Born in 1988 in Seoul, South Korea, Jung first debuted as an actor with a small role in 2014’s Bride of the Century. It wasn’t his first appearance (his first role was actually in an AOA subunit music video), but it was his first drama. Each subsequent role he took, no matter how small, increased his popularity and paved the way for where he is today.
Here are some dramaland moments from Jung Hae-in, followed by his full filmography.
The Three Musketeers (2014)
tvN’s The Three Musketeers was one of my biggest drama letdowns. I had sky-high expectations with the cast (Lee Jin-wook, Seo Hyun-jin), production team (Nine and Queen In-hyun’s Man), and a childhood of idolizing Alexander Dumas stories. The odds were in the drama’s favor, but it failed to capture me. It was either too campy or too comedic, and I was looking for epic and moody, I think. Mismatched expectations aside, this was a great bit of casting for Jung Hae-in. He played the “monk-skateer” who stole hearts in the show, and in real life (hi!). Sageuk suited him, and it was a sizable role for only the second drama of his career. The role would gain him enough attention to get cast in a few more side roles — and two great cameos.
Love it or hate it, Pretty Noona was an important drama of 2018. I know a lot of people were left feeling pretty burnt by this drama (and I understand why), but I was able to forgive it for the crash landing because most of the drama was just so good. I don’t know if I’d ever seen a K-drama before this that had the same level of authenticity to it. It made me sad and happy at the same time; there was something about the intimate way we watched these two characters (Jung Hae-in and his noona, Sohn Ye-jin) interact and fall in love that made it incredibly beautiful. Jung Hae-in, and the rest of the cast, worked so well with this director, and the production brought out some lovely nuances in each performance.
One Spring Night (2019)
Jung Hae-in’s full filmography: