The streets of Gangnam were bustling the day Yerin Ha’s life changed irrevocably. Amid the hum of the city, Ha answered a call from her agent that would see her catapulted into the Regency-era world of Bridgerton, joining one of television’s most beloved and fanatically-followed franchises. Her reaction, a mix of tears, disbelief, and public jubilation – "I remember just bawling my eyes out and physically jumping with joy" – was anything but composed. But that raw joy encapsulates who Ha is: a dreamer, always chasing the next chapter. But what may seem like an overnight success story was, in fact, years in the making, a creative journey shaped by her Grandparents’ storied theatrical careers in Korea, her training at one of Australia's foremost acting schools, and an unrelenting belief in the transformative power of art.
Ha, born and raised in Sydney, credits her Grandparents, both celebrated actors in Korea, as the first to show her the metamorphic power of storytelling, even as they warned her of the trials a career in acting entails. “Watching my Grandma and my Grandpa doing theatre whenever I would travel to Korea when I was younger really inspired me to pursue acting,” Ha tells RUSSH. “It also made me believe that this could actually be a career, even though they themselves would say that the arts are not an easy endeavour.”
It’s this tension – between belief and pragmatism – that shapes Ha’s approach to her craft. Her time at Sydney’s National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) solidified her ethos, not through rote technique but through self-discovery. "More than anything, my time at NIDA was about getting to know more about myself as an artist, deepening why I want to pursue this career and creating a community and friendships around me that I luckily still have to this day," she reflects. "Sure, we learnt about certain techniques, but I realised, for me at least, that there is no one right way to approach anything because you're constantly changing who you're working with, the scripts etc. Ultimately, if I can answer the big ‘Why do I want to be an actor’ question, no matter the challenges or struggles, my passion for being a storyteller will never sway."
This openness has propelled Ha from the intimate world of Australian theatre (she joined the ranks of the Sydney Theatre Company in 2019, where she performed alongside Mia Wasikowska and Eliza Scanlen in a stage adaptation of Lord of the Flies) to the sprawling universes of Steven Spielberg's Halo, HBO's Dune: Prophecy series, and now Bridgerton. For Ha, storytelling is a universal language, a truth she tells me she first encountered in classic films like Singing in the Rain and Gone with the Wind. “The music, the dancing, the acting, the costumes, the synthesis of it all,” she says. “They made me understand through art and storytelling, you can have a shared emotional experience with someone.”
It’s fitting, then, that Ha’s own career evokes this synthesis. Her Bridgerton debut marks a seismic moment – not just for her, but for the show itself – bringing an undercurrent of vulnerability and determination to her role as Sophie Baek, a maid who dares to open herself to love despite the constraints of her class. The role, which show runner Jess Brownell renamed from Beckett to Baek to honour Ha's Korean heritage, sees her lead the cast for Season 4 alongside actor Luke Thompson as Benedict Bridgerton.
But for Ha, the greatest hurdle in filming hasn’t been mastering the craft or navigating the industry’s demands – it’s been confronting her own internal dialogue. “The most challenging aspect has actually been a challenge against my own mind,” she tells me. “It’s really been about embracing the fact that I too, can play that leading lady role. I’ve always advocated and hoped for more change in the industry and to see more lead roles played by BIPOC actors and actresses, but never did I actually believe I would and could play that love interest role myself.” Ha reflects on the ways she’d internalised the constraints placed upon her, adding, “I think it’s partly because I started to subconsciously believe the box that I was being put in. So, the biggest challenge has been erasing that narrative and creating a new one for me, and that I deserve to be in these spaces as well.”
When I ask her if she can share something about the upcoming season's storyline, Ha acquiesces. "It is the first time we really see the upper and lower class come together this season,” she tells me. "My character is someone who constantly has her guard up. She [Sophie] is always reminded of her place and doesn’t dream of more than her station as a maid. However, she is human after all, and craves that human-to-human love and connection. And it’s not until she meets Benedict that she slowly lets her guard down, bit by bit, and starts to create space to let love flow in for her."
"We still have a little while to go with the shoot but I’m looking forward to filming the scenes I have yet to shoot with Luke," she continues. "I think there’s still a lot more fun to be had and I’m excited to share more moments with him on set."
When asked how it felt to land such a coveted role, Ha’s reply brims with unfiltered joy – much like her reaction upon hearing the news. “People were looking at me strangely like ‘is she okay’ but I was just in complete disbelief.” she recalls. Her mother was by her side – “We were both crying, and I remember thinking, ‘how did I get so lucky'.”
Luck, however, is only part of the equation. Ha’s trajectory is also underpinned by rigorous intent. Whether stepping into the stark deserts of Dune: Prophecy or the science fiction video game series Halo, she balances the weight of legacy with a commitment to authenticity. Now at the heart of yet another of pop culture's vast and intricate universes, I ask Ha how she approaches stepping into stories so rich with expectation.
"It’s a lot of pressure, I won’t lie," she admits. "If there’s original source material, I will always try to tackle those first and try my best with understanding the universe I’m in because I think it is my responsibility. Simultaneously, I also need to trust the amount of time the creatives have put into the scripts, and use that as my new base and blueprint to work with because at the end of the day, that is the story I am telling."
"The moment I think about a legacy, I’m immediately overwhelmed," she continues, "so I try to stick to how I can portray my character as honestly and truthfully as possible, within this world. I’ve slowly learnt to let go of the expectation that you will please everyone because that’s just simply not possible."
The role of costume, for Ha, becomes an extension of this truth. "Costumes for me, is such a critical part because it can inform the way my character moves," she says, describing how even the smallest detail – a hemline, a cuff – can transform her physicality. "It helps me find body language, gestures and mannerisms. Even the weight of something, the cut of a costume can alter my posture and the way I hold myself. It’s such a powerful tool to have because it truly helps you feel as if you are genuinely transforming into that character or putting on an armour of sorts."
On the set of her RUSSH cover shoot, Ha donned CHANEL, a transformation that took on a heightened elegance. "I felt amazing! I mean, it’s CHANEL,” she exclaimed, singling out a wristband-style watch – the Premiere Edition Originale Watch – that left her unexpectedly enamoured. "I’m not a watch girl myself, but I think I may have converted after wearing that," she says.
As for what’s next, Ha prefers to keep her focus narrowed. “I’m trying to not look too far ahead and recently I've been trying to take things day by day,” she says. In reflecting on her journey, it's Ha's understanding, this belief in the transformative power of art, that continues to fuel her artistic journey. "[Films] essentially remind you that we, as human beings, are all the same in a way, and that art is almost like this universal language. I think knowing that it has that power, it probably sparked my passion to be a performer. I truly think art can change the world."
PHOTOGRAPHY Holly Gibson
FASHION Charlotte Agnew
HAIR Dayaruci @ The Wall Group
MAKEUP Kenneth Soh @ The Wall Group
DIGITAL OPERATOR Max Brown
PHOTOGRAPHER'S ASSISTANT Chester Lewis
STYLIST'S ASSISTANT Eva Perez
PRODUCTION Samira Anderson
PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS Anna Parcerisas and Mark Shields
CREATIVE STUDIO AND CAMPAIGNS MANAGER Olivia Repaci
