K-actress Bae Doo Na and C-star Angelababy Make the Cover of US Vogue April 2019 Edition
The floral themed April 2019 edition of US Vogue Magazine is making international waves by featuring 14 female stars from around the world, or more accurately 13 international ladies and one US top actress Scarlett Johansson, Scarlett’s cover is shared with Deepika Padukone and one of South Korea’s most versatile movie actresses Bae Doo Na (or Doona Bae as she’s known outside of SK). In one of the other two inside covers is another East Asian stars, Chinese actress-model Angelababy and honestly her selection over some more beautiful and talented same gen actresses in China leaves me scratching my head. It’s still quite an honor and both ladies wore their floral crowns with ethereal beauty.
My reaction to Bae Doo Na “her again??”. I loved her in Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance but have not seen her in anything else except Netflix shows and ve small roles in bad Wachowski sisters films. There are a lot more talented actresses than her in South Korea and I agree with you re:Angelababy.
I’m all for Deepika though, I wouldn’t know who I’d replace her with (and don’t say Priyanka because I like her a lot too but she is now more of a US film/TV actress rather than Indian cinema). Maybe Aaliya Bhatt but she doesn’t have as many blockbusters as Deepika (yet)
I think BDN has more of an international presence since being on sense 8 and moreso Kingdom on Netflix and whilst she might not have a huge and popular following like Park Shin Hye and Song Hye Kyo in Korea I guess she was chosen because Americans may recognise her more then the other 2. Unless of course you follow Kdramas. I’m happy for BDN being the first Korean and chosen to rep on the cover of Vogue. I know that a lot of Koreans would be highly critical of her look too. She’s not an ulzzang but here in the West her talent speaks for itself. AB is ultra beautiful and has a Eurasian look so I can see when the editor to decided to run the cover shoot she looked at all the options and whittled it down to the final gorgeous six. My wish is that more Asian actresses feature regularly on any Western magazine front cover that would be something to look forward to.
The thing with BDN is that apart from Sense8 she has always played very small and insignificant parts in all her other Hollywood productions. I don’t think American audiences will remember her from those few but parts and Sense8 was a multi starer cast and even though she was undoubtedly the biggest actress in the cast she still didn’t have that big a role and the series was never as popular in America as it was in Asia and got cancelled with just 2 seasons. I think she gets cast more for having the typical ‘oriental’ looks which SHK or PSH don’t have. The American audience probably recognize her the same way you recognize someone who appears in a cf that is constantly playing on tv.
This is ripped from the Vogue article sorry and I can see why she was selected for the article and cover. It’s her acting resume so mad respect to BDN I can’t argue with that.
“The daughter of a stage actress, Bae is a serious performer. (“I watched Crazy Rich Asians on the plane,” she says. “It was kind of decent.”) The Korean film industry is thriving, and she has worked with some of the best directors in Asia—not just Koreans like Park Chan-wook (who recently directed the AMC adaptation of John le Carré’s The Little Drummer Girl) but also Japanese directors like Hirokazu Kore-eda (his masterful Shoplifters was nominated for an Oscar this year), for whom she played an uncanny inflatable sex doll in Air Doll (2009). She’s crossed over with Tom Tykwer and the Wachowski sisters’ Cloud Atlas and worked with the Wachowskis on their TV series Sense8. In 2006, she starred in The Host, the highest-grossing Korean film to that date. Shrinking with embarrassment, Bae has to admit that her life is “basically what all millennials would probably dream about.”
Honestly Deepika looks the best out all the actresses in the shoot. Unlike most stars she is the only one who never ever looks bad no matter what crazy hair, make up or outfit you throw at her. I wouldn’t replace her with anyone either especially since she truly is one of the biggest Indian actresses in cinema today.
I agree Deepika is stunning. Glad she is doing well in Hollywood too. Kajol remains my all time #1 Indian actress. When I want a break from K dramas I always watch KKKG and KKHH takes me back to the old CD player days.
It’s surprising that even with the pathetic makeup and crappy dressing sense Deepika somehow always manages to look good.
@Female when does she ever not look perfect even in those ugly reception outfits and choker necklace she was killing it
I think Deepika is super overrated in terms of acting. She us glamorous yes but just an okay actress.
Please Deepika was never popular for her acting I don’t know who told you that. She’s a top star because her movies do well and she looks like perfection. Only masala movies do well in India which means they are all have bad or no plot. She was brilliant in Piku nonetheless.
@ss Deepika is not known for her acting but for her popularity. But I think she has some talent which would never be utilized in the industry she works in.
