The wooing that must be going on behind the scenes is sure to be intense. News broke last week that the K-drama known as Fox Star Bride was being changed by its screenwriter to another drama she was writing called People of Incheon Airport. The news was conveyed to Park Shin Hye who was in talks for the leading lady role and her agency confirmed that she was reviewing the new drama to decide whether to accept. It’s getting harder to find bona fide Hallyu leading ladies in the twenties age group and at 28 years old Park Shin Hye is most definitely at the top of her career bracket. She’s got a new jewelry pictorial for Swarovski that’s all pink and ladylike, something to tide her fans over for the time being as she takes her time between projects, probably like going on more dates and spending time with newly outed boyfriend Choi Tae Joon.
“It’s getting harder to find bonafide Hallyu leading ladies in the twenties age group”. Really? Well that’s news to me. Unless I’m watching different kdramas, there are a slew of Hallyu leading ladies in their 20s that I watch on kdramas everyday. Unless you’re referring to public acceptance of these leading ladies that translate to relatively “high” ratings, well then, that is a different story.
No, Koala is right on this. In terms of international popularity/fame/acclaim, there really is no one that comes even close to PSH’s league. PBY would be a good contender, but her hiatuses are too long, and she mainly does movies, and very little dramas, which has stopped her from being as popular/famous as she could be hallyu wise.
Lee Sung Kyung could be a good rival, and got popular through shippers from WLFKB but even she couldn’t translate that to international CF deals/fanmeetings like PSH has been able too. PSH really had great timing, and hallyu hit dramas she has been able to maintain the hype. Look at the other actresses her age, they really aren’t anywhere close to what she