Having deep SNSD nostalgia? Do you miss them so much that you wish you can see them again? Well, we may not see them as a group together really soon (although rumors are rife regarding a 15th anniversary reunion single), but we can see them in some movies and dramas. Yes, a good number of them (four to be exact) have starred in numerous dramas and feature films. We’re not talking about cameo appearances here, but lead parts! So, get on your favorite streaming apps and try to look for these to tide you over your SNSD separation anxiety:
Sooyoung
What she’s most known for: Next to being one of the visuals of Girls’ Generation, Sooyung recently made herself viral for being the “presenter in the red dress” in the 2020 MAMAs. While the 2020 edition of the awards show was still pretty toned down as the world was still in the middle of the pandemic, this did not stop Sooyoung from arousing the curiosity of the audience from the red carpet up to her moment on stage as the presenter of the Worldwide Fans Choice Award. Dressed in a gorgeous red sleeveless satin dress from Rasario with matching bangs, Sooyoung caused a lot of gasps, especially since she has kept a low profile after leaving SM Entertainment in 2017 to pursue other careers — as an actress and a police officer, no joke!
Sooyoung’s acting trajectory: Like most idols turned actresses, she first started by essaying small roles and cameo appearances, including KBS2’s sitcom Unstoppable Marriage (with Kim Soomi and Kim Dongwook) in 2007, the romantic comedy film Hello, Schoolgirl in 2008 (her first movie role with Lee Yeonhee and Kangin), SBS’s drama Oh! My Lady (a cameo appearance in a drama starring Chae Rim and Super Junior’s Siwon) in 2010, another SBS drama Paradise Ranch (another cameo appearance also with Lee Yeonhee and TVXQ’s Changmin) in 2011, and an SBS drama anew with A Gentleman’s Dignity (another cameo appearance with Jang Donggun) in 2012.
Later that year, Sooyoung landed her first major acting role in tvN’s medical drama The Third Hospital, where she played Oh Jihoi’s love interest. Her senior co-stars praised her skills and viewers pointed out her capacity as an actress in emotional scenes, which they pointed as very natural. She was then cast in tvN’s romantic comedy-drama, Dating Agency: Cyrano as Minyoung, an employee of the dating agency who is attracted to her colleague Byunghoon, played by Lee Jonghyuk.
Sooyoung scored another lead role in MBC’s melodrama, My Spring Days, where she played a terminally ill patient who gets a heart transplant and falls in love with the widower of her donor. This role cemented Sooyoung’s position as a dependable actress as she won the “Best Actress in a Miniseries” award at the 2014 MBC Drama Awards and the “Excellence Award for Actress” at the 2015 Korea Drama Awards. The next year, Sooyoung starred as the female lead in KBS2’s special drama Perfect Sense, where she portrayed the role of Ahyeon, a blind teacher. Her next role then was kin the OCN crime drama Squad 38, which she starred with Ma Dongseok and Seo Inguk.
Even when Sooyoung left SM to join Echo Global Group in November 2017, the acting roles kept pouring. Her last acting roles while she was still in SM include in the JTBC web drama Someone You Might Know, where she starred opposite Lee Wongun (cheer Up, One the Woman). Later in August, she return to TV as the female lead in the MBC drama series Man in the Kitchen with On Joowan.
2018 had Sooyoung take part in the Korean-Japanese film Memories of a Dead End with Ahn Bohyun, the action comedy film Girl Cops with THE Ra Miran and Lee Sungkyung, and the romcom TV series So I Married the Anti-fan, based on the manhwa of the same name, alongside Choi Taejoon (as in Park Shinhye’s husband). In May 2019, Sooyoung signed with her agency Saram Entertainment (same agency with Pachinko’s Kim Minha and Refund Sister’s Uhm Junghwa).
Sooyoung has been seen lately in the OCN suspense thriller Tell Me What You Saw with Jang Hyuk, JTBC’s romance drama Run On with ZE:A’s Siwan, and Move to Heaven with Lee Jehoon in a special appearance. On the movie front, she was part of the enable cast of 2021’s New Year Blues.