What ??
Are you serious DP is one of best Indian actresses she is beautiful , talented .
Deepika acting is far more better than compared to other actress on the cover ..if you say she is overrated than you definitely haven’t seen her work in Bollywood ..
Kate Blanchett is the one I would have their for me…Though biased her Australian beauty and talent is without question and a wonderful role model around the world for women for beauty and high acheivements.
I wish they had picked Kangana Ranaut from Bollywood. She’s the Bae Doona of India….really intriguing screen presence and versatile actor with a wide range of roles. I watched Queen and Revolver Rani back to back and couldn’t believe this was the same actor.
I like Bae Doona a lot but she has’t really done much lately…I think Kim Min Hee would have been a better pick. She was phenomenal in Park Chan Wook’s The Handmaiden and auteur Hong Sang Soo’s On the Beach At Night Alone. She won the best actress award at the 2017 Berlin film festival.
Kangana is good but her movies don’t make much money. On the top of that she doesn’t have good personality. If you are native then you will realize she also has poor enunciation.
But still she is better actress in Bollywood so I wish she could get more successful and popular movies.
I read that her films are the top grossers for female lead films with female characters at the center of the story and she has won three times the country’s most prestigious awards for acting. I saw her latest film about a warrior queen and tho’ the film itself wasn’t that great, she was amazing. She made me believe. I see her on par with International actors and like you said , I hope she gets to work with some great directors. I also read recently that she is the highest paid actress. My next is Rangoon and it looks intense.
Kangana is not even close to being the highest paid Indian actress! Deepika, Kareen, Priyanka and Alia are top most paid actresses in the country. Kangana was at her height during Queen but recently she hasn’t been doing well. Simran, Revolver Rani and Rangoon were all flops and with Rangoon she even got into a verbal discord with Saif Ali Khan.
Yep I follow Kim Min Hee too and her look is unique however I guess her whole affair saga has tainted her reputation in Korea and that would have set off a storm in a teacup and maybe she was on the shortlist along with Sandra Oh (First Korean to win an Emmy) and Han Hyo Joo (Currently cast in an American TV series) but BDN was selected in the end. Can I say that AB write up was about her amount of IG followers that was quite weak when she could have spoken about being a working Mum or am I missing something? Has she separated and is Huang Xiaoming the main caregiver of their son?
Scarlett Johanson has had so many affairs and no one is denying her talent.
Poor KMH….Korea is such a patriarchal society. If it had been Lee Byung Hyun , since he’s a guy , no one would have been outraged. He’s got talent but he had many affairs and was even fooling around after getting married.
You do know that Kangana is disliked by the entire movie industry in India and the audience is not sympathetic towards her after the scandal with Hrithik Roshan plus she has the worst English enunciation for an Indian actress. She will never be top tier like Deepika, Priyanka, Alia or Kareena.
What has English enunciation got to do with being an actor in India? I know India is supposed to be the second largest English speaking country with 125 million English speakers but it’s still just 10% of the population.
I have heard Deepika speak English ( vogue 73 questions ) and seen some of Kangana’s interviews on youtube. Both speak well tho Deepika’s accent seems more overt with a twang and Kangana sounds more neutral….almost East European. Priyanka sounds very American with a bit of British.
@jana
English doesn’t matter but Kangana has bad Hindi enunciation too.
Problem with Kangana is her foot in the mouth disease. She tries to be that outspoken courageous rebel of the Bollywood but she ends up being just a rude hypocrite.
She used to live with a married Bollywood actor in her early days of career. I don’t think she could have a career in Korean movie industry with that kind of past.
If she would’ve spend time in polishing her people skill and could’ve stopped offending people, she could’ve been a topmost actress.
Bollywood had many actresses in the past who were better paid than the male actors.
I am happy they chose BDN even though apparently American viewers won’t recognize her for her small roles in the West. It’s because she isn’t a cliche type of actress the West would consider her more. Deepika is always gorgeous, goddess even. I’m not surprised she’s on here. She represents Indian cinema today. It’s more like: Priyanka who? Now in Bollywood.
Honestly it amazes me when people say SHK is a goddess or even JJH because when people say goddess the first people who come to mind are Deepika and Aishwarya. How can anyone compete with such perfection? Even American actresses find them insanely beautiful. I mean Aishwarya was called the most beautiful woman in the world for a reason. The only think SHK and JJH have in common with them is that they are all very mediocre actresses.
