Kim Seo-ra Says Older Actresses Have More to Offer

Kim Seo-ra found it a challenge playing against type as a villainous antagonist in TV Chosun's weekend drama "Bride of the Century".

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In contrast to her former roles as more upstanding characters, the softly spoken actress had to adjust to playing the unloved wife of a wealthy man who tries to shatter her son's relationship with a girl from a poor family.

The actress, who is in her mid-40s, said she now wants to expand her acting repertoire even more.

"I've matured with age, so I'd like to add more depth and breadth to my acting", said Kim. "I want to show how attractive older women can be".

She debuted at the age of seven as a model for TV commercials before finding roles in both films and TV dramas. After appearing in MBC's "The Story of Two Women" in 1998, she got married, moved to Hawaii and put her career on the backburner.

However, thanks to a friend of her husband who worked for a broadcasting company in Hawaii, she won a minor part in the ABC TV series "Lost" in 2004. Although it was a brief appearance -- her character gives a fake passport to Kim Yunjin before the fateful plane crash that sets the drama in action -- the opportunity awoke her desire to return to show business.

"I never thought I had to stop acting after I got married, but I lost confidence as time passed. But after that brief appearance in 'Lost', I asked myself, 'Why are you not doing anything? You still look quite nice as an actress'".

From 2007, she has been dividing her time between Korea and the U.S. to appear in TV dramas. Her offspring have also followed in her footsteps: Her daughter is a model and her son an actor.

"All the experiences I had after getting married, such as giving birth to my children and working hard in a foreign country, have helped me as an actress", she said. "It certainly wasn't wasted time. I lived every moment fully".