Korean actors and actresses have taken over the
world, but every one of them had that one role that defined that, allowed them
to stand out from the crowd of aspiring stars and become household names. They
would go on to bigger roles and many other projects, but these are the ones
they are remembered for. Fans may not even know their real names, but recall
the character names instead. There will always be new generations to K-drama
stars waiting for their time, but these are the brightest stars now. Want to
see the work that defined them? Here are the top K-drama stars’ breakout film
and TV roles:
Suzy Bae in “While You Were Sleeping”
First off, Suzy was already defined as a K-pop
star in the girl group miss A (she can move) and gained notoriety as Lee Min-ho
and Lee Dong-wook’s girlfriend. But her exploration into K-dramas has been
surprisingly seamless and charming. Her performance as the precognitive girl
next door trying to change people’s bad futures opposite Lee Jong-sook’s
prosecutor was truly winning. That led her to projects such as last year’s
“Vagabond” with Lee Seung-gi and the big disaster movie “Ashfall.”
Gong Yoo in “Coffee Prince”
Thanks to the massive critical and commercial
success of 2016’s “Train to Busan” and “Goblin,” everyone knows who Gong Yoo is,
but he was not recognized as a lead actor back in in 2007. In this K-drama,
where he plays a wealthy slacker named Han-gyul tasked with bringing the
titular coffee shop up to business shape. At the shop, Han-gyul meets Eu-chan
(Yoon Eun-hye), who pretends to be a boy to work at the shop, causing Han-gyul
to confront his own sexual identity and become a better boss. “Coffee Prince”
also features a lot of shirtless Gong Yoo and a fresh-faced boyishness that
gave way to the chiseled gravitas that became his trademark, such as in the
2019 film, “Kim Ji-young: Born in 1982,” and he will appear later this year in
the action movie “Seo Bok.”
Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin in “Crash Landing on You”
Both Hyun Bin and Ye-jin were already
established names in K-drama with various successful projects recently Hyun Bin
in the mind-bending mystery “Memories of the Alhambra” and Ye-jin in the
May-December romance “Something in the Rain,” but they truly the most popular
K-drama stars in the world right now with their turns as seemingly star-crossed
lovers as North Korean Capt. Ri and South Korean heiress Se-ri. Not only is
“CLOY” being watched and re-watched around the world during these lockdowns,
but the show itself is the perfect K-drama, with perfect casting combining Hyun
Bin’s grim-faced affection and Ye-jin’s playful devotion. Their onscreen
chemistry won’t fail to bring a smile (even some tears). They will go on to do
other stuff, maybe even together again, but it will never be as big as when
they got together for “CLOY.”
Ji Chang-wook in “Smile Again”
What you have to know is that “Smile Again” ran
every weekday on KBS for two years and had a staggering 159 episodes. It was extremely
popular, had a huge cast and the biggest gift it gave us was Ji Chang-wook. Suffice
to that this 2010 show had a really long, complicated story that revolves around
lost children, a corporate battle over a hotel called the Camilla, pregnancies
and family machinations. Chang-wook played the lead role of Carl Laker (also known
as Dong-hae), a Korean with American citizenship who returns to Korea to
compete as a U.S. speed skater and see his girlfriend. But all kinds of things
happen that soon lead to him being dumped, having his skating career prematurely
ended, meeting someone new (hello, Bong-yi), finding out about his true
identity and then fighting for survival in many ways. There is a lot of Chang-wook’s
range shown in this series and Korea got truly acquainted with Chang-wook over
these two years, making him a star. He had a great turn recently in the underrated
sci-fi fantasy series “Melting Me Softly” as a TV producer who is cryogenically
frozen and wakes up 20 years later than he’s supposed to.
Jo In-sung in “What Happened in Bali”
While his work can mostly be found in film, In-sung has some major TV works in his resume. Most K-drama fans probably know him from the 2014 series “It’s Okay, That’s Love,” where he plays a writer with obsessive-compulsive disorder—or is it? This series has received acclaim for its realistic portrayal of different characters with mental health issues. But In-sung’s breakthrough performance actually happened a full decade earlier. In 2004, he was the male lead in the tragic, twisty “What Happened in Bali,” a 20-episode SBS series that featured the poor girl-rich boy dynamic gone completely wrong. He plays Jae-min, an unpredictable, paranoid and ultimately lovesick chaebol heir who winds up trapped in a self-induced cycle of revenge, manipulation and obsession.
