In recent weeks, there was a discussion amongst netizens about why directors choose idols instead of rookie actors for their dramas and movies, and even some industry insiders jumped on the topic. Have you ever had one of those moments when you started stanning a group and realized that you’ve seen one of the members in a drama before? Or the other way around: you tuned in to a show and saw a familiar face without their K-Pop moves? This happens often in the Hallyu world, so don’t worry, you’re not alone. Here are some ladies with versatile talents that are worth the praise, both as idols and actresses.

Dohee (Tiny-G)

Many recognize Dohee’s familiar sweet face, but not a lot of K-Drama fans know that she first debuted as the lead vocalist of a four-member girl group, Tiny-G, in 2012. She made her acting debut a year later in Reply 1994 which brought her the “Best New Actress” and “Best Couple Award” (with Kim Sungkyun) at the 7th Korea Drama Awards. She released four digital singles, one collaboration, and one Thai digital single with her group, and two solo OSTs and one solo collaboration up until 2014. A year later, Tiny-G went on an indefinite hiatus and Dohee completely switched to acting. Her most recent project just arrived to the big screens with her in a supporting role in the historical movie The Book of Fish about an exiled scholar and bureaucrat. 

IU (soloist)

IU is an all-rounder who needs no introduction in either the K-Drama or K-Pop world. She debuted as an idol at 15 years old in 2008 and started her acting career in 2011 with Dream High. Her debut role got her the nomination for “Best Actress” at the KBS Drama Awards. Known as the nation’s little sister, IU is the sweet girl who turns everything she touches to gold. Some of her most internationally popular dramas include Hotel del Luna and Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, but if you for some reason missed any of her work either as an idol or as an actress, it’s time to catch up with her versatile talents.

Nara (Hello Venus)

Many might not remember, but Kwon Nara was a Fantiago acting trainee since middle school. She later debuted as Hello Venus’s main vocalist in 2012 and made her acting debut in the same year with the drama Take Care of Us, Captain. After Hello Venus’s disbandment she signed with A-MAN Project as an actress. Nara currently has 10 dramas and one movie in her portfolio. In 2019, she received the “Best New Actress” award at KBS Drama Awards for Doctor Prisoner and lately became internationally popular through one of 2020’s biggest hits, Itaewon Class. 

Eunji (and other Apink members)

Apink debuted in 2011 and three of the members, Eunji, Bomi, and Chorong, debuted as actresses a year later in Reply 1997. Eunji’s talent impressed both the fans and critics; she won  several awards for her role including the “Best New TV Actress” title at the 49th Baeksang Arts Awards. She later played in several dramas and musicals—she even portrayed Elle Woods in the Korean staging of Legally Blonde. She also tried voice acting for two animations and made her film debut in a horror movie 0.0MHz in 2019. Her latest acting appearance was a cameo in Backstreet Rookie. The latest Apink main role was played by Naeun in Dinner Mate last year. She also made her acting debut in 2012 and is rumored to be back with a supporting role in 2021.

Suzy (soloist)

Bae Suzy was the first female all-rounder who got the triple popularity awards for K-Pop, K-Drama, and film as well. She first debuted as an idol with JYP Entertainment's miss A and alongside many other idols she also made her acting debut in 2011 in Dream High. After her contract expired with JYP, she signed with Management SOOP as both a singer and an actress. She currently has nine dramas and five movies up her sleeve, which brought her a total of 11 awards for her exceptional acting talent.

Kang Mina (and other gugudan members)

Kang Mina and Kim Sejeong participated in Produce 101 and made their idol debuts with I.O.I (Nayoung also appeared on the survival show but didn’t make the final cut) in May 2016. Less than two months later, they also debuted as gugudan along with six other Jellyfish Entertainment trainees. Mimi actually debuted as an actress first in The Producers in 2015, but only appeared in one drama ever since: Extraordinary You. Kang Mina and Kim Sejeong both took on their first acting roles in 2017 and played in three dramas. Kim Sejeong, who recently came back with a solo track “Warning” feat. lIlBOI, had the latest gugudan acting appearance in the 2020 drama Wonderful Rumors, while Kang Mina really impressed international K-Drama fans with her main role in the 2019 hit show, Hotel del Luna. 

Jang Gyuri (fromis_9)

Jang Gyuri is quite new to the acting world, but she received a lot of attention for her supporting role in one the best dramas in 2020. She played a very fun and playful nurse in It's Okay to Not Be Okay. Though she is majoring in acting at the Seoul Institute of the Arts, Jang Gyuri actually debuted as the lead vocalist of fromis_9 through the survival show Idol School. She later also appeared on Produce 48 and made her acting debut in 2019 with the web drama Dating Class. After receiving so many compliments for her role as Seon Byul, we are sure that the K-Drama world is ready for Jang Gyuri to take on some lead roles in the near future.

Ahn Solbin (LABOUM)

Ahn Solbin keeps appearing in popular dramas like Touch, Itaewon Class, and Backstreet Rookie, but there still seems to be a mystery around her. Solbin originally debuted as an idol in 2014 with LABOUM, the sister group to U-KISS and Brown Eyed Girls. She made her acting debut in 2016 and already played in 12 dramas and three movies. Most recently she had a guest role in the currently running MBC show Oh My Ladylord and is confirmed to play a main role in the upcoming horror-comedy movie Only I Can See. 

Girls’ Generation Members

We all know that Girls’ Generation is not here to play around: they are not just an iconic idol group, but they are a group full of award-winning actresses. Yoona was the first one to debut as an actress the same year SNSD debuted. And still in 2007, she made a cameo in Unstoppable Marriage with three other members—Yuri, Sooyoung, and Seohyun—who all ended up having pretty nice acting careers afterwards. Yoona got her first main role in 2008 in You Are My Destiny, which brought her many industry awards as a new actress. After Unstoppable Marriage, it took Yuri five years until her next acting project, but the show Fashion King brought her the “Most Popular Actress award for TV” at the 49th Baeksang Arts Awards, and just a year later she was rewarded as the “Most Popular Actress award for Film” for the lead role in the movie No Breathing. Sooyoung did some other cameos, but after her second lead role in Dating Agency: Cyrano in 2013, she received her first nomination as an actress and later in 2014 she won several awards for her role in The Spring Day of My Life. Seohyun also took her time as an actress after her first princess cameo in Unstoppable Marriage. She started appearing on screen again from 2013 as guest and supporting roles, one of which (Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo) made her earn a “Special Acting Award” at the 2016 SBS Drama Awards, proving her undeniable talents. Starting from the 2017 web drama Ruby Ruby Love, she only took on main roles. Her latest show was the widely popular thriller Private Life.

This list could go on a lot longer. We could talk about Red Velvet’s Joy and how much fans are anticipating a new drama from her. Or the fact that we can not wait to see BLACKPINK Jisoo’s first drama Snowdrop that recently got postponed. But even just these few names prove that people in the Korean entertainment industry often have very versatile talents and that idols acting can be a really great cross-promotion for both the drama and the K-Pop groups themselves.

If you knew these ladies only as idols before, make sure to check out some of their dramas, or if this is your first time realizing they are actually idols, give their tracks a listen. You won’t regret it!