)
My Girl and I was Hye Kyo’s first film. It’s a romantic drama based off the 2001 Japanese movie Crying Out Love, In the Center of the World. Hye Kyo portrayed Bae Su-eun, a high school student who saves her classmate’s life. Soon after, they fall for each other and start dating, which stirs up jealousy amongst their schoolmates. Nevertheless, the two pursue each other, but everything takes a tragic turn when Su-eun’s secret is revealed. Hye Kyo was nominated at the 2006 Baeksang Arts Awards for the Best New Film Actress category thanks to her performance in the movie.
Also starring: Cha Tae Hyun, Kim Hae Sook, Lee Soon Jae
2. Hwang Jin Yi (2007)
Hwang Jin-yi is based on the true story of the titular character, as played by Hye Kyo. Born an aristocrat, Jin-yi’s reality is upended when she finds out she’s an illegitimate daughter who actually belongs to a lower class family. Forced into a life of isolation, she becomes Korea’s most famous courtesan, beloved for her beauty and charm, but perpetually and tragically destined to be alone.
Also starring: Yoo Ji Tae, Ryu Seung Ryong, Youn Yuh Jung
3. Make Yourself at Home (2008)
Hye Kyo branched out into the Western industry in 2008 by starring in the American indie film Make Yourself at Home, alternatively titled Fetish. Here, she played an emigrant with a seedy past who moves to New Jersey. When she grows an obsession with her married caucasian neighbors, her suspicious history starts to come back for her.
Also starring: Arno Frisch, Athena Currey
4. A Reason to Live (2011)
Hye Kyo played documentary filmmaker Da-hae in A Reason to Live. The movie starts out with a tragic accident when Da-hae’s fiance dies in a hit and run. When the culprit turns out to be a 15-year-old boy sentenced to death row, Da-hae decides to forgive him and get his penalty revoked on account of her Catholic faith. She starts to question her belief, though, after the same teenager kills his classmate after he’s set free.
Also starring: Nam Ji Hyun, Song Chang Eui, Ki Tae Young
5. The Grandmaster (2013)
This critically applauded Chinese film by famed auteur Wong Kar-wai traces the life of Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man, the man who would one day train Bruce Lee. Here Hye Kyo played his wife, Cheung Wing-sing. The Grandmaster received multiple nominations, including a record breaking 12 wins at the 33rd Hong Kong Film Awards. It was also nominated for Best Costume Design and Best Cinematography at the prestigious 86th Academy Awards.
Also starring: Tony Leung, Zhang Ziyi, Zhang Jin
6. My Brilliant Life (2014)
This emotional film follows Ah-reum, a 16-year-old who, due to a rare genetic disorder, ages prematurely and has the body of an eighty-year-old man. While his parents struggle to earn money for his hospital expenses, Ah-reum accepts his short life-span, and decides to write down the story of how his young parents first fell in love, as a final gift to them for his 17th birthday. Hye Kyo plays Ah-reum’s mom, the beautiful but ill-tempered Mi-ra.
Also starring: Gang Dong Won, Jo Sung Mok
7. The Crossing (2014-2015)
The Crossing is a two-part historical romance drama based on the sinking of the Chinese steamer Taiping in 1949. The tragic event took the lives of an estimated 1500 passengers. The movie itself centers on the plight of three couples fleeing China for Taiwan in the midst of a revolution in the former country.
Also starring: Zhang Ziyi, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Huang Xiaoming
8. The Queens (2015)
The Queens is a Chinese film based on a novel of the same name. The movie follows three cosmopolitan woman as they experience the highs and lows of their romantic lives. Hye Kyo portrays Annie, an actress who experiences great heartbreak when her boyfriend breaks up with her for another woman.
Also starring: Shawn Dou, Joe Chen, Tony Yang, Vivian Wu
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