Get Closer to Korean Actor Park Hae-il
Park Hae-il is one of the most talented Korean actors of all time. Many people called him a ‘blank paper’ as he is always able to perfectly execute his roles. This title is proven by his successful portrayal of various different characters in his movies and dramas. Park Hae-il even became a part of several top-grossing movies in Korea.
Besides his acting skills, people also praise him for his good character and his love towards his wife and children. In this article, we will talk all about Park Hae-il!
Profile and Career
| Park Hae-il (박해일) | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 26, 1977 Seoul, South Korea |
| Education | Namseoul University – English (dropped out) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Agent | HM Entertainment |
| Spouse(s) |
Seo Yoo-seon (m. 2006)
|
| Children | 2 |
Career
Park Hae-il began his acting career in theater but soon gained attention from the movie industry in 2003 when he took parts in Jealousy Is My Middle Name and Memories of Murder. His film career skyrocketed with leading roles in films of diverse genres, including the relationship drama Rules of Dating in 2005, the horror mystery Paradise Murdered in 2007, and the crime thriller Moss in 2010.
Park Hae-il began appearing in theater productions ever since childhood, and he first established himself on stage rather than on the screen. His career was shining brightly after he was awarded the Best New Actor award in the theater category at the Baeksang Arts Awards for his role in the play Ode to Youth in 2000. After that, he got his film debut in a minor role of Yim Soon-rye’s Waikiki Brothers. However, he left a major impression in his second film Jealousy Is My Middle Name in which he played a conflicted young man who develops a fascination/hatred for his boss who has stolen two women from him. The film won the top prize at the Busan International Film Festival in 2002 and was released commercially the following spring.
Throughout his career, Park Hae-il successfully played many different characters for his roles. Park Hae-il took on his darkest role in the acclaimed smash hit Memories of Murder where he portrayed a man suspected of committing serial murder. In the following year, he was perfectly appearing in a romantic role opposite Jeon Do-yeon in the time-travel drama My Mother, the Mermaid. In 2005, he again played a character of a completely different personality in Rules of Dating where he played a dirty-minded, scheming high school instructor who sets his mind on a pretty student teacher.
2006 saw him return to work with acclaimed director Bong Joon-ho in the big-budget monster movie The Host which went on to become the best-selling Korean film of all time. Following, he acted in Paradise Murdered, a surprise hit in 2007. Kyu Hyun-kim of Koreanfilm.org called Park “an inspired choice for the ostensible protagonist, projecting fatigued compassion and cold calculation in equal measure, his obsidian pupils glistening with streaks of chilling obsession.”
After several other projects, Park Hae-il next starred in War of the Arrows, a fictional tale set in the Joseon Dynasty, which follows Nam-yi on his search for his younger sister Ja-in after she is kidnapped by Qing Dynasty soldiers during an invasion. As he slays enemy soldiers with his bow and arrows, he is confronted by Jushinta, a Manchu enemy commander who is also well known for his archery prowess. This movie made headlines by selling to distributors from six countries at the Cannes film market and becoming the highest-grossing Korean film of 2011. Park won Best Actor honors at the prestigious Grand Bell Awards and Blue Dragon Film Awards.
He returned to the big screen in A Muse, a film adaptation of celebrated author Park Bum-shin’s sensational novel about an old poet who ends up falling for a 17-year-old girl named Eun-gyo. Upon realizing his love for the teenager, the poet goes through emotional turmoil and self-destruction while being willing to give up his fame as one of the nation’s most respected literary figures. The 35-year-old actor took on the challenge of nearly eight hours of makeup daily on top of learning the weary gait and gesture of a man in his 70’s.
Marriage with His Wife
Park Hae-il married his wife Seo Yoo-seon on March 11, 2006. They have been in a relationship for a long time before deciding to tie the knot. Their relationship started even before Park Hae-il became a popular actor in Korea. Seo Yoo-seon is a broadcast writer three years his junior.
In an interview, Park Hae-il talks about various topics. He was asked whether he ever had a serious crush on someone. Park Hae-il answered, “I was a play actor, and my wife was an audience.” He then talked about his first meeting with his wife.
He was reminiscing about the time when he was still a play actor before he got his screen debut. He said that he met a fan who loved his acting and who dreamed of becoming a scriptwriter one day. He said that his wife stayed together with him even when he only made $50 a month. He said, “I was having financial difficulty, but my wife stayed with me. That was my major crush.”
He then continued, “I was captivated by this woman who came to see me perform on stage. I was going through economically tough times. She had part-time jobs and bought me a lot of drinks. Eventually, I succumbed to her charms and married her,” he said in an interview.
After his successful debut, he was never afraid to disclose his relationship. The couple got married after six years of dating, and now they have 2 children. Currently, Seo Yoo-seon works as a scriptwriter.
His love for his wife is never shaking and is even growing stronger with time. Once, he heard that he was Wonder Girls’ So-hee’s ideal guy. He replied by saying, “If she meets me, her dreamy image of me will crumble.”
Park Hae-il’s Son
Park Hae-il and his wife Seo Yoo-seon have two children from their marriage. Their first son, Park Geu-rim, was born in 2010, 4 years after their marriage.
In 2016, Park Hae-il’s agency revealed to the public that Seo Yoo-seon was in the early stages of pregnancy with their second child and was focusing on prenatal care and education.
HM Entertainment stated, “It is true that Park’s wife is currently pregnant. However, Park Hae-il is very cautious about making the news public since it is his private life and also because the wife is in the early phase of pregnancy.”
