Along with the A-list Hollywood stars Denzel Washington, Isabelle Huppert, Keanu Reeves, Nicole Kidman, and Toni Servillo, Song Kang Ho of Parasite and Kim Min Hee of The Handmaiden are listed as two of the "25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century (so far)" by New York Times.
New York Times Don't Lie
The New York Times, on November 25, released its list of "their favorite film performers of the past 20 years." Two of Korea's most respected film stars, Song Kang Ho and Kim Min Hee, were listed at No. 16 and No. 6.
With film giants like Keanu Reeves, Nicole Kidman, Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Tilda Swinton, and more, the two prolific Korean actors were recognized for their stunning character portrayals.
Korean Actors Making A Spot in The World Entertainment
For the Parasite actor Song Kang Ho, Director Bong Joon Ho wrote his introduction. He said that the actor could bring life and rawness to every moment. He always finds a way to make every scene seamless and spontaneous, even if it involves difficult dialogue or highly technical camerawork. "Each take will be different, and the unwieldiest dialogue will seem like improvisation. It's astounding and a pleasure to witness," the director added.
Furthermore, the editorial highlighted the director's interview about his discovery of Song Kang Ho. Also, it featured working with Song many times for most of his hit productions and his preference to continue working with Song in the years ahead.
Meanwhile, Manohla Dargis, an American film critic, wrote the introduction about The Handmaiden actress Kim Min Hee. She described the actress as someone who goes big and small, veers from monstrous to mousy, and alternately hides her character's feelings and lets them run amok.
Kim Min Hee has been receiving attention as the muse of the minimal, artistic independent projects of Hong Sang Soo. With the actress being on the list, the New York Times gave Kim Min Hee a shoutout for her superb portrayal in The Handmaiden. In the movie, the actress work with Park Chan Wook.