"Bridgerton 4" actress Ha Ye-rin, who played the female lead Sophie, expressed interest in activities in Korea.
Netflix Korea held a press conference for the original series "Bridgerton 4" on the afternoon of the 4th at Community Masil in Myeongdong, Jung-gu, Seoul. Ha Ye-rin, who played the female lead Sophie in "Bridgerton 4," attended this event. Under the moderation of broadcaster Park Kyung-rim, she spoke with domestic reporters about the work and her recent activities.
"Bridgerton" is based on Julia Quinn's best-selling novels and is set in the British Regency era, portraying the love stories of the Bridgerton family in London's high society. In season 4, the Bridgerton family's second son Benedict showed a love that transcends social status with Sophie Beck, a maid born out of wedlock, and received intense love. Thanks to this, it reached No. 1 on Netflix's global series chart and drew great attention in Korea as well, reaching as high as No. 2 despite being a foreign series.
Notably, Ha Ye-rin is a Korean-descended actor born to Korean parents in Australia. The fact that a Korean-descended actor took the female lead in the "Bridgerton" series drew intense interest from domestic fans. In the original work, Sophie Beck was changed to Sophie Baek through Ha Ye-rin's casting.
Regarding this, Ha Ye-rin revealed the casting backstory, saying, "When I got the call that I had been cast, we were going to talk about the character, but it was so natural to ask what Korean surname would fit Beck, and 'Baek' starting with 'B' came to mind. Beck has a similar sound to Baek. So I asked very casually if 'Baek' would be better, and it was accepted and changed. There wasn't a big discussion. But rather, it was refreshing. Since I am a Korean actor, I thought it was only natural to change it to a surname that fits my identity."
She said there was no attempt to avoid Asian stereotypes. Ha Ye-rin said, "It took a long time. I tried to make what was in my body feel comfortable. This is my body and this is how I look, so I thought I should celebrate it."
She said, "I've used Yerin since I was young. Even in Australia. I didn't really have another English name. I always changed it to 'Yerin Ha.' I think that was actually really good. Looking back, I'm grateful my mother didn't give me another English name. As a Korean, I think it allowed me to show my identity with confidence, so I'll continue to use it."
Among the scenes where Sophie spent time with Benedict (Luke Thompson) in the 'hut,' some reacted that Ha Ye-rin's clapping reminded them of the clapping at a mineral spring. In response, Ha Ye-rin laughed and said, "It wasn't done intentionally. But when I think of Sophie as a character who can't enjoy rest, it seems to have come out naturally. Even I found it surprising."
She went on to say about activities in Korea, "I would be grateful if there was an opportunity. But when I speak Korean, I think there is an Australian accent. I am especially interested if it is a work that goes to international film festivals."
[Photo] Provided by Netflix.
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