How Yerin Ha Went From Lotte Mart to Bridgerton's Leading Lady

When veteran Korean actress Son Sook sat inches from her television screen, squinting through macular degeneration to watch all four episodes of Bridgerton Season 4 in a single sitting, she was not merely watching a Netflix show — she was witnessing her granddaughter, Yerin Ha, become the first Korean lead in the franchise's history. That deeply personal moment was one of many revelations from Ha's emotional appearance on tvN's You Quiz on the Block Episode 335, which aired on March 18, 2026, and offered the most intimate portrait yet of the actress who has captivated global audiences.

While Ha's casting as Sophie Baek had already made international headlines, her You Quiz conversation with host Yoo Jae-suk peeled back the polished surface of stardom to reveal the tears, the family bonds, and the quiet struggles of a Korean-Australian woman navigating Hollywood's brightest spotlight.

The Grandmother Who Watched Through Pain

The most unforgettable segment of the episode belonged not to Yerin Ha herself, but to her 63-year veteran grandmother, Son Sook. One of Korean cinema's most celebrated actresses, Son Sook revealed that she had watched the entirety of Bridgerton Season 4's first batch of episodes on the day they were released. Given her macular degeneration — a condition that has severely impaired her vision — this required sitting unusually close to the screen for hours, which left her with considerable back pain.

Yet it was Son Sook's candid reaction to the show's more intimate sequences that brought the studio audience to laughter. The veteran actress confessed that the bed scenes made her deeply uncomfortable, despite her own decades-long career in front of cameras.

"I'm also an actress, but watching my granddaughter's scenes was still awkward," Son Sook admitted, drawing warm laughter from the studio.

Adding another layer of humor, Son Sook revealed she had been playfully upset when she finally learned about the Bridgerton casting — because she was the last person in the family to find out. Ha had kept the audition and subsequent casting a complete secret from her grandmother throughout the entire process.

A Grocery Store Call and 24 Hours to Change Her Life

Recounting her casting story on You Quiz, Ha shared vivid details of the moment that set everything in motion. She was grocery shopping at Lotte Mart in Seoul when her agent called to ask if she knew about Bridgerton, the lavish Netflix period drama based on Julia Quinn's novels set in 19th-century English Regency society. The deadline was merciless — she had less than 24 hours to prepare and submit a videotape audition.

Ha filmed several scenes at home, including the crucial lake scene that would become central to her character's storyline. What followed was a grueling three-round audition process, all completed remotely from her residence. After the final tape went in, she heard nothing for an entire week — a period of excruciating silence that tested her resolve.

The confirmation finally arrived during a brunch with her mother in Gangnam, Seoul. Both women broke down in tears at the table. Ha recalled that her mother, overwhelmed by the enormity of the news, said she felt physically sick from the excitement and wanted to go home immediately. Born on June 26, 1995, in Sydney, the Korean-Australian actress had dreamed of moments like this since moving to Korea at age 14 to attend Kaywon High School of Arts, and later training at Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) — the same institution that produced Cate Blanchett.

Tears Over Representation and Responsibility

Perhaps the most powerful moment of the You Quiz episode came when Ha broke down discussing the weight of being an Asian actress in Hollywood. With visible emotion, she described the immense sense of responsibility she carries as a representative — knowing that her performance could open or close doors for other Asian performers in Western entertainment for years to come.

This vulnerability resonated deeply with viewers. Ha, who had already built an impressive Hollywood resume with roles in Halo (Seasons 1-2) and Dune: Prophecy, made clear that even with those credits behind her, the pressure of being the first Korean lead in a franchise as massive as Bridgerton weighed heavily. She uses just "Ye-rin" as her professional name — no anglicized alternative — a choice that itself speaks to her commitment to authenticity.

Netflix had made a similar statement by changing her character's name from Sophie Beckett to Sophie Baek, deliberately reflecting Ha's Korean heritage rather than erasing it. The character — a young woman forced into servitude by a difficult family past, who captivates Benedict Bridgerton at a masquerade ball through intelligence and wit — became a vessel for a broader conversation about identity in period storytelling. Season 4 premiered with Part 1 on December 29, with Part 2 released on February 26.

Spanish Media Controversy and the Korean Defense

The You Quiz appearance also came in the wake of a controversy involving Spanish media outlets that had drawn fierce criticism from Korean audiences. Reports surfaced that Ha's face had been displayed with watermarks in promotional materials, she had been excluded from thumbnails alongside her co-stars, and her name had been misspelled as "Yern Ha." Korean netizens rallied passionately in her defense online, turning the incident into a broader conversation about the treatment of Asian talent in international entertainment media.

The backlash underscored how deeply Korean audiences have embraced Ha's achievement. Fan communities mobilized across social media platforms to demand corrections, equal treatment in global press coverage, and proper recognition of her historic role. The episode served as both a reminder of persistent biases and a testament to the protective power of a mobilized fanbase.

Three Generations of Korean Performers

What made Ha's You Quiz appearance truly special was the generational arc it illuminated. Son Sook has spent 63 years building a legendary career within Korea's entertainment industry. Her granddaughter now represents the next frontier — Korean talent headlining the biggest Western productions on the global stage. The emotional interplay between the two, as shared through Ha's stories, painted a picture of artistic lineage stretching across continents and eras.

Coming after the global phenomena of Squid Game, Parasite, and K-pop's worldwide dominance, Ha's leading role in one of Netflix's most-watched franchises confirms a seismic shift in the industry. Korean performers are no longer supporting players in Western stories — they are leading them.

For Ha Ye-rin, the young woman who once walked the aisles of Lotte Mart with no idea what her agent's next call would bring, the journey to Bridgerton's ballroom has been as dramatic as any scene she has performed. And somewhere in Korea, her grandmother is still sitting close to the screen, watching every moment — back pain and all.