Kim Tae-ri wins two Baeksang Awards! From ‘rookie monster’ to ‘acting textbook’, what makes her stand out

Ten years in the making: From serving girl in ‘Miss’ to national drama actress in ‘True Year’, her story is more thrilling than the script

Who would have thought that Kim Tae-ri, who won the Baeksang Award in 2022 for ‘Twenty-Five, Twenty-One’, would win another award three years later! At the 61st Baeksang Arts Awards in 2025, she defeated tough competitors like Jang Na-ra, IU, to become the first ‘two-time best actress’ among female actors born in the 80s. Netizens commented: ‘While others win awards by luck, she wins awards by ‘learning’!’ (After all, she once said in her speech: ‘Learning is something you have to steal yourself!’)

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From ‘learning’ to ‘godhood’, her counterattack is more exciting than a Korean drama

In 2016, Kim Tae-ri’s name was still unknown. At that time, she had just been promoted from a maid in a theater company, but she rose to fame with director Park Chan-wook’s ‘The Handmaiden’. In the film, her portrayal of the maid ‘Sook-hee’ was captivating, acting opposite leading actress Kim Min-hee without hesitation, and was even praised by the director as having ‘clear eyes like a deer’. This film won her eight rookie awards, firmly establishing her in Chungmuro (Korea’s ‘Hollywood’) and earning her the title of ‘rookie monster’.

But Kim Tae-ri’s ambition did not stop there. Her range of roles was astonishing: from the noble and spirited aristocrat in ‘Mr. Sunshine’, to the bold and handsome space captain in ‘Victory No.’, to the despairing examinee possessed by a ghost in ‘Evil Spirit’, each role subverted expectations like ‘changing faces’. Netizens joked: ‘She must have maxed out her ‘dramatic face-changing’ skill!’

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When I was born, the river rose and a coffin floated into my house. Fifteen years later, the coffin opened, and inside was her…

Despite the woman’s resistance, he broke through the defenses and she completely surrendered!!