She quit her job to pursue her dreams

Becoming an actress was Go’s childhood dream, but she initially didn’t embark on that career path because she thought it was “unrealistic”, according to K Profiles. Instead, she studied cosmetology in high school, focusing on hair, skincare, nail art and other aspects of beauty, 1 News reports.

After finishing high school, she didn’t attend university but instead looked for a job, according to Han Cinema. She became a wedding planner for about two years, but she was unhappy with the job and eventually decided it was time to pursue her acting aspirations, K Profiles also reports.

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She debuted as a triple threat

Pursuing her dreams wasn’t easy for Go. She did not have an agency to represent her, and travelled to sets by bus, even carrying her own clothes for work, according to Soompi. In 2016, at the age of 21, she made her first appearance in a film, starring in Parallel Novel, which she also wrote and directed.

“Just like Moon So-ri, I want to promote as an actress and also produce witty and inspiring films. I especially think it’d be good if it captured a viewpoint of society,” she said, according to the same source.

In the same year, she also took part in the web series 72 Seconds and in South Korean singer Thunder’s music video for single Sign.

She’s an award-winning director and actress

Go’s first work Parallel Novel won the grand prize in the Three Minutes Film Festival 2016. After only two years, the rookie actress also went on to win several acting accolades, including the award for popular star at the Korea Best Star Awards for her role in The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion (2018), best new actress at the SBS Drama Awards for thriller television series Secret Boutique (2019), newcomer actress at Asia Contents Awards for Sweet Home (2020) and excellent actress in a miniseries at KBS Drama Awards for Youth of May (2021).

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She works very hard

Meanwhile, for Youth of May, which was set in the 1980s, she read documents and books like There Comes a Boy by Han Kang, and listened to music from the era, to play the role of nurse Kim Myung-hee, according to Soompi.

She wants to play a variety roles

Thanks to Go’s youthful appearance, she has even successfully portrayed teenage characters. However, the budding star revealed in an interview with Esquire that she would like to take on more mature roles in future projects, particularly in the historical drama genre. She added that we would like to don a hanbok in a prospective role too.

The Sweet Home star is also interested in playing an independent, underdog type of character. “I especially like those that start from the bottom and achieve their goals by their own means. I would like to act out an independent character that is sure in her thoughts and is centred,” said Go, according to Soompi.

She’s good friends with her co-stars

Go not only delivers stellar performances in her TV and film roles, she has great relationships with her co-stars. After Sweet Home, she became close to Lee Do-hyun, Park Gyu-young and Song Kang. Go and Lee have said that they enjoy working together, while Go once sent a coffee and snack truck to Kang on the set of Nevertheless.

“Because all three of us are the same age, there was a comfortable real-life friend vibe between us, and we had a lot of fun during filming,” she said, per Soompi. “I was always happy during our time together on set.”

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There is even a close bond between Go and Park as they have similar personalities, according to Soompi. “There are a lot of people who’ve said they enjoyed our chemistry together. We have similar personalities so we’re very close in real life, but it seems like that translated to on-screen chemistry as well,” she said.