Park So-dam (Korean: 박소담; born September 8, 1991) is a South Korean actress. She came into popular recognition in 2015 for her role as a demon possessed schoolgirl in The Priests, and as Eun Ha-won in the Korean television series Cinderella with Four Knights. She is best known internationally for her role as Kim Ki-jung in the 2019 critically acclaimed Korean comedy thriller film Parasite, which won the Palme d’Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival and the Academy Award for Best Picture. She is appearing in lead role in 2020 series Record of Youth.
Career
When Park was in high school, she watched the musical Grease and developed an interest in acting. While in university, Park started her career by turning to independent films after being rejected in around seventeen auditions. Known as a prolific performer in independent cinema, Park starred in the Korean Academy of Film Arts feature Ingtoogi: Battle of the Internet Trolls and the indie Steel Cold Winter, the latter of which drew notice when it premiered at the Busan International Film Festival. Park also took bit parts in mainstream titles Scarlet Innocence and The Royal Tailor.
She broke into the mainstream in 2015 after making a strong impression with her performance in The Silenced, which nabbed her a win for Best Supporting Actress from the Busan Film Critics Awards. She then featured in box office hits Veteran and The Throne, which led to her casting in the critically acclaimed mystery thriller The Priests. Her role as an evil possessed high school student won her multiple Best New Actress nods.
Park also extended her filmography to television. In 2016, she took the lead role in KBS2’s medical drama A Beautiful Mind and tvN’s romantic comedy series Cinderella with Four Knights.
In 2019, Park starred in Bong Joon-ho’s black comedy, Parasite. The film received international critical acclaim and was a box office success in South Korea. She gained recognition for her role as a crafty, whipsmart younger sister of the family, and became known for her “Jessica Jingle”.
In 2020, Park was cast in the youth drama Record of Youth as an aspiring makeup artist.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | No More No Less | Schoolgirl | short film |
| Steel Cold Winter | Ji-yeon | ||
| Most Ordinary Existence | Su-jin | short film | |
| Ingtoogi: The Battle of Internet Trolls | Yeon-hee | ||
| Death Theatre | Schoolgirl | short film | |
| 2014 | The Legacy | Eun-seon | |
| One on One | Coffee delivery girl | ||
| Scarlet Innocence | Chung-yi’s friend at the club | ||
| The Youth | Yeon-joo | Segment: Play Girl | |
| Playgirl | |||
| Suzi | Suzi | short film | |
| Inevitable | Lee Mi-young | ||
| The Royal Tailor | Yoo-wol | ||
| 2015 | C’est Si Bon | Schoolgirl 1 | |
| The Silenced | Hong Yeon-deok | ||
| Veteran | “The Youngest” | ||
| The Throne | Lady Moon | ||
| The Priests | Lee Young-shin | ||
| The Vampire Lives Next Door | Na-mi | short film; from omnibus Color of Asia – Masters |
|
| Blue Monday’s Woman | So-dam | short film | |
| 2016 | Take Off 2 / Gukgadaepyo 2 | Lee Ji-hye | cameo |
| Snow Paths | Maria | ||
| 2017 | Man of Will | Han Yeong-hee | special appearance |
| 2018 | Ode to the Goose | Innkeeper’s daughter | |
| The Underdog | Bamyi | voice | |
| 2019 | Parasite | Kim Ki-jung / Jessica ( Alias ) | |
| 2020 | Fukuoka | So-dam | |
| Special Cargo | Eun-ha | ||
| 2021 | Ghost | Filming |
Television series
| Year | Title | Role | Network | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Drama Special – Red Moon | Princess Hwawan | KBS2 | Drama Special | |
| My First Time | Han Song-yi | OnStyle | |||
| 2016 | A Beautiful Mind | Gye Jin-sung | KBS2 | ||
| Cinderella with Four Knights | Eun Ha-won | tvN | |||
| 2020 | Record of Youth | Ahn Jung-ha |
Variety shows
| Year | Title | Network | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Three Meals a Day: Mountain Village | tvN | Main cast with Yum Jung-ah, Yoon Se-ah | |
| 2020 | 34th Golden Disc Awards | JTBC | Host (2nd day) with Lee Seung-gi | |
| Gamsung Camping | Main cast with Park Na-rae , Ahn Young-mi , Son Na-eun , Solar | |||
| 2021 | 35th Golden Disc Awards | Host (1st day) with Lee Seung-gi |
Theater
| Year | English title | Korean title | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Let Me In | 렛미인 | Eli |
| Closer | 클로저 | Alice | |
| 2017 | The Student and Mr. Henri | 앙리 할아버지와 나 | Constance |
| 2020–2021 | Constance |
Discography
Singles
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| “Our Feeling” (Lee Yoon Chan feat. Kim Min-jae, Park So-dam & Lee Yi-kyung) |
2015 | My First Time OST |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 24th Buil Film Awards | Best New Actress | The Silenced | Nominated | |
| 52nd Grand Bell Awards | Nominated | ||||
| 36th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Nominated | ||||
| 16th Busan Film Critics Awards | Won | ||||
| One Night Surprise Awards | To Be The Queen of Cannes Award | N/A | Won | ||
| Korea Film Actors Association Awards | Popular Movie Star | The Priests | Won | ||
| 16th Women in Film Korea Awards | Best New Actress | Won | |||
| 2016 | 7th KOFRA Film Awards | Won | |||
| 11th Max Movie Awards | Won | ||||
| Rising Star Award | N/A | Won | |||
| 10th Asian Film Awards | Best Supporting Actress | The Priests | Nominated | ||
| 21st Chunsa Film Art Awards | Best New Actress | Won | |||
| 52nd Baeksang Arts Awards | Best New Actress (Film) | Won | |||
| Best New Actress (TV) | My First Time | Nominated | |||
| 5th APAN Star Awards | Best New Actress | Cinderella with Four Knights | Nominated | ||
| 25th Buil Film Awards | The Priests | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actress | Won | ||||
| 37th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Won | ||||
| 3rd Korean Film Producers Association Awards | Won | ||||
| KBS Drama Awards | Best New Actress | A Beautiful Mind | Nominated | ||
| 2019 | 40th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Parasite | Nominated | |
| IndieWire Critics Poll | 10th place | ||||
| 2020 | Critics’ Choice Awards | Best Acting Ensemble | Nominated | ||
| 26th Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Motion Picture | Won | |||
| 56th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated | |||
| 5th Asia Artist Awards 2020 | Popularity Award (Actress) | N/A | Nominated | ||
| JTBC | Best Chemistry Award with Solar | Gamsung Camping | Won | ||
| 2021 | 7th APAN Star Awards | Popular Star Award, Actress | Record of Youth | Nominated |