Do you remember the drama and/or movie that made you fall in love with your favorite actors or actresses. With the shocking news of yet another tragedy befalling the K-entertainment industry, my mood could not be any lower. As an outlet for my downer day, I thought I’d revisit the character or performance that made me pinky swear that I would remain a loyal fan forever of certain performers.
Some of them are on my list of obsessions, some are not. But these were the unforgettable performances that made me a fan, probably for life, that is how much goodwill it created.
Though with the recent batch of mediocre dramas and lackluster performances, I’m slightly regretting bestowing so much good will on certain actors (Lee Da Hae and Yoon Kye Sang, I’m talking to YOU, but a few other are treading on shaky ground as well). Nonetheless, each of these amazing acting creations made me glad I encountered K-dramas (and I snuck in a C-drama as well) and got to savor and enjoy watching them.
I’m Blinded By Your Magnificence:
Yoon Kye Sang in She is Nineteen/My Sister-in-Law is Nineteen – I remember tweeting about him, that is how watching him for the first time affected me. He really made an impression, not because his acting technique or his physical attractiveness blew me away. I was taken aback by how much emotion he projected, how natural he was. It was completely unexpected, considering how much I disliked his character and performance in Triple and wrote him off after that. Watching him in this drama, I’ve not only re-assessed him, I’ve written off Triple as the aberration.
Park Yong Ha in On Air – He made the entire drama bearable for me, him and Lee Bum Soo. But it was mostly him, his character was so relatable and decent, his performance so understated and effortless. I rooted for him to end up with whomever he loved, whether it was the screenwriter or the actress. He ended up picking the screenwriter, and I found comfort watching his story find a happy ending.
Ariel Lin and Yuan Hong in Legend of the Condor Heroes 2008 – I watched any scene with each of them with my mouth half-open in awe. Ariel come soclose to making me forget she had tremendous shoes to fill as the unpeenth actress to tackle the meaty role of Huang Rong. Yuan Hong came out of left-field and simply turned my brain into jelly and make me love a villain character I was intimately familiar with and never spared a second glance at before. By mid-way through the drama, I wanted to chuck canon out the window and have their characters get together. That is how intense their performances turned me blasphemous in my adherence to sticking to the novel.
Jung Woo Sung in The Good, The Bad, The Weird – When the camera panned up his lean, long legs in the first scene of the movie, and he opened his gorgeous mouth and spoke his first lines, I was lost forever. This man owns my viewing soul. His Good character was less devilish or quirky than the other two, but he was my drug of choice in the movie.
Lee Byung Hyun in Beautiful Days – He had ORANGE hair in this drama, and was really a giant asshole if judged by objective standards. But I am not a robot and possess any objectivity. I loved him in this drama, just loved him to pieces. I loved his controlled performance, his stoicism, his repressed machismo and sensuality.
Jo Hyun Jae in Seodongyo – This was my first K-drama and he is my first K-actor crush. He was handsome and intense in this drama, playing both noble and destitute. I loved him so much afterwards I went and watched anything he starred in, or at least tried to.
Lee Da Hae in My Girl – Unequivocal and unabashed, I immediately fell in love with her after one episode of this drama. She was gorgeous, funny, and adorable. I loved her way more than either of her leading men, and could care less who she chose in the end. My first K-actress crush – I immediately watched Green Rose afterwards so I could keep watching her onscreen.
Lee Jun Ki and Nam Sang Mi in Time Between Dog and Wolf – Read my review of TBDAW at Thundie’s Prattle. I cannot stress enough how much I love each of them individually in this drama, and how much that love was expanded exponentially when they combined to create one of my favorite OTPs in any drama.
Song Seung Heon and Won Bin in Autumn in My Heart – The former makes no sense, I concede. The latter is universal, I reckon. Regardless, can’t stand any of the female characters in the drama, but wanted both of them to get their dream-come-true – even if one of them wanted fauxcest and the other one had anger-management and responsibilitity issues.
Kim Sun Ah and Cha Seung Won in City Hall – The chemistry between them was off-the-charts. Hottest couple in any K-drama I have ever watched. Theirs was a mature, simmering relationship, and the acting intensity of both Kim Suh Na and Cha Seung Won are forever seared in my memory. I delurked on Dramabeans because of this drama and this couple. I think that says enough.
