Russian-Korean actress tries to make name in theater
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Russian-born actress Rarisa poses during an interview with The Korea Times in Daehangno, Seoul. / Korea Times
By Jung Min-ho
Russian-born actress Rarisa is most famous for dancing “Gangnam Style” naked but the 29-year-old naturalized Korean is intent on proving she has more skills than that.
The decision to ride invisible horses wearing nothing was just Rarisa coming through on a public bet she made ahead of the presidential election in December on the voting rate, which unlike she anticipated, exceeded 75 percent.
She admits she regrets the move, which brought her a lot of negative attention and media lampooning, as she is now working hard to be taken seriously as a thespian. Nonetheless, her clothes come off again in “Professor and the Female Student,” an adult play currently being staged in Daehangno.
“The dance made my name the hottest search word on the Internet. But with all the attention I got, I became worried that I would be remembered as the naked Gangnam Style dancer forever,’’ Rarisa said in a recent interview with The Korea Times.
“I had good intentions, as I was trying to encourage people, especially young voters, to be serious about exercising their political rights. It was a meaningful election for me because it was the first presidential vote I was able to participate in after becoming a Korean citizen in 2009,’’ she continued, stressing that the dance wasn’t a desperate publicity stint.
“People would have blamed me whether I kept my word or not. I just hope that people didn’t take my actions the wrong way.’’
She believes politics can change people’s lives, and that’s why she attended President Park Geun-hye’s inauguration ceremony on Monday.
“When I see foreign residents and people from multicultural families here, I feel connected with them because I understand their situation quite well,” she said, referencing difficulties such as a cultural gap and a language barrier when she came here to model in 2005.
“I would say that Korean communities in general are warm-hearted, and that’s why I fell in love with this country. “
Rarisa won a Korea Multicultural Art Award last year in the modeling category and has been active in promoting diversity as an honorary ambassador of the Multicultural Entertainment Organizing Committee, doing volunteer work for children from multiracial families.
“I really appreciate all the opportunities that I have got here,” Rarisa said. “I would like to continue to participate in such activities.”
She first became famous for as a regular guest on KBS program, “A Chat with Beauties,” which went off air in 2010. She is also expected to make her film debut at the Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival this July in a comedy directed by Gong Ja-gwan.