Go Ara Escapes Baby Doll Image in New TV Drama

Go Ara is enjoying an image makeover due to her role as a tomboy in tvN's "Reply 1994".

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In the highly popular TV drama, she stars as a university student who moves to the capital from her hometown in the southern port city of Masan, South Gyeongsang Province.

"Previously, my image was more like that of a quiet and well-behaved doll, which is something I really wanted to break out of", said the 23-year-old.

Ko originally dreamed of becoming a TV presenter. She decided to apply for acting jobs in 2003 to gain experience and ended up landing a role in a KBS teen drama. Her role as an ambitious and confident middle school girl catapulted her to instant stardom. But she failed to continue the momentum with her subsequent roles -- in four films and three TV dramas -- leading to criticism that she was just another pretty face with no talent.

"Reply 1994" has proven a golden opportunity for Ko to show her potential as well as her lack of pretension as her character is sometimes called on to serve as the butt of the joke.

Although she hails from Jinju in South Gyeongsang Province, she spoke with her hometown friends on the phone frequently to make sure she got the local dialect correct after spending so many years living in Seoul. She also took some voice lessons from a close friend living in Busan, she said.

As she was only four years old during the time when the drama is set, Ko made a scrapbook of newspapers from the period to get a better feeling of the period.

Her efforts seem to have paid off as she has succeeded in shaking off her baby doll image. She said she will work hard to become a more accomplished actress.