Beauty is subjective. As an East Asian I prefer JJH looks to Deepika. I think Ashwarya is breathtakingly beautiful but her acting is one note like SHK and she wears too much make up and her perfect features are all covered up . I’d rather see them both in cfs, magazine covers and red carpet . It amazes me when Indians rave over Priyanka. Yes, she’s hot and attractive but very generic looking …very Kardishian.
JJH could never look as perfect as Deepika even on her best day and on Deepika’s worst. I know beauty is subjective but when it comes to looks Deepika is untouchable. Anyone who has ever seen her in real life has always been amazed at how someone could look so perfect. JJH even gets overshadowed by her own husband according to those who have seen them both in real life.
@jana
Priyanka was not considered beautiful in India in her earlier days neither she fits the Indian standard of beauty on top of that everyone knows that she had plastic surgery to fix her nose.
But she was crowned Miss World. She used to be confident. She is good with PR, that’s why she hardly has negative articles about her. All of this resulted in having this ‘beautiful’ image for her. We are always bombarded with articles/interviews where people would rave how ‘beautiful’ she really is.
I don’t find her beautiful at all. Neither I think Bollywood women are better looking than average women I meat in day to day life.
Priyanka was not very popular in India before she did Quantico. In fact people would always make fun of her and her fake American accent and even her wedding to Nick Jonas was ridiculed. She is popular now but still not at the Deepika level where literally everyone loves and adores her. She just has that unknown quality that draws people in unlike Priyanka.
Gorgeous ladies, all of them, though would it kill Vogue to have one of the non-white actress at the centre? I can maaaaaaybe accept Scarlett Johansson being placed front and centre because she’s the most well-known to the US public and they need her to sell the mags but I’m very sure it wouldn’t matter much for the second spread, considering all these actresses probably share the same level of popularity in their respective countries.
In her shot Angelababy is the only one with a bad posture. The other three ladies look heroic raising their heads with straight shoulders. Angelababy has her shoulders awkwardly down
I think many who don’t understand why Bae Doo Na was chosen are those who watch K-Dramas and/or listen to K-pop. BDN was and still is quite a successful Chungmuro (film) star in Korea in addition to the small roles she’s had in Western films.
If you’re talking about chungmuro then its Jeon Doyeon the Queen of Cannes who should be on the cover. Bae Donna hasn’t had a solo successful film in very long time. In some of her recent movies like Tunnel she was basically just a supporting character. Her acting in Kingdom was even criticised heavily which clearly means she is not all that.
You are right ! How did I forget Jeon Do Yeon? She won the best actress award at Cannes for Secret Sunshine. She was amazing in The Housemaid. Vogue should have picked the award winning actors like JDY and KMH tho’ I still love Bae Doo na.
Lovers in Prague is still a sentimental favorite . RIP KJH !
The cover says 14 countries, 14 superstars who are the other 7?
Just google Vogue 14 countries 14 superstars and the list and the other 7 are there. Iceland, Brazil, Iran, Nigeria, Germany, Italy, Mexico. Fab photo shoot for all involved though.
Should have been Tang Wei from China. Angelababy is no global talent. She’s another Ashwarya or SKH….beautiful but can’t act to save their lives.
Aish can dance. She is not good at playing intense roles but she is not totally devoid of talent. Check her in flop movies like Umarav Jaan, Raincoat etc. She is certainly better than SHK.
Aishwarya is one of the most beautiful women in the world. I love to look at her and despite the fact that she is not an exceptionally talented actress, she is not a talentless one either. She dances beautifully and I completely agree on her performances in Raincoat and Umrao Jaan. I love her best in HDDCS.
Yeah I agree that Deepika is not known for her acting. She has a certain quality that is necessary for masala films though.
I think Alia is a good actress – separate from her masala charms.
As BDN the thing I don’t like about her being in everything is that it seems to me this is so because of her industry connections, rather than talent and demand.
Are you kidding me? Aishwarya is a trained Kathak dancer and is head and shoulders above SHK in terms of both beauty and talent. On a whole Indian actresses are much prettier and have far more interesting personalities than Korean actresses no wonder they constitute some of the highest paid stars in the world. Korean actresses get paid peanuts compared to them and their movies can never pull in the kind of audience that Deepika or Alia do either locally or internationally nor can they ever take front and center leads in an American drama like Priyanka did.
I thought Aish was trained Bharatnatyam dancer?
But SHK is also extremely beautiful. She and Aish are different types of beauties. India has large population so certainly their actors would have better returns. No need to compare.