Originally, the happy news was only shared with the couple’s close friends and family. Until now, the couple still keeps the privacy of their two children from the public.
Filmography
Here is the full list of Park Hae-il’s movies, dramas, and plays!
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Waikiki Brothers | young Sung-woo | |
| 2002 | Who R. U.? | Man in photograph (bit part) | |
| 2003 | Audition | Yoon Ji-seok | short film |
| Scent of Love | Seo In-ha | ||
| Jealousy Is My Middle Name | Lee Won-sang | ||
| Memories of Murder | Park Hyeon-gyu | ||
| 2004 | How to Paint the Portrait of a Bird | Span Drama episode (TV, MBC) | |
| Show Me | segment: “Mobile” | ||
| My Mother, the Mermaid | Kim Jin-guk | ||
| 2005 | Rules of Dating | Lee Yoo-rim | |
| Boy Goes to Heaven | Bae Ne-mo | ||
| 2006 | The Host | Park Nam-il | |
| 2007 | Skeletons in the Closet | Kyung-ho | |
| Paradise Murdered | Jae Woo-sung | ||
| 2008 | Modern Boy | Lee Hae-myeong | |
| 2009 | A Million | Han Ki-tae | |
| Good Morning, President | Man requesting a transplant (cameo) |
||
| The End | Hae-il | short film | |
| 2010 | Moss | Ryu Hae-guk | |
| Second Half | Director Bong (cameo) | ||
| 2011 | Heartbeat | Lee Hwi-do | |
| End of Animal | Baseball cap | ||
| War of the Arrows | Choi Nam-yi | ||
| Endless Joke | short film | ||
| 2012 | Doomsday Book | RU-4 robot (voice) | segment: “The Heavenly Creature” |
| A Muse | Lee Jeok-yo | ||
| Dangerously Excited | Dae-hee’s brother (cameo) | ||
| The Winter of the Year Was Warm | Radio critic (voice cameo) | ||
| 2013 | Boomerang Family | Oh In-mo | |
| 2014 | Gyeongju | Choi Hyeon | |
| Santa Barbara | Reporter (voice cameo) | ||
| Whistle Blower | Yoon Min-cheol | ||
| My Dictator | Tae-sik | ||
| 2015 | Love and… | 1st lighting technician | |
| 2016 | The Last Princess | Kim Jang-han | |
| 2017 | The Fortress | King Injo | |
| 2018 | Good Day | ||
| High Society | Jang Tae-joon | ||
| Naratmalssami | |||
| TBA | Control |
Music Video Appearances
| Year | Song Title | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | “Did We Really Love” | Brown Eyed Soul |
| 2004 | “Dan” | Kim Don-gyu |
Theater
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2000 | Ode to Youth |
| 2003 | Othello |
| Family Baguette | |
| 2003 | Generation After Generation |
Awards and Nominations
Throughout his career, Park Hae-il has always gotten the spotlight for winning several awards. Here is the list!
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 36th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best New Actor (Theater) | Ode to Youth | Won |
| 2003 | 4th Busan Film Critics Awards | Best New Actor | Jealousy Is My Middle Name | Won |
| 11th Chunsa Film Art Awards | Best New Actor | Won | ||
| 23rd Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | Best New Actor | Won | ||
| 40th Grand Bell Awards | Best New Actor | Scent of Love | Nominated | |
| 26th Golden Cinematography Awards | Best New Actor | Won | ||
| 2nd Korean Film Awards | Best New Actor | Jealousy Is My Middle Name | Won | |
| Best Supporting Actor | Memories of Murder | Nominated | ||
| 24th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best New Actor | Jealousy Is My Middle Name | Nominated | |
| 6th Director’s Cut Awards | Best New Actor | Won | ||
| 8th Women Viewers Film Awards | Best Actor | Won | ||
| 2004 | 3rd Korean Film Awards | Best Actor | My Mother, the Mermaid | Nominated |
| 2005 | 26th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Actor | Rules of Dating | Nominated |
| 4th Korean Film Awards | Best Actor | Nominated | ||
| 2006 | 42nd Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actor (Film) | Nominated | |
| 9th Director’s Cut Awards | Best Performance (Ensemble cast) | The Host | Won | |
| 2007 | 3rd Andre Kim Best Star Awards | Best Star Award | N/A | Won |
| 2008 | 16th Korean Culture and Entertainment Awards | Best Actor in a Movie or Musical | Modern Boy | Won |
| 2011 | 15th Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival | Actor’s Award | N/A | Won |
| 48th Grand Bell Awards | Best Actor | War of the Arrows | Won | |
| 32nd Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Actor | Won | ||
| 19th Korean Culture and Entertainment Awards | Grand Prize (Daesang) for Film | Won | ||
| 27th Korea Best Dressed Swan Awards | Best Dressed | N/A | Won | |
| 2012 | 7th Asia Model Festival Awards | Asia Special Award | N/A | Won |
| 6th Asian Film Awards | Best Actor | War of the Arrows | Nominated | |
| People’s Choice Award for Favorite Actor | Nominated | |||
| 48th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actor (Film) | Nominated | ||
| 2014 | 23rd Buil Film Awards | Best Actor | Gyeongju | Nominated |
| 51st Grand Bell Awards | Best Actor | Whistle Blower | Nominated | |
| 35th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Actor | Nominated | ||
| 2015 | 2nd Wildflower Film Awards | Best Actor | Gyeongju | Nominated |
| 2017 | 37th Golden Cinema Festival | Best Actor | The Last Princess | Won |
| Korean Screenwriter Association | Best Actor | N/A | Won |