Ju Ji-hoon and Yoon Eun-hye in “Princess Hours”
The Crown Prince (Ji-hoon) is arranged to be
married to a commoner (Eun-hye), an arrangement that initially breeds awkward contempt
but becomes sweetly romantic. This show features a culture as well as a
personality clash between two people of very different personalities and social
circumstances. The 2006 k-drama, based on a popular manhwa, jumpstarted the
careers of these two stars and the show itself would be aired in seven Asian
countries, get a spinoff series as well as a stage adaptation in Korea and get
remakes in Indonesia and Thailand. Ju Ji-hoon would go on to play another crown
prince in the Netflix zombie series “Kingdom,” and Eun-hye became a singer
(Baby V.O.X.), actress (“Love Alert”), model and fashion designer.
Jun Ji-hyun in “My Sassy Girl”
A drunk girl on a train throwing all over an
ordinary guy on a subway car sets off one of the most iconic Korean films of
all time, with the unfortunate Cha Tae-hyun getting dragged into all sorts of
misadventures by an apparently crazy, unnamed girl. Viewers fell in love with this wacky,
bittersweet love story and the inimitable girl at its heart. She would feature
in popular films (“Windstruck”) and top-rating shows (“My Love From The Star”) as
the industry’s most recognizable beauty and go on to become Korea’s most
successful endorser—the face which sold a thousand products—and so popular that
even a nameless cameo in “Kingdom” was the subject of breathless anticipation.
Kim Go-eun in “A Muse”
While the baby-faced Go-eun became a worldwide
sensation after her sweet turn in 2016’s “Goblin,” she had already been a controversial
figure in Korea because of a daring turn as an more baby-based school girl in a
relationship with a 71-year-old writer, a film art turn when she was still in
university and literally had no film experience. Now, she is set to star with
Lee Min-ho in Netflix’s “The King: Eternal Monarch.”
Lee Jong-suk in “W: Two Worlds”
There’s no doubting Jong-suk started out as a
model. Look at his beautiful face and grace. But he’s taken seriously to acting
in projects like 2014’s “Pinocchio” and 2017’s “While You Were Sleeping.” The
best place to see him is the 2016 high-concept fantasy series “W: Two Worlds”
opposite Han Hyo-joo. Kang-chul is the protagonist of Korea’s most popular comic
book, a millionaire who’s been set up for killing his father and is out to
prove his innocence while being chased by a deranged killer. But he accidentally
emerges into the real world and has to deal with the fact he is a fictional
character. Jong-suk mixes his fish-out-of-water shock with the action-star
bonafides just right. He makes it make sense that Hyo-joo would fall in love
with a made-up man—if he’s like this.
Lee Min-ho in “Boys Over Flowers”
Where to even begin with Min-ho? One of the
biggest K-drama stars ever, Min-ho was already a star when he helped define the
action-TV genre with 2011’s “City Hunter” with Park Min-young; his big break
was two years before when he played Gu Jun-pyo on “Boys Over Flowers,” based on
the Japanese manga. Leader of the F4 gang, Jun-pyo was a much sought-after
role, and Min-ho did not disappoint, weaving the wealthy heir Jun-pyo’s
hotheadedness with his secret fondness for the humble drycleaner’s daughter Ku
Hye-sun (Geum Jan-di). It’s a role that show’s he’s got skills as well as good
looks. He can sing, too. His love life’s no slouch: He’s dated Min-young and
Suzy Bae. He was paired with icon Jun Ji-hyun in the mermaid epic “Legend of
the Blue Sea.” Today, he is the biggest deal among the hallyu wave’s star and
everyone’s waiting for his big new show, Netflix’s “The King: Eternal Monarch”
with Kim Go-eun.
Lee Seung-gi in “My Girlfriend is a Gumiho”
Another classic rom-com, the very cute “Gumiho”
served as a vehicle for Seung-gi, who has an accomplished career as a singer,
to enter the realm of acting as well. He plays Dae-woong who of course wants to
be an actor and accidentally Mi-ho (Shin Min-ah), the mythical nine-tailed fox.
The series showcases the bumbling and well-intentioned Dae-woong’s attempts to
protect her and also achieve his dream, in the process falling for each other.
Seung-gi only got more popular from there, hosting everything from “Master in
the House” to “Busted!” and last year starred in his biggest project yet, the
Netflix big-budget action series “Vagabond” with Suzy Bae. He has an upcoming
travel show called “Twogether” with Taiwanese star Jasper Liu.
Lee Sung-kyung and Nam Joo-hyuk in “Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo”
Sung-kyung was more known as a model and
Joo-hyuk a newcomer. But “Weightlifter Fairy,” about the titular insecure weightlifter
and a swimmer with issues at Haneul Sports University initially disliking each
other only to fall for each other is immensely accessible and irresistible.
Joo-hyuk is a long drink of water, but Sung-kyung who was actually traumatized
after gaining five kilos to play the lead role will forever be Bok-jo, with her
awkward and lovable performance. It’s a great, easy choice for a first K-drama,
too.