Next on the plate for Sooyoung is the JTBC drama If You Say Your Wish with Ji Changwook and Sung Dongil (as in the dad in all the Reply seasons). The release date of the drama may not be until later in the year, as Chanwook’s Netflix miniseries The Sound of Magic is already set to be released in May.
Seohyun
What she’s most known for: Remember Prank Cam Project with baby Seo’s super awkward but stellar (not to mention intense) acting audtions with Sooyoung and Hyoyeon? While she did start off her acting career just like most idol actress by doing bit parts and cameos, soon enough she did start getting lead roles. Perhaps the most memorable of this isn’t much of the roles she has portrayed but that incident that eventually contributed to the major scandal affecting It’s Okay to Not be Okay star Seo Yeaji and her former boyfriend Kim Junghyun.
Throughout the promotion of their drama Time, Junghyun acted very coldly towards his leading lady, making it obvious that he didn’t really appreciate being around her. No skinship, no fan service, and it really looked like Jonghyun looked like he wasn’t having a good time in these events with Seohyun, as he even refused to smile when the press took photos of them together. This was a complete 180 turn from his warm and friendly relationship with Seo Yeaji, who he would take pictures with and even sometimes hug after a successful day at shooting.
It wasn’t until 2021 when Junghyun finally penned an apology letter to everyone in the staff of the drama and his fans for all the discomfort he caused. During this time, messages between Junghyun and his alleged girlfriend at that time Seo Yeaji were leaked, where the latter kept on pressuring Junghyun to act stiff and cold towards all his female staff and co-stars.
Seohyun debuted as an actress in 2013 through a supporting role in SBS’s drama Passionate Love, where she played Yurim, a veterinary student and first love of the male lead character played by Lee Wonkeun. She was then seen in the Chinese romantic film So I Married An Anti-fan and SBS’s historical drama Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, which earned her a Special Acting Award at the 2016 SBS Drama Awards.
For some reason, Seohyun’s acting skills were more honed in the theatre from 2015 to around 2017, as she took part in numerous stage plays and musicals. Then, after taking part in OnStyle’s web-drama Ruby Ruby Love with Lee Yikyung and Lee Chulwoo, she starred in MBC’s weekend drama Bad Thief, Good Thief as Kang So-joo, a police-woman-turned-investigator who struggles to fight against the abusive officials with Kim Jihoon and Ji Hyunwoo. This portrayal won her the Best New Actress award at the 2017 MBC Drama Awards. After leaving SM Entertainment in 2017, her first major acting job was 2018’s Time, as in the show mentioned above where she shared a whole lot of awkward experiences with Kim Junghyun.
In March 2019, Seohyun signed with Namoo Actors, the agency of actors such as Lee Joongi and Song Kang. Since joining a new agency, she has since then starred in the short drama Hello Dracula with Lee Jihyun and Lee Joobin and the JTBC television series Private Lives with Go Kyungpyo (Reply 1988, Chicago Typewriter). In February 2022, she debuted as a lead actress in a movie via Netflix’s Love and Leashes, based on the webtoon Moral Sense. Her portrayal of the role earned her a nomination for the Best New Actress award in the Film category at the 58th Baeksang Arts Awards.
Acting jobs for Seohyun has been non-stop, as she has been announced as a part of a movie, Holy Night: Demon Hunters with Ma Dongseuk and two dramas, KBS’ Jinx’s Lover with Na Inwoo and Netflix’s Song of the Bandits with Kim Namgil (One the Woman, The Fiery Priest).
Yuri
Along with Seohyun, it seems that Yuri’s acting career was not as known as Sooyoung’s or Yoona’s, but she was actually one of the earliest among the eight Soshes in starting their thespian ventures. Could it be because she started it too early that fans today wouldn’t remember her acting debut? Not only did she did start acting in 2012, she did it with a splash in SBS’ Fashion King, where she acted alongside some of the industry’s biggest names these days – Yoo Ahin, Lee Jehoon, and Shibn Sekyung. Her performance was acknowledged as it earned her nominations at the 5th Korea Drama Awards and the 2012 SBS Drama Awards. She won the New Star Award at the SBS event.