I am a little perplexed….what’s dancing got to do with acting? No one said Ash is talentless but her acting is very one note.
@Elif Kaya
BDN is very talented. She has done some great work in the past . Check out her Japanese film Linda Linda Linda. It is similar to School of Rock where kids form a band . She plays a Korean exchange student. It has a great sound track too by james lha of The Smashing pumpkins. She’s also great in Cloud Atlas. I felt she overshadowed all the Hollywood actors and really stood out.
@jana
In Bollywood dancing matters a lot. In traditional Indian theater dancing and drama used to go hand in hand. The same culture has been adopted by Indian movies. The Indian movies are always dance-dramas.
In India if you’re a bad dancer you can’t be an actress you can be an actor but not actress. Kajol and Vidya Balan had to work hard on their dance skills in order to become mainstream actresses. Acting isn’t considered a major requisite in Indian cinema and a lot of the top stars are mediocre in acting. Looks dominate cinema followed by dancing skills and finally some acting. Bollywood masala flicks completely lack plot so acting isn’t of great consequence.
@Lisa
I don’t know where you get your information that top Korean stars are paid peanuts compared to their Indian counterparts.
The highest earner Jun Ji-hyun earns $ 83,900 for each episode of her dramas and in addition $12 million in endorsement deals.
Song Hye Kye also commands $41 ,800 per episode and millions in endorsement deals. She will wear a certain shade of lipstick and it will get sold out all over East Asia.
According to Forbes, Deepika was the highest paid actress in India and she made $11 million which includes her brand endorsements and Hollywood debut with xxxROXC . XXX flopped everywhere except in China because of Chinese mega star Donnie Yen and Mandopop star Kris Wu who is a former kpop star of the boyband EXO.
The Chinese actresses make double and even triple of what Korean actresses make because of their huge movie market. Remember Indian movie Dangal made $189 million in China .
Fan Bingbing topped the forbes list as the highest paid Chinese actor with $80 million but she was suspected of earning much more than that and got into trouble for not declaring her full income to evade taxes and ended up paying $125 million in back taxes and fine.
@Lisa
I don’t know where you get your information that top Korean stars are paid peanuts compared to their Indian counterparts.
The highest earner Jun Ji-hyun earns $ 83,900 for each episode of her dramas and in addition $12 million in endorsement deals.
Song Hye Kye also commands $41 ,800 per episode and millions in endorsement deals. She will wear a certain shade of lipstick and it will get sold out all over East Asia.
According to Forbes, Deepika was the highest paid actress in India and she made $11 million which includes her brand endorsements and Hollywood debut with xxxROXC .
The Chinese actresses make double and even triple of what Korean actresses make because of their huge movie market.
Fan Bingbing topped the forbes list as the highest paid Chinese actor with $80 million but she was suspected of earning much more and got into trouble for not declaring her full income and ended up paying $125 million in back taxes and fine.
Aish was on the Cannes judges panel as the first ever Asian to do so don’t try and pull her down to Song Hyekyo or Angelababy status. She was on the cover of Time magazine don’t ever forget that.
I don’t think Ash was the first ever Asian do be on the Cannes jury let alone the first Asian actress . The great Gong li of China was jury member in 1997, Michelle Yeoh of Malaysia in 2002, Ash in 2003.
Gong Li was not only on jury at the other two premier film festivals…Venice and Berlin but was made head of the jury .
Ash is not even the first Indian to be on the Cannes jury. Mira Nair ( Monsoon Wedding is one of my fav Indian films) and the writer Arundhati Roy were on the jury many years before her. Monsoon Wedding took the the highest prize , the golden lion at the Venice film festival .
But Mira Nair and Arundhati aren’t actresses and Michelle Yeoh has done more American movies than Asian movies so I wouldn’t refer to her as being an actress coming from a different industry all together. I distinctly remember Aishwarya was referred to as being the first ever Asian actress on the jury when she judged in 2003 by the media.
@II – Aish may be the first Indian actress on the Cannes jury, but definitely not the first Asian actress. Gong Li was before her for sure. Check your source again, your distinct memory may be wrong.
@II I never said MN and AR were actors. Please read what I said carefully. You can also google List of Cannes film festival juries and you will see Gong Li was the first Asian actress to be invited.
