Korean Actress Bae Doo Na Debuts in Hollywood Movie "Cloud Atlas" with Tom Hanks and Halle Berry

On the red carpet with Hollywood heavyweights such as Tom Hanks, Susan Sarandon and Halle Berry, Bae Doo Na officially entered Hollywood as her first American-produced movie "Cloud Atlas" premiered at the Chinese Grauman's Theater in Hollywood and Highland in Los Angeles on Wednesday. She already made waves in the same movie's premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in the late summer.

She first started out as a model, and then worked her way up as an actress. At first, her talent was overlooked until she landed roles in critically acclaimed movies. Her most memorable role was starring in "The Host," which is considered to be the highest grossing film in South Korea to-date. Bae Doo Na began her international career by way of her much discussed performance in the Japanese movie, "Air Doll". She started to ride the Hallyu Wave by co-starring in the popular Korean drama "God of Study" alongside Kim Soo Ro and Yoo Seung Ho.

Lately, Bae Doo Na shows her serious intent in conquering the film industry and being taken for a serious actress, first with her role as Ha Ji Won's rival turned teammate in "As One"/"Korea", and now with her role as Sonmi-451 in "Cloud Atlas".

While "Cloud Atlas" has been receiving mixed reviews from film critics from known media outlets such as Wall Street Journal and Fox News, Bae Doo Na's portrayal of her character was consistently memorable for critics and fans alike.   The film proved to be a challenger, directed by two units and daunting with its heavyweight cast, yet Bae Doo Na rises to the challenge.  Fox News and The Star, in their reviews of the movie, hail Doo Na's performance as one of the most emotional performances in the film -- "The most emotional character is the least human one, a 22nd-century robot clone called Sonmi-451, strongly played by Korean actress Doona Bae."  Movieline is less bashful in adulating praise saying -- "But the beating heart of the film belongs to Korean actress Doona Bae, who makes her English language debut as the luminous Sonmi-451, a genetically-engineered "fabricant" whose fierce humanity and love for a freedom fighter (Jim Sturgess) will change the future", in their description of what makes the art and the heart of fall's newest movie.

On the red carpet in Hollywood, Bae Doo Na interacts with co-stars naturally, embracing the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, while maintaining her down-to-earth personality.  In interviews, she recalls how she got this part -- reminiscing how during a time of being in between management companies, and the absence of an American agent, she received the call to star in "Cloud Atlas".  She confidently recalls her journey to play such an integral character -- from self-recording her own audition with her older brother, reading the book in Korean and warming up to her co-stars.  It feels like such a normal route to stardom, but with acting chops like Bae Doo Na's, it is a sure route.  

Sources:  Getty Images, The Playlist, Fox News, Movieline | Written by: Dorothy Advincula 

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Bae Doo Na
Cloud Atlas
Tom Hanks
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