Moon Chae-won

Moon Chae-won (born November 13, 1986) is a South Korean actress. Moon first attracted attention in 2008 in her supporting role as a gisaeng in Painter of the Wind. She was next cast in Brilliant Legacy, one of the top-rated Korean dramas of 2009. 2011 marked Moon's career breakthrough, with leading roles in the television period drama The Princess' Man and the action blockbuster War of the Arrows; both were critical and commercial hits, with Arrows as the highest grossing Korean film of the year. For her performance in the latter, Moon won Best New Actress at the Grand Bell Awards and the Blue Dragon Film Awards. Moon's other notable television series include the revenge melodrama The Innocent Man (2012) and the humanistic medical drama Good Doctor (2013). Early life Moon Chae-won was born in Daegu, South Korea. When she was in sixth grade, her family moved to Seoul. She studied Western Painting at the Chugye University for the Arts, but dropped out in 2006 to pursue acting. Career Beginnings Moon made her acting debut in 2007 in Mackerel Run, alongside fellow newcomer Lee Min-ho; they were among 60 actors who auditioned for the teen sitcom. Moon and Lee also appeared in the 2008 comedy film Our School's E.T.. But it was with 2008 period drama Painter of the Wind that Moon began her rise to stardom. In the adaptation of Lee Jung-myung's historical fiction novel, she played a beautiful gisaeng who falls for Shin Yun-bok (played by Moon Geun-young), a female painter passing herself off as a man. Such was the positive reception to their onscreen chemistry and the homoerotic subtext of their characters' relationship, that they received the most votes in the Best Couple poll at the 2008 SBS Drama Awards. It was the first time in Korean drama history that two actresses won the Best Couple Award, despite the sexual conservatism of Korean network television. Moon's profile was further raised with Brilliant Legacy, in which she played a privileged girl who alternately antagonizes and pities her stepsister. Brilliant Legacy became one of the top-rated Korean dramas of 2009, with a peak viewership rating of 47.1%. Another supporting role followed in My Fair Lady, where she played an upbeat shoe designer who lives next door to her crush, a butler. She also made a cameo appearance in the last episode of Korean War series Road No. 1 as an army doctor. In October 2010, she signed with talent agency Barunson Entertainment (later renamed MSTeam). Afterwards, Moon landed her first leading role in It's Okay, Daddy's Girl, as an immature daughter who transforms into a mature professional woman after a family tragedy. Career breakthrough In 2011, Moon was offered the sole female role in War of the Arrows, an action blockbuster set during the Second Manchu invasion of Korea. Along with her male costars Park Hae-il and Ryu Seung-ryong, Moon underwent serious archery and horse riding lessons. Upon its release, War of the Arrows became the highest grossing Korean film of 2011, with 7.48 million admissions. Moon was praised for her portrayal of a feminine yet feisty woman abducted by a foreign army on her wedding day, yet who isn't a typical damsel in distress and instead survives by her wits and sheer will; she later won Best New Actress at the Grand Bell Awards and the Blue Dragon Film Awards for her performance. Right after she finished filming War of the Arrows, Moon returned to the small screen in the Joseon-era drama The Princess' Man, about a fictional forbidden romance between the daughter of Grand Prince Suyang and the son of Kim Jongseo (played by Park Si-hoo), whose fathers were real-life political enemies. The Princess' Man was well-received critically and commercially, and though initially criticized for her acting, Moon won viewers over as the series went on, eventually winning a Top Excellence Award at the year-end KBS Drama Awards. She also received a Best Dressed nod from the Korea Lifestyle Awards for giving a boost to the hanbok fashion industry via her two period projects, and was named Honorary Prosecutor by the Supreme Prosecutors' Office.