You obviously don’t know much about Michelle Yeoh. Her base was in Hong Kong and she was famous for her Chinese martial arts films especially with Jackie Chan and Jet Li. It’s only later she did Hollywood films . She got really big in the west after Ang Lee cast her in CTHD in 2000. Before that she had acted in only one hollywood film …James Bond/Tomorrow never dies. She was big star in East Asia before she worked in Hollywood and still acts in more Asia productions than Hollywood ones. I am big fan of her because she used to do her own stunts …she was such a dare devil. I was happy to have her back in Crazy Rich Asians and looking forward to the British romcom Last Christmas with latest Asian break out star the very handsome British Malaysian Henry Golding and Emile Clark. I am so excited because it’s written by Emma Thompson. I am guessing Michelle is playing Henry’s mother again. There is a crazy rumor going around that Henry G maybe that next James Bond. Now that China has become the biggest movie market , Asian actors have more opportunities .
@Elif Kaya – That Vogue shoot was because the US Editor chose BDN and so she must have talent to be recognised and thus is in demand. Also BDN speaks fluent English and with the stylists, make up and hair, photographer they wouldn’t need the added cost of an interpreter. That’s my 10 cents worth.
The article isn’t even about SHK but of course some people just can’t stop talking about her. The relevance..
Well this article isn’t about Deepika, Alia, Aishwarya or Priyanka either nor is this even a forums for them at all yet people can’t stop talking about them. Don’t try and make her sound relevant. People compare because its normal to do so. You sound so pressed.
Nah I’m far from being pressed..I’m just amused coz it seems like some people just can’t praise an actress without putting another down.
Its true though. Indian actresses like Aishwarya and Deepika are much prettier than Song Hye Kyo. If you put them side by side she would be completely overshadowed not just by their height but their aura as well. Which is why internationally Indian actresses are a lot more popular than Korean actresses.
But I never said it wasn’t true? Been watching Bollywood movies since I was a kid..I know how talented and beautiful the actresses are.
I came here for Deepika..ended up feeling amused to see SHK’s name in the comments section..being compared to Aish. Lol
Beauty is subjective. I am very attracted to women with Angelic face and flawless porcelein skin. Shk for me handsdown.
@jana
I have watched Linda Linda Linda and I have watched Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, two films I really liked Bae Doo Na in. But they were all in the past. And her career nowadays consists of being in parts of bad Wachovsky sisters’ films and Netflix productions. There are more talented and successful Korean actresses out there with stronger careers (either on TV or in film). I wouldn’t mind her that much if I didn’t think that she is only chosen because of connections rather than talent/star power. Some actors get a career revival later in their careers but I don’t think it is possible to force it through connections. Again I’m not anti BDN or anything, I just think there are other actress who can star in Netflix dramas.
@Ginger Crunch I don’t agree with Vogue editor then. And BDN is not the only Korean actress who can speak English. I think BDN has developed connections and that is why they chose her, not because of her language capabilities or career trajectory and that is why I voice my thoughts.
Not everyone has to like every actress/actor. People have different tastes and different people appeal to different viewers. However sometimes even a good actress/actor can be miscast and in my humble opinion that’s what happened with BDN in The Kingdom and Drug King.
BDN and her Netflix ties are the only reason for her to be on the cover and of the three she looks the least confident so it ruins the overall look for me. Her recent projects have all be below par as has her acting. I agree she is not the only one who can speak english and better actresses deserved to be on this cover same for Angelababy.
I agree with you . She’s done great work in the past and has made wrong choices lately. I tried to watch sense8 …I was so disappointed and dropped it. I didn’t like Cloud Atlas but she was good in it.
I wish they had picked Kim Min Hee or JDJ. ..maybe they picked BDN because she has done more Hollywood projects than these two.
I was replying @Elif Kaya (nice name BTW)
@Eluf Kaya Yes connections are important but I’ve worked in magazines and I know Editors choose who they want to cover and BDN resume would have stood out for that reason. Personally if I was asked to choose I would have gone for Song Hye Kyo and Jun Ji Hyun because both are visual Goddesses and have extensive acting history and are well known in the whole of Asia not just Korea.
Not whole of Asia just East and South East Asia. The South Asian subcontinent doesn’t consume a lot of korean content and still can’t tell apart a Chinese from a Korean or a Japanese. Anything with ‘narrow’ eyed people is believed to be Chinese. Very few people actually care to distinguish between the different cultures.
Ha an articel about Bae Doona and Angela baby but all the comments are about Deepika and top Indian actresses! The Power of the QUEENS!
I don’t get why they pick angelababy out of so many good Chinese actress. She is known for her beauty and not acting …also her famous wedding with her husband whose name I’ve forgotten . But she is not the right choice .
AB doesn’t know how to act, my opinion… Disagree with this selection