Go Ara (born February 11, 1990) is a South Korean model and actress. Sharp (2003), Heading to the Ground (2009), Reply 1994 (2013), You're All Surrounded (2014), Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth (2016-17), Black (2017), Ms. Hammurabi (2018), Haechi (2019) are some of her most well-known roles (2020).
Go was born in Jinju, South Gyeongsang, South Korea, and received his early education there. Because her father was a soldier, she was constantly moved around Korea as a child. When she was in junior high, a friend suggested she audition for the talent agency SM Entertainment. She was the winner of the SM Entertainment Teen Model Contest in 2003.
Career 2003-2012: Beginnings and ascension
Go was cast as Lee Ok-rim, the female lead in the 2003 KBS teen drama Sharp. Her portrayal of an ambitious and self-assured middle school girl catapulted her to instant celebrity. In the sequel Sharp 2, she reprised her role.
Go went on to co-star in the 2006 SBS melodrama Snow Flower with Kim Hee-ae. Her performance as the rebellious and ambitious Yoo Da-mi earned her an acting award at the Baeksang Arts Awards.
Go's first film was Genghis Khan: To the Ends of the Earth and Sea, a big-budget Japanese film that was released in Japan in March 2007. She was chosen from over 40,000 auditions to play Khulan, Genghis Khan's mistress. Due to her fluency in Japanese, Go was then cast in another Japanese film, Dance Subaru.
She was cast in the MBC drama Who Are You? opposite Yoon Kye-sang in 2008. Despite low ratings in Korea, the body swap comedy attracted international fans, raising her profile in the Korean Wave. As a result, he appeared in the Japanese television drama Karei naru Spy.
In 2009, she co-starred in MBC's romantic comedy Heading to the Ground with DBSK idol singer Jung Yunho.
Go made her domestic film debut in 2012 with the sports film Pacemaker, in which she gained 5 kg to play a South Korean pole vaulter. She then performed in the 2012 multicultural film Papa, alongside Park Yong-woo. Go was noticed for her singing and dancing abilities, as well as her fluent English and acting performance in the film.
2013–present: Rebirth of a career
Go's popularity grew even more as a result of the nostalgic campus drama Reply 1994. (2013). She cut her hair short and gained 18 pounds to play Sung Na-jung. While many questioned her casting when it was first announced, Go's performance later received critical and popular acclaim. Go was nominated for Best Actress in both the Baeksang Art Awards and the APAN Star Awards for her performance. She then appeared in the 2014 police drama You're All Surrounded as the only female rookie detective, alongside Lee Seung-gi and Cha Seung-won.
In 2015, Go returned to the big screen alongside Yoo Seung-ho in The Magician, a joseon-era romance film in which she plays a princess who falls in love with a circus magician. Following that, he starred in Phantom Detective, a neo-noir action film starring Lee Je-hoon as the titular Hong Gil-dong.
Go starred in the 2016 youth historical drama Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth as the female lead opposite Park Seo-joon. In January 2017, she left SM Entertainment after 13 years and signed with newly formed management agency Artist Company. She then co-starred in the fantasy thriller drama Black with Song Seung-heon as a woman who can predict death.
Go co-starred in the 2018 legal drama Ms. Hammurabi with Kim Myung-soo, playing a passionate rookie judge. The series was well-received for its candid depiction of adversities in modern-day Korean society, and Go's acting was praised.
Go appeared in the 2019 historical action drama Haechi as a detective who is fluent in both martial arts and foreign languages.
In 2020, Go co-starred with Lee Jae-wook in the music romance drama Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol as a pianist who hits rock bottom after her family's demise.
Go signed with King Kong by Starship in January 2023.
Private life
Go's agency reported on March 7, 2019, that during the filming of Haechi Go ruptured her Anterior talofibular ligament, resulting in her hospitalisation.
