SEOUL, South Korea — When actress Amy Baik was cast in a South Korean commercial last year, she thought she had landed a promising role.
But after filming wrapped, she was shocked to learn that both the director and advertiser had cut her scenes – not because of her performance, but because she did not have the facial features valued by South Korean beauty standards.
“The reason was that I don’t have double eyelids,” said 26-year-old Baik.
“After receiving this feedback, I started to reconsider what kind of look Korea wants,” she said, adding that “it made me wonder how I could survive as an actor in South Korea.”
This experience pushed her towards a different market. The global success of “Parasite,” “Minari” and “Squid” has opened the door for South Korean performers to enter Hollywood and spawned a cottage industry of consultants helping actors navigate American casting.
“Hollywood is a dream (…) the pinnacle of acting accolades,” said Julia Kim, a Korean-American casting director who has worked on “Minari,” Amazon Prime’s “Butterfly” and “KPop Demon Hunters.”
While established stars such as Park Hae-soo and Lee Byung-hun are represented in both South Korea and America, most aspiring Korean actors lack such connections. It's this gap that talent agencies like Los Angeles-based Upstage Entertainment are trying to bridge.
Alison Dumbell, a co-founder of Upstage with experience in Bollywood and Los Angeles, said she has noticed more demands for “characters that are specifically Korean” than for typical “East Asian” characters from Western producers. She attributes the shift in part to the global popularity of South Korean entertainment.
Nevertheless, stereotypes persist. “This boring programmer annoys me,” Dumbell said. “Sometimes I don’t even imagine my actor for the role because I know they are much more versatile as actors.”
For most South Korean actors without connections and knowledge, Hollywood is still uncharted territory.
Kim, who typically casts high-profile stars and works with local casting directors for co-productions, also finds actors through social media. “I usually put out an open call on my Instagram,” she said.
But actors who don't have the support of major agencies have a hard time finding the right contacts. The American and Korean industries operate differently, and U.S. casting information rarely reaches those outside the established networks.
Kim said South Korean talent faces a steep learning curve. “I had questions: Should I change my Korean name to a Western one? Should I pay for an agent? Can I look at the camera while auditioning?” she said. Even the consistency of names is an issue: Kim recalled a K-pop artist turned actor whose name appeared online five different ways.
Technical standards also vary. Actor Misun Yeom noted that American audition tapes require a pure white background, while “in Korea it doesn't matter.”
Headshots also vary: South Korean profiles feature images similar to models, while American profiles feature character types.
“In Korea, you take profile photos like a fashion magazine model,” said veteran actor Shin Joo-hwan, who goes by Julian Shin. He played a masked soldier in the second and third seasons of Squid and starred in the third season of Taxi Driver.
Sheen found Upstage by chance—his wife, a producer, found them on LinkedIn.
His Hollywood dream was partly motivated by colleagues from his former agency – Han Yeri in Minari and Jung Ho Young in Squid Game.
“Even though I wasn’t the main character—I was just a ‘soldier’—people who saw even that brief appearance started leaving comments on my Instagram,” Shin said. “The impact of this show was truly unprecedented.”
Shin took an intensive approach to the English language, transcribing more than 30,000 English words and expressions from the Internet and then using artificial intelligence to check if any phrases were outdated. “Idioms are really fun,” he said. “Break a leg” or “hold your horses”—learning them will help you feel closer to your loved one.”
The issue of accent is acute.
Devon Overman, another Upstage co-founder who coaches English speech, said, “It's completely normal, even preferable, to have an accent because an accent is part of who you are.”
She pays attention to intonation. “When Korean speakers try to read English lines, it looks like they are reading. That’s the hardest thing to break,” she said.
But consultants don't force actors to erase their identities. Sheen recalled Dumbell advising him not to sound too “American.” “She said people would prefer my sincere pronunciation,” he said.
For Shin, the turnaround came as opportunities in South Korea dwindled.
“Starting three years ago, I realized that this industry was becoming increasingly difficult,” he said. “Since the Korean market was struggling, I thought I should expand my horizons and enter international markets.”
Age discrimination also forces some actors to leave the country. Yum, 29, said in South Korea: “30 years old is not considered young.”
“There are some limitations when it comes to finding an agency or auditioning for a role,” she said.
Sheen, who was 40 years old, was given the chance to audition for the role of a 20-year-old character for an international production. “In Korean audition tapes, you usually say your age,” he noted. “In the US (…) this doesn’t happen.”
Baik, who landed a supporting role in Netflix's teen rom-com XO Kitty, now sees her features as an advantage overseas.
After receiving feedback from American casting directors, she said she learned: “I can play action roles and break free from the 'cute' image.”
She also found the experience of working with an international team enlightening and began to appreciate aspects of American work culture. “In Korea, working overtime was common. In the American market, you come and go like an office worker,” she said. “It was more efficient.”
She said her ongoing journey to Hollywood has taught her to trust herself.
“At first everyone said it was impossible (…) “Only famous Korean actors can do it,” she recalls. “But after watching me fly overseas and do everything myself… I can confidently say from experience that Hollywood is ready to open its doors to everyone.”
Sheen, who hopes to play the villain in American productions, sees a change.
“There was a time when it felt like you had to drop the R and act like an American… But now it feels like you can be yourself — be Korean if you're Korean,” Shin said. “Stereotypes are gradually crumbling.”