Im Joo Hwan in Tamra the Island – Team Park Kyu! A friend mentioned that we appear to be a group of cultists. She is right, we are. We are insanely mesmerized by the prissy and haughty exterior, but loving and courageous interior of this character. The performance of Im Joo Hwan was a once-in-a-lifetime perfect melding of the perfect actor for the perfect character. Did I just use the word perfect three times in one sentence? Yeah, I did, and let me use it one more time – he was perfect as Park Kyu.
Lee Seo Jin in Damo – Naeuri-ahhhhh! I think everytime I see Lee Seo Jin I’m going to scream “Naueri” and then collapse into a puddle of tears. I have never had an desire to watch him in any of his other dramas, but watching this performance is a life-changing experience for me. I wept, I raged, I even surpassed my own fan-tendencies and realized that rarely has a character and his purpose in life so affected me.
Sung Yuri in Snow Queen – She was drop-dead gorgeous, absolutely riveting in her beauty and allure. Her character I wished to perdition and back, because she made my Binnie so sad and so suffering. But this was a completely immersed performance from Sung Yuri, and I loved every minute of it.
Hyun Bin in Ireland – I watched My Name is Kim Sam Soon first. And yet this was the performance I feel made me unable to ever erase Hyun Bin from my mind. He was the only redeeming person in the entire drama, and so handsome it hurt. He can do NO wrong in my eyes after this, NO wrong.
Kang Ji Hwan in Be Strong Geum Soon – I watched Hong Gil Dong first, and yet this is the performance that cemented him as an incredible actor and a true genius of a performer. He is nuanced, he is exquisitely intricate in his depiction of even broadly-written caricatures, he is memorable in any role he takes on. He made me marathon my first daily K-drama. I don’t regret a single minute of time spent with this performance.
Son Ye Jin in Summer Scent – She is simply glorious. This horrifically bad drama is watchable because she is in it. She makes the mediocre into the exceptional (A Moment to Remember), and the dreck that was Summer Scent into passable entertainment. She is a goddess. I cannot get enough of her.
Kim Nam Gil in Queen Seon Deok – Poor Bidam! He is so unbelievably hot and sinfully sexy, he should pay a fine for starring in this drama. He has never looked so good to me in any other role. It was almost like he was born to play a throwaway secondary character and make him the centerpiece of a drama named after another character. Bravo, Kim Nam Gil, bravo!
In conclusion:
This simply reflects my eclectic taste and nothing more. Please share which actors/actresses and which performances moved you like no other. If I haven’t yet watched it, I will for sure put it on my to-watch list. I pinky swear to you!
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Wow...what a great post! Off the top of my head (and I reserve the right to come back and post multiple times, heh), here are my favorite actors in my favorite performances:
Hyun Bin - Friend, Our Legend
Jang Hyuk - Robbers
So Ji-sub - MiSa
Jung Il-woo - Return of Iljimae
Gong Yoo - Coffee Prince
Cha Seung-won - City Hall
Im Joo-hwan - Tamra
Kang Ji-hwan - Hong Gil-dong
Kim Sun-ah - MNIKSS
Sung Yuri - Snow Queen/Hong Gil-dong (tie)
Im Soo-jung - MiSa
Son Ye-jin - Alone in Love
Yoon Eun-hye - Coffee Prince
Ha Ji-won - What Happened in Bali
Su Ae - 9 Ends, 2 Outs
Kim So-yeon - IRIS
My list of unforgettable performances/characters:
From K-dramas
Son Ye Jin- Alone in Love
Han Hye Jin- Jejoongwon
Yoon Eun Hye- Coffee Prince
Lee Da Hae- My Girl
Nam Sang Mi- Bad Family
Park Yong Woo- Jejoongwon
(I've recently finished Jejoongwon and loved his character too much to be able to think of any other actor at the moment. Heh.)
Hello, my first post on your lovely blog. ^^
Here are my favorite & unforgettable performances in no particular order:
So Ji Sub-Glass Slippers
Chun Jung Myung-What's Up, Fox?