Park Bo-gum and Kim Yoo-jung in “Love in the Moonlight”
Gender bending was another element is this 2016
Joseon-era rom-com, with Bo-gum playing the heir to the throne, Lee Yeong, and
Yoo-jung playing Rao-on. She is pretending to be a male romance writer and
relationship expert, eventually becoming a Eunuch (yep, you read it right) in
Lee Yeong’s court. This show is all about secrets (new ones and those kept for
a long time) which come into play while Lee Yeong and Ra-on, of course, fall
for each other. They’re adorable. Bo-gum is already very good-looking and much
more mature after the previous year’s “Reply 1988.” Did you see his daring turn
opposite Song Hye-kyo in “Encounter?” Did you see how hot he was in the
“Itaewon Class” cameo? Crazy. After a career as the best child star in Korea, Yoo-jung
is unforgettable in “Moonlight” even as she’s still growing up into her
stardom.
Park Min-young in “Sungkyunkwan Scandal”
In 2010, Min-young pretended to be a man in yet
another Joseon drama (see a pattern here?). In order to work, Min-young
pretends she’s her brother and gains admission to the prestigious Sungkyunkwan
institute, where she had to keep her identity secret but also deal with her
feelings for her senior played by the mischievous Song Joon-ki. It’s a great
balancing act of drama and comedy for Min-young, showing the kind of smarts she
could display in “City Hunter” with Lee Min-ho and “Healer” with Lee Seung-gi.
Indeed, she’s gone on amass a truly mind-boggling resume even in this august
company by number of projects alone, recently starring with Park Seo-jun in
“What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim?”
Park Shin-hye in “Stairway to Heaven”
Shin-hye first came to public attention when
she had a great role as a child actress in one of the first great—and
soapiest—K-drama of all time, 2003’s “Stairway to Heaven.” She played the young
version of Choi Ji-woo’s Jung-suh who will have to overcome everything from a
jealous stepsister, car accidents, amnesia, kidnapping, blindness and a brain
tumor to find love. “Stairway” is so classic that this was the K-drama that the
North Korean K-drama addict soldier was addicted to in “CLOY.” That was a
memorable turn that led to many bigger things. The porcelain-skinned Shin-hye
would go on to have a truly prolific career, appearing most notably in the 2013
film “Miracle in Cell. No. 7” (yes, that “Miracle in Cell No. 7”), back in 2013
in “The Heirs” with Lee Min-ho and recently in “Memories of the Alhambra” with
Hyun-bin.
Park Seo-jun and Kim Ji-won in “Fight for my Way”
Seo-jun had the biggest post-“CLOY” hit in the
inspiring, cool “Itaewon Class” late last year, but the role that best shows
his onscreen abilities is a smaller but no less inspiring drama, 2017’s “Fight
for my Way,” where he plays Dong-man, a former Taekwondo jin who’s lost his
mojo and decided to become a workaday MMA fighter. That show showcases Seo-jun’s
ability to miss a gentle stoicism with a fierce, protective streak. He’s more
famous now, of course, and “Fight” is the breakthrough reason. Ji-won had an earlier
big hit, playing the conflicted surgeon Lt. Myung-ju in “Descendants of the
Sun,” but she shined as Ae-ra, the department store employee dreaming of becoming
an announcer; though discourage she doesn’t give up, together with Seo-jun.
Park So-dam in “Parasite”
No one on this list had as meteoric a rise from
relative newcomer to full-on superstar as everyone’s favorite fake art
therapist So-dam. So-dam had had some small roles here and there; her most
prominent one was as second lead in the rom-com “Cinderella and the Four
Knights.” But that all changed when she played the duplicitous and doomed
daughter “Jessica” in director Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar-winning “Parasite.”
Everyone (Charlize Theron included) is waiting to see what So-dam does next.
Song Hye-kyo and Song Joong-ki in “Descendants of the Sun”
It is indeed ironic that these two actors who had famously (or infamously) fell in love on the set of this big K-drama hit (becoming the so-called “Song-Song” couple) and subsequently divorced that they will also be forever be remembered for the onscreen couple they played. Special forces Capt. Si-jin and cardiothoracic surgeon Mo-yeon (they are, of course, “Big Boss” and “Beauty”) try to go on a date that keeps getting delayed by war, disaster and politics, but the onscreen couple has a sizzling onscreen chemistry that reflects the fact the two were actually falling in love, and there’s no faking that. The two haven’t done much since the divorce but it’ll be impossible to be more definitive than “Descendants.”
The post Lee Min-ho in ‘Boys Over Flowers,’ Gong Yoo in ‘Coffee Prince’ and the other K-drama stars’ breakout roles appeared first on Inquirer Super.
Source: PDI
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