‘Twenty-Five Twenty-One’: Kim Tae-ri Cements Herself as a Top Tier Actor With K-Drama Success
Netflix‘s Twenty-Five Twenty-One has become the top hit Korean drama on the streaming platform since its debut in February. Twenty-Five Twenty-One stars popular actors Nam Joo-hyuk and Kim Tae-ri in the leading roles as Baek Yi-jin and Na Hee-do.
Kim has captured fans’ hearts for her bubbly personality, dazzling smile, and kindness. The 31-year-old actor has cemented herself as a top-ranking actor in one of the current highest-rated K-dramas since her time on Mr. Sunshine.
Kim Tae-ri and her ‘Twenty-Five Twenty-One’ co-star hold on to their ranking as ‘most buzzworthy’ actors
At the beginning of March, Soompi reported Good Data Corporation’s weekly list named Kim and Nam as the most talked-about actors for three consecutive weeks. Kim’s ranking at No.1 was well received by fans who have fallen in love with her role as Hee-do on Twenty-Five Twenty-One.
“The company determines each week’s rankings by collecting data from news articles, blog posts, online communities, videos, and social media about dramas that are either currently airing or set to air soon,” explained Soompi. On March 15, Soompi once again reported a congratulation is in order as Kim, Nam, and Twenty-Five Twenty-One dominate the rankings for the fifth week.
Kim has done it again as Twenty-Five Twenty-One is her second most popular K-drama in her career that has received a 10% in viewer ratings. The actor rose to fame when she starred as the female lead in the historical drama Mr.Sunshine.
Mr.Sunshine is one of the industry’s most highly regarded K-dramas. It interwove romance and drama using the Japanese occupation of Korea as a backdrop. The drama’s highest viewership rating was 18.129% and helped bring Kim to the forefront as an actor.
Fans cannot stop raving about Kim Tae-ri in ‘Twenty-Five Twenty-One’
Fans would have never believed Kim’s on-screen character is years younger than the actor. While Kim plays an energetic 19-year-old Hee-do, in real life she is in her 30s. One fan on Reddit comments, “Kim Tae-ri’s acting is so good and I will not shut up about it. She perfectly captures…the stress of an 18-year-old.”
Twenty-Five Twenty-One has shown Kim’s versatility despite her age. One fan on Reddit commented, “She can bring such innocence into her scenes, literally never making you question that she’s actually a thirty-year-old, her cheekiness, her antics, her sadness, her disappointments, she’s my favorite leading character.”
For other fans, the Netflix K-drama has introduced Kim’s career as an actor for the first time. “Now watching how Tae-ri is soooo good, I got so attached. I was in a deep Tae-ri-hole this past week just watching her interviews and discovering how versatile she is as an actor,” said one fan.
Kim has had a short small-screen career but has successfully contributed to making the K-dramas fan-favorites.
The South Korean actor starred in a Netflix movie
Believe it or not, Kim has only been active since 2014 and her first role was in 2016. In that year, she played the leading role of Maid / Nam Sook-hee in The Handmaiden. The movie even won at the 71st British Academy Film Awards. Kim continued to appear on the big screen before landing her leading role alongside Lee Byung-hun in Mr.Sunshine.
Kim played the role of Go Ae-shin, a Joseon noblewoman and trained sniper for the Righteous Army. The K-drama has the second-highest viewership rating in cable television history. After the drama, Kim did not star in new roles on the small-screen.
She continued to work in film and starred in Netflix’s Space Sweepers as Captain Jang. Twenty-Five Twenty-One was Kim’s return to K-dramas as Na Hee-do. Fans are enthralled by the coming-of-age story of a fencing prodigy trying to find her way. She finds friendship in Baek Yi-jin and possibly strikes a romance.