Jang Geun Seuk-You're Beautiful
Choi Ji Woo-Stairway to Heaven
Rain-Full House
Song Hye Go-Full House
Yoon Eun Hye-Goong
Jang Hyuk-Chuno
Kim Sun Ah-MNIKSS
Ha Ji Won-Damo
Jo Hyun Jae-Seodongyo
Lee Young Ae-Dae Jang Geum
Go Hyun Jung-Queen Seon Duk
I want to play too! (in no order)
1. So Ji Sub – MiSa (is there any question in any one's mind that SJS is the only one who could have played this role?)
2. Im Soo Jung – MiSa (ISJ is so quietly good & a great foil for SJS's explosiveness. I seriously pine to see this couple together whether in CF's, drama or in real life--I sound like a freak fan)
3. Kim Mung Min– White Tower (Saw this after Bad Family & his performance blew me away. Not a happy feel good story but I actually rewatched it right after finishing it just to catch extra nuances in his acting.)
4. Ha Ji-won – Damo (She blew me away in this role since I had only seen her in WHiB, Love So Divine & 100 Days with Mr. Arrogant before Damo.)
5. Chun Jung Myung– GoodBye Solo (It took a a couple years and a couple of performances but this was the drama that made me notice him. squeee)
6. Su Ae – Emperor of the Sea (I became a fan of Soo Are after EotS. If I wasn't already in love with ISJ, she would be my girlcrush)
7. Uhm Tae Woong– Resurrection (My favorite UTW performance. To think he was going to play the 2nd lead. No Fucking way!)
8. Gong Hyo Jin– Ruler of your own world (My favorite GHJ performance though I usually love her in everything but this is my favorite performance from her)
9. Jang Hyuk– Thank You (I think he was overshadowed in acting dept by the other actors but this is the role I finally noticed JH after seeing him in Volcano high, Windstruck and Bright Girl)
10. Kim So Yeon – All About Eve (She is the only good thing about AAE. I've never seen someone have this much fun playing a baddie)
11. Hyun Bin – Ireland (his acting is so natural and unaffected. I literally thought this was a fluke performance after watching Millionaire's first Love but I'm told I should watch Friend Our Legend as proof that he has the chops)
12. Kim Sun Ah – MNIKSS (iconic role. I doubt I'll ever love KSA as much as I loved her in this)
13. Cha Seung Won– City Hall (CSW & his chemistry with KSA made the drama for me since I'm not a fan of the writing and wasn't feeling KSA 's acting in this)
14. Bae Doo Na– Country Princess (she is so embarrassingly her character in this. So great considering how pretty & feminine the female leads were at the time.)
15. Jang Guen Suk - Hwangjini (I had no idea who he was at the time but this is still my favorite performance from him and *gasp* I actually cried)
16. Bae Young Joo– Winter Sonata (its not his acting so much as his charisma. WS started my drama love so I will always remember BYJ fondly though frankly he freaks me out now)
...and yes Team Park Kyu sounds like a cult. I'm not quite ready to add him to my list since I'm conflicted because Kim Mi Kyeong won my love & attention a wee bit more. If she wasn't so fantastic I think he would have been an easy shoe in.
Jang Hyuk - Chuno (I had seen him in dramas and movies before but this performance is what put him on my actor-to-watch list)
Go Soo - Green Rose (Way over-the-top show but his performance in the first couple of eps got me hooked and later his character become pretty boring but had lots of charisma. I'm actually watching Will it Snow for Christmas right now just to see more of him and I think little pink heart shot out of my eyes the first time his character made an appearance)
Jang Geun Seok - You're Beautiful (I LOATHED him in Hong Gil Dong and was just turned off by all the fangirliness surrounding him. But damnit, I fell for his character in You're Beautiful and that silly sneer of his. Can't count how many times I replayed the pig chase scene!)
Lee Seung-Gi - Brilliant Legacy (The first time his character smiled, I was done for!)
Kim Sun-ah - MNIKSS (Who wouldn't love her after this role, seriously?!)
Uhm Tae-Woong - Resurrection (I don't think anything even needs to be said here)
Im Soo-Jung & So Ji-Sub - MISA (No drama couple has surpassed them in my heart as of yet)
Gong Yoo - Coffee Prince (I kept reading bad reviews of his acting from previous shows etc but I think he was pretty great here. I even went and watched Biscuit Teacher Star Candy afterwards to see more of him. His good looks don't hurt either).
