Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
There’s no doubt that actors and actresses in their 20s are wildly popular with K-Drama viewers. And as with actors worldwide, some will be offered less substantial roles as they age. But then you have Hyun Bin and So Ji-Sub, who have not only maintained their popularity, but thrived in a highly competitive market filled with young models and idols.
Just because you look good strutting down a runway doesn’t mean you have what it takes to be a good actor. But K-Dramas are full of models who have successfully navigated their way from the catwalk into television and films. Here’s a look at some of my favorites who made the transition look effortless.
One of the things that has impressed me about K-Pop’s idol system is that it has developed some truly talented actors. They remind me of performers during the Golden Age of Hollywood, when entertainers were trained to sing, dance and act. Two highly-acclaimed K-Dramas — “SKY Castle” and “Memories of the Alhambra” — featured young K-Pop stars in strong co-starring roles. In the former, SF9’s Chani (né Kang Chan-Hee) put in a stellar performance as a high school student framed for murder. In the latter, EXO’s Chanyeol (né Park Chan-Yeol) played a terrified teenage game developer.
Four years after “The King Of Mask Singer” premiered on MBC in South Korea, “The Masked Singer” made its U.S. debut on FOX. The American remake — in all its gaudy splendor — is a bonafide hit.
“Encounter” is a treat for the eyes. Besides the obvious attractiveness of lead actors Song Hye-Kyo and Park Bo-Gum, the scenery — especially in Havana, Cuba — is a lush, welcome guest star. Unfortunately, by the time the credits have rolled, I realized that most of the series was much ado about nothing.
A unique series that kept me guessing until the end, “Memories of the Alhambra” starts off with a strong, intriguing premise: A teenage videogame developer has created an addictive world of augmented reality (AR), where players interact seamlessly with medieval warriors. Gamers go to real-life places (e.g. restrooms in neighborhood bars) to acquire weapons, which are only visible to people wearing special optical lenses.
Having just finished “Sky Castle,” I am left with a little lump in my throat, not because it’s over, but because I know there are so many children out there who are at the mercy of a brutal educational system — where you are told your life means nothing if you don’t get into Seoul National University, Korea University or Yonsei University.
Hallelujah! Kim Soo-Hyun, Ji Chang-Wook and Lee Min-Ho will be discharged from their mandatory military duties in South Korea later this year. As fans anxiously await their comebacks, let’s head back in time to revisit some of the actors’ most iconic work.
Before I watched “Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth,” I was looking forward to seeing how the romance between Dog Bird (Park Seo-Joon) and Ah-Ro (Go Ara) played out. But after the finale, I realized that what stuck with me wasn’t their tepid relationship, but that of the young men who formed a relationship — which at times was adversarial, but also based on friendship, honor and righteous morals. In other words, I was all about the poet warrior youth’s bromance.
Helmed by writer Kim Eun-Sook and director Lee Eung-Bok — who previously collaborated together on “Descendants of the Sun” and “Goblin: The Lonely and Great God” — the misleadingly named “Mr. Sunshine” does a beautiful job of juggling multiple story lines that are full of suspense, intrigue and achingly quiet romance.