In 2013, Yuri made her film debut as she was cast as the female lead in South Korea’s first swimming-themed film, No Breathing. In the movie, Yuri was Jungeun, a girl caught in a love triangle with the two male leads, Lee Jongsuk and Seo Inguk. She also participated in the movie’s OST with two songs.
It wasn’t until three years later that SNSD’s Black Pearl returned to acting via the OCN spy thriller, Local Hero, which she starred alongside Park Sihoo (Confession of Murder, Queen of Reversals) and veteran actor Jo Sungha (The Yellow Sea, The K2). In the same year, she also starred in her first web drama Gogh, The Starry Night with Kim Youngkwang (On Your Wedding Day, Hello, Me!). The following year, she headlined the SBS’ drama Innocent Defendant with Ji Sung, a role that gave her another nomination in an Excellence Award in the Actress in a Monday-Tuesday Drama category at the 2017 SBS Drama Awards.
The following year, Yuri appeared in the second season of the sitcom, The Sound of Your Heart with Sung Hoon and in MBC’s Dae Jang Geum Is Watching with Shin Dongwook and BtoB’s Minhyuk. While Seohyun started acting onstage in 2015, it wasn’t until 2019, when Yuri acted in her first stage play, Grandpa Henry and Me. From 2020 to 2021, Yuri was part of two projects: SBS’ Breakup Probation with Hyun Woo (Pasta, Bravo My Life) and perhaps her most popular TV show to date, Bossam: Steal the Fate as the female lead with Jung Ilwoo (Haechi).
Yuri is set to star in two Chinese dramas and Dolphin, an indie movie set for release this year.
Yoona
Finally, we have the SNSD member with the most high-profile acting career. Even before her debut as a girl group member, she had already appeared in minor roles in dramas such as MBC’s Two Outs in the Ninth Inning and Woman of Matchless Beauty (2008). Her first leading role in a TV show was in KBS’ You are My Destiny with Park Jaejung (Queen Seondeok) and Lee Jihoon (My Fair Lady), which won her two “Best New Actress” awards at the 2008 KBS Drama Awards and 45th Baeksang Arts Awards and made her a household name as the show reached ratings of more than 41%. Her next program was MBC’s drama Cinderella Man with Kwon Sangwoo, then KBS2’s drama Love Rain with Jang Geunseuk, a drama that was heavily criticized for its unbelieveable storyline but generated praises for its leads’ performances.
In 2014, Yoona starred in KBS2’s romantic comedy drama Prime Minister & I with Lee Beomsoo (The Beauty Inside). Loosely based on the musical film The Sound of Music, Yoona continued to garner positive reviews for her portrayal of a reporter who falls in love with the prime minister although the drama received low ratings. She also she won an Excellence Award at the 2013 KBS Drama Awards for the role. Two years later, she was cast in her debut Chinese drama God of War, Zhao Yun, based on the Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Along with her Chinese drama, Yoona starred in tvN’s action thriller The K2 with Ji Changwook.
All these years, Yoona focused on acting in the small screen and it was not until 2017 when she made her film debut in the action film, Confidential Assignment, where she played the sister-in-law of Yoo Haejin, a detective who had to host a North Korean police officer played by Hyun Bin. Two years after, she returned with Exit alongside Jo Jungsuk, a disaster comedy-action film that has went on to become one of the country’s highest-grossing movies. In 2021, she starred in Miracle: Letters to the President with Lee Seungmin (Juvenile Justice) and Park Jeongmin (Deliver Us From Evil) and TVING’s A Year-End Medley, a romcom with Lee Dongwook and Kang Haneul.
Back in 2017, Yoona also starred in MBC’s historical drama The King in Love with Im Siwan. Two years later, she acted alongside Hwang Jungmin in JTBC’s Hush, which was about the print media industry.
Yoona’s next acting assignments will include two TV series, Big Mouse and King the Land, and the sequel to Confidential Assignment and 2 O’Clock Date, which will pair her with Ahn Bohyun (who replaced Kim Seonho).
Now, isn’t that quite an accomplished bunch? Now, if we can also have Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, and Taeyeon (who had repeatedly refused acting roles, saying she is content with singing OSTs), that will be a dream come true for SONEs!
Featured Image: Official Twitter of Girls’ Generation