Kim Hyun-Ju - Miss Kim's Million Dollar Quest (OK OK, not a great show or even the first role I saw her in, but she was so damn adorable in it with Ji Jin-Hee that I couldn't stop watching)
Jung Kyung-ho & Lee Min-jung - Smile, You (Both of them are so adorable I can't help but go "aww" out loud every time they are on screen together. This role made me finally able to put my dislike for JKH after that horrible role he played in MISA behind me)
Park Yong-Ha - On Air (ditto on what ockoala said)
Lee Sun-Gyun - Pasta (OK so I only watched like 3 eps and had liked him in Coffee Prince and White Tower before but his scenes with Gong Hyo-Jin were just so great that it cemented my love for him permanently)
Eugene and Lee Min-ki - I Really, Really Like You (I'm not one to go out an watch everything she's in because face it she has chosen some stinker parts, but her adorable character and relationship with Lee Min-Ki will always hold a place in my heart and well Lee Min-ki is just in my heart period)
Kang Ji-hwan - Hong Gil Dong (I had never seen or heard of him before this show! I didn't even know what I was missing)
Bae Doo-na and Gong Hyo-Jin - I can't remember when I first encountered these two actresses but I admire them both immensely.
Sure I will think of more later but these are what popped into my mind first.
@ langdon, doozy, endodo, nycgrl, Kristal
Thanks for taking the time to share your list of unforgettable performances.
I have SO many I need to watch or finish watching as soon as possible. Actually, many of the ones you listed I totally concur, but to add them on my list would mean I would never finish it. :-D
I did forget one person - Jang Hyuk in Chuno. One-in-a-Moment performance for me as well (a lot of you have him down).
And this goes to show that unforgettable is subjective, but the quality of these performances cannot be argued. Thanks again for playing my game!
ockoala, have you seen Yoon Kye-sang in Who Are You? His performance is a little over-the-top at times but I enjoyed him in that one a lot. I was looking forward to seeing him in Road No 1 but after I heard all the reviews I think I might pass.
Ok some I forgot to include:
Son Ye-jin - Alone in Love (I liked her in The Classic first but she just completely changed the image I had of her in Alone in Love and it remains one of my favorite dramas)
Shin Goo - Thank You (Of course there's SO MANY roles he's been great in but I think Thank You is the best I've seen of him)
In fact none of us included any of the older actresses/actors we like. How shallow of us! ;)
PS I think I may be one of the few people who actually doesn't like Won Bin!
Ah, this is such a good read! and all the comments, bringing back all these fond memories of unforgettable crushes on actors and actresses.
I have early onset forgetfulness, I need constant reconfirmation of goodness for a performer to really stick.
But I'm pretty sure when I'm 80+ and my brain really quits me entirely, I'll still be forever fangirling these guys.
1. Leslie Cheung. At first it's all shallow, he's just impeccably pretty, a decent matinee idol TV actor. before the days of flower boys, his features r what I want to have. But it was his Kit fr ABT, his 'Young 12th Master' in Rouge, even his Ling ChoiSun fr Chinese Ghost story, he kept owning his characters. Then came Days of being Wild, and WKW ultimate fanboying over him in every single shot his camera set on Leslie. All that before Farewell my Concubine, his seminal role. Every performance of his is unforgettable to me.
2. Hyun Binnie. It was 2006 Mar, when I finally succumbed to a dvd my roomie was forcing down my throat since Summer of 2005, ie The Samsoon Heatwave. I was a kdrama snob. Her last feverish recom was Lover in Paris which scared/scarred me. and tagline on that pirated dvd in Chin subs was: MNIKSS is the 2005 'Lover in Paris'. *cringe*
I was going through shifts in my life in 2006, still hesitant on the cascades of big decisions in life all lumped into that couple months... roomie was hitting the big 3-0 and I didnt know there would be crying and numerous MNIKSS rewatches involved.
