5 classic must-watch hits of Jeon Do-yeon
Jeon Do-yeon is a veteran actress in her 50s in the South Korean Entertainment industry who devours every role that she’s ever taken on. Despite having a legendary career span, the actress achieved global popularity through her role in the hit Netflix drama Crash Course in Romance.
Even though she is enjoying her newfound fame through a rom-com drama, Jeon Do-yeon is known as the “Queen of Tears” for her ability to pull off melodramatic roles with ease.
Jeon Do-yeon is the second Korean actress ever to win the Best Actress Award at the 60th Cannes Film Festival for her lead role in the film Secret Sunshine. Moreover, she was the first Korean actress to become a judge at the Cannes Film Festival.
Lost, Star in My Heart, and 3 other hits that are a must-watch for any Jeon Do-yeon fan
1) Star in My Heart
Star in My Heart was one of the first dramas that propelled Jeon Do-yeon into stardom in South Korea. The show is a love triangle involving an orphaned girl, the son of a rich businessman, and an executive of a top fashion house. Despite not having a lead role in the drama, Jeon Do-yeon's character Soon-ae, the best friend of the lead actress, helped her earn various other roles in movies thereafter.
Star in My Heart was also one of the first dramas to be broadcast outside of South Korea, kick-starting the Hallyu Wave. The entire cast of the 1997 drama gained popularity outside of South Korea, especially in China.
2) You Are My Sunshine
You Are My Sunshine is a melodramatic 2005 film that is bound to make viewers cry. Jeon Do-yeon plays the role of a delivery girl who gets married to the main lead, a farmer, who pursues her incessantly.
However, their marital bliss is short-lived as Do-yeon’s character gets diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. Furthermore, she is tracked down by her abusive ex-husband. To escape his grasp, she is forced to run away and fall back into her old life of pr*stitution.
3) Birthday
The 2019 film Birthday is the first South Korean movie to explore the tragic Sewol Ferry disaster of 2014 that took the lives of hundreds of school children. Jeon Do-yeon plays the role of a bereaved mother, Soo-nam, who, after the loss of her son, is shell-shocked by the tragedy and is unable to function normally.
Soo-nam and her husband are unable to communicate well with each other as they’re still reeling from their loss. However, despite their trauma, they still have to raise their now only remaining child, Ye-sol.
4) Housemaid
Housemaid, released in 2010, is an erotic psychological thriller movie that made waves upon its release. Jeon Do-yeon is nicknamed the chameleon for her ability to adapt and do justice to any role that is thrown her way, and that is exactly what she did in Housemaid.
The movie explores the themes of adultery and the crime of passion. Jeon Do-yeon plays the role of a housemaid, Eun-yi, whose primary task is to take care of the rich couple’s young daughter, Nami.
Nami’s father starts flirting with Eun-yi and the two start having a s*xual relationship behind Nami’s mother’s back. This leads to the formation of a toxic love triangle that only ends in death.
5) Lost
JTBC’s tenth anniversary special project Lost starred the Crash Course in Romance actress as Bu-jeong, a ghostwriter who wants to write an original script in her own name. She has always tried to live her life to the fullest, but a sudden failure leads her to lose interest in continuing her life.
Lost is a K-drama that tells the stories of ordinary people who have been striving to achieve their high ambitions. However, they have a sudden realization that they are stuck leading average lives with no improvement in their present.
Jeon Do-yeon is the living proof of Michelle Yeoh’s Oscars speech which urges ladies not to believe anyone who tells them they’re past their prime. The actress is over 50 years old and continues to have a flourishing career as a leading lady. Her latest movie Kill Bok-soon will be released on Netflix on March 31, 2023, where the actress plays the role of a single mother who is also a trained assassin.
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Priya Majumdar