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Genghis Khan: To the Ends of the Earth and Sea | Mistress Khulan |
| 2009 | Dance, Subaru! | Liz Park |
| 2012 | Pacemaker | Yoo Ji-won |
| Papa | June | |
| 2015 | The Magician | Princess Cheongmyeong |
| 2016 | Phantom Detective | President Hwang |
| TBA | Sad Tropics |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003–2005 | Sharp 1 | Lee Ok-rim | |
| 2005–2006 | Sharp 2 | ||
| 2006–2007 | Snow Flower | Yoo Da-mi | |
| 2008 | Who Are You? | Son Young-in | |
| 2009 | Karei naru Spy | Shin Yoon-ah | Cameo (Episode 3) |
| Heading to the Ground | Kang Hae-bin | ||
| 2013 | Reply 1994 | Sung Na-jung | |
| 2014 | You're All Surrounded | Eo Soo-sun | |
| 2015 | The Producers | Herself | Cameo (Episode 8) |
| 2015–2016 | Reply 1988 | Sung Na-jung | Cameo (Episode 18) |
| 2016–2017 | Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth | Aro | |
| 2017 | Black | Kang Ha-ram | |
| 2018 | Ms. Hammurabi | Park Cha Oh-reum | |
| 2019 | Haechi | Chun Yeo-ji | |
| 2020 | Hospital Playlist | Herself | Cameo (Episode 5–6) |
| Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol | Goo Ra-ra |
| Year | Title | Singer | From the Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | "Hug" | TVXQ | Tri-Angle |
| 2005 | "La'Tale" | ||
| 2007 | "Innocent Blue" | Mink | |
| 2011 | "Before U Go" | TVXQ | Keep Your Head Down |
| "Juliette" (Japanese ver) | SHINee | The First | |
| 2015 | "A Million Pieces" | Cho Kyuhyun | Fall, Once Again |
| Year | Title | From the Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | "Now" | Papa OST |
| "Little Girl Dreams" | ||
| 2013 | "Start" | Reply 1994 OST |
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2005 | Ambassador of Farming and Forestry |
| 2008 | Swiss Friend, an ambassador of Switzerland by Switzerland Tourism |
| 2013– Present | Good Neighbors (NGO) Goodwill Ambassador |
| 2014–2015 | Seoul Metropolitan PR Ambassador |
| 2015 | Seoul Police Goodwill Ambassador |
| 2016 | Ambassador for the Korean Air Force |
| Award ceremony | Year | Category | Nominee / Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| André Kim Best Star Awards | 2007 | New Star Award | Go Ara | Won |
| APAN Star Awards | 2014 | Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries | Reply 1994 | Nominated |
| 2018 | Ms. Hammurabi | Nominated | ||
| 2020 | Popular Star Award, Actress | Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol | Nominated | |
| Asia Artist Awards | 2020 | Popularity Award (Actress) | Go Ara | Nominated |
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2007 | Best New Actress – Television | Snow Flower | Won |
| 2010 | Most Popular Actress (Film) | Heading to the Ground | Nominated | |
| 2012 | Best New Actress – Film | Papa | Nominated | |
| 2014 | Best Actress – Television | Reply 1994 | Nominated | |
| Most Popular Actress (TV) | Nominated | |||
| Blue Dragon Film Awards | 2012 | Best New Actress | Papa | Nominated |
| Buil Film Awards | 2012 | Best New Actress | Nominated | |
| Grand Bell Awards | 2012 | Pacemaker | Nominated | |
| KBS Drama Awards | 2004 | Best Young Actress | Sharp 1 | Won |
| 2017 | Excellence Award, Actress in a Mid-length Drama | Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth | Nominated | |
| 2020 | Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries | Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol | Nominated | |
| Netizen Award, Actress | Nominated | |||
| Best Couple Award | Go Ara with Lee Jae-wook Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol | Nominated | ||
| Korea Broadcasting Awards | 2021 | Popularity Award | Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol | Nominated |
| Korea Film Actors Association Awards | 2016 | Phantom Detective | Won | |
| Korean Advertising Association (KAA) | 2008 | Best Advertising Model Award | Go Ara | Won |
| Korea Sharing National Awards | 2017 | Minister of Health and Welfare Award | Won | |
| MBC Drama Awards | 2008 | Best New Actress | Who Are You? | Nominated |
| Mnet 20's Choice Awards | 2012 | Barbie Girl | Go Ara | Won |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2006 | New Star Award | Snow Flower | Won |
| 2014 | Excellence Award, Actress in a Drama Special | You're All Surrounded | Nominated | |
| Netizen Award, Actress | Nominated | |||
| Best Couple Award | Go Ara with Lee Seung-gi You're All Surrounded | Nominated | ||
| 2019 | Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Mid-length Drama | Haechi | Nominated | |
| Best Couple Award | Go Ara with Jung Il-woo Haechi | Nominated | ||
| SM Entertainment's 5th Anniversary Teen Model Contest | 2003 | — | Go Ara | Won |
| Style Icon Awards | 2014 | Top 10 Style Icons | Won | |
| tvN10 Awards | 2016 | Made in tvN, Actress in Drama | Reply 1994 | Nominated |
| Best Kiss Award | Go Ara with Jung Woo Reply 1994 | Nominated | ||
| Weibo TV Series Awards | 2020 | Popular Overseas Drama Stars | Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol | Nominated |
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