So I was just being a good gf and spend a whole wkend holing up and did a 16 hr nonstop MNIKSS. I was instant love w/ KSS' samsoon. Hyun Binnie got me when they did a side profile shot of him when he's all emo over Hallyu Mt and his bro.
Then I watched Ireland right after.
I was this ready to just end this fangirling biz of hyunbinnie last year, but along came Friend, Our Legend.
3. Chun Jung Myung. I saw him first as MinHo in Goodbye Solo. Please tell me how a girl can stop fangirling him after that. As many problems I have w/ dramas or movies he's been in, it's never due to his fault. I still loved his ChulSoo in WUF though the drama was a disappointment. I've calmed down enough fr that bloody roller coaster ride call CU, but I still have heart fluttering rem certain of his scenes.
4. Yuan Hong. He's a gift in my life that keeps giving. I shared the exact experience falling for him fr LoCH08, if he can steal the show w/ that character, he can do no wrong, and he proved himself as a child kidnapping, user of hideous weapon of mass destruction meanie w/ a gooey heart as Yelu Xie, but it's his twittering that keeps nourishing my fangirling beast. Not complaining.
5. Son Ye Jin. Classic, Alone in Love and I endured PT solely because of her acting. I've even glimpsed Summer Scent again only because I can get mesmerized w/ her on screen for unknown reason even in crap.
6. Moon Geum Young. As much as I hated AiMH, she left a great impression on me. I did watch the WB parts because it was totally the trashy romantic novel almost rapist trope :X I was peeing my pants in wimpy fear yet I finished Tales of 2 sisters because of her. But it was Painter of the Wind. If she's going to do another CU atm, I'll still watch it.
oohh, I'm late to the game, but can I play?
Yoon Eun Hye, Gong Yoo and pretty much the rest of the cast of Coffee Prince - they've had total bombs in other things, but this gem will forever make them shining stars in my mind.
Kim Nam Gil - the sexy bastard in QSD - serious fangirling from this obasan.
Jang Hyuk - Chuno - although I've seen him in other things and adore Thank You, he lit Chuno up like a fireworks and surpassed TY and SSoaBG in my mind forever. Most of the rest of the male sword carrying cast get fangirling points from me as well
Kang Dong-won - Duelist - sigh....
Song Il Gook - Emperor of the Sea - yep, Yeum Jang the conflicted pirate....can we see the pattern here yet?
Cha Seung Won– City Hall
Kim Sun Ah and Hyun Bin - MNIKSS - yep.
K!R!W! - in Attic Cat - it's that smile. Really, he's an impulsive, immature smartass, but oh...that smile.
Kang Ji Hwan - Hong Gil Dong - had me from sitting on the roof in shades - oddly not the first time I'd seen him in something, but the first time that his smile went and killed me. Not a fan of the second half of HGD, but oh, such a fan of KJH
Uhm Tae-Woong - Resurrection and virtually everything else he's ever done EXCEPT QSD - one of the few Korean men I think looks way way better in modern dress.
Ha Ji Won, Lee Seo Jin, Kim Min Joon - Damo ....what else can be said.
Lee Jun Ki in the King and the Clown
Go Hyun Jung and PIE in What's Up Fox - the first time I'd encountered either.
LBH in TGTBTW. I was never a huge fan before this movie. But I adore The Bad, and will now put up with virtually any stupid movie/drama for The Bad.
have I got any others that aren't on anyone else's list? I'm a late draftee to Team Park Kyu, but I may throw in
Lee Hong Ki in You're Beautiful - episode 14 on the bus may go down as one of the scenes that forever stays in my mind for a kdrama. I'm almost old enough to be his obaasan, and I realize I just wept buckets subbing the darn thing, but each and every time I think of YB - it's Jeremy on the Bus - he could fall off the map and never do another comedy or drama - but that for me is turning out to be an iconic scene.
"I’m slightly regretting bestowing so much good will on certain actors...but a few other are treading on shaky ground as well"
You know my mine list gets shorter every year the more I watch kdramas. I am afraid of the day the mine list disappears altogether like a poof of smoke and I won't maybe want to watch kdramas anymore. It might be a sign of moving on to my next stage in life (like the day I decided I just didn't want to watch TV anymore) or just losing faith in the ability of kdramas to transport & entertain me (hopefully not this!)