The iconic 2001 Korean film My Sassy Girl *probably* started your love for all things Korean, am I right? It received a lot of love not just in South Korea, but also across the world! There was even a Hollywood remake that was released in 2008! In January 2021, it was announced that a Filipino adaptation is in the works, and you bet we're excited about it, too.
We know you're itching to watch the PH remake but while we wait for Toni Gonzaga and Pepe Herrera as ~*The Girl*~ and Gyeon Woo, here's an update on the OG cast of the Korean movie My Sassy Girl.
Jun Ji Hyun
Did you know that Jun Ji Hyun became a household name because of My Sassy Girl? After acting as The Girl in the movie, she became even more famous, thanks to the string of successful K-dramas she starred in after.
In 2013, Ji Hyun starred in the phenomenal SBS drama, My Love From The Star as Cheong Song Yi, a high-profile actress who meets an alien named Do Min Joon (Kim Soo Hyun).
In 2016, she was cast in yet another popular series, The Legend Of The Blue Sea, and this time, she played the role of a mermaid who falls in love with a con artist. Looks like Ji Hyun's K-drama characters have a thing for ~extraordinary~ men!
This 2021, the queen will lead in the must-watch drama, Mount Jiri (starring Ju Ji Hoon and Oh Jung Se). Soompi describes the show as a "...mystery drama about the people who climb through the mysterious and unexplored regions of Mount Jiri, which is the tallest mountain in mainland South Korea." She will also star in a special episode of Netflix's Kingdom: Ashin Of The North.
As for her personal life, Ji Hyun was married in 2012 to Choi Jun Jyuk, whom she grew up with in the same neighborhood (they weren't really close at first—it took them years before they got reacquainted with each other)! She gave birth to her first child in 2016, and welcomed her second bundle of joy two years after.
Cha Tae Hyun
Apart from being an actor, Cha Tae Hyun is also a director, radio DJ, entertainer, and singer! Like his co-star Jun Ji Hyun, he skyrocketed to fame after My Sassy Girl, as well.
Another one of Tae Hyun's most popular movies include the 2017 hit Along With The Gods: The Two Worlds, where he transformed into Kim Ja Hong, a firefighter who was caught in an accident. When he died and realized that he was already in the afterlife, three guardians helped him face seven trials (Fun fact: They're connected to the seven capital sins!) in 49 days, so he can be reincarnated.
The actor also made a cameo in many, many K-dramas, including Love In The Moonlight. He also appeared in Legend Of The Blue Sea, where he was reunited for the second time around with Ji Hyun! Their first ~reunion~ was actually in the 2004 movie Windstruck, where he portrayed the character of...The Guy. LOL! (See what they did there?)
This year, Tae Hyun will host tvN's new variety show, Unexpected Business, with his BFF, Jo In Sung. It looks like it's going to be a star-studded project because Strong Woman Do Bong Soon's Park Bo Young and Start-Up's Nam Joo Hyuk are confirmed to be guests!
In 2006, he tied the knot with his childhood sweetheart (who happens to be his first and only girlfriend), and is now a father of three. In 2012, Tae Hyun revealed that he has been battling panic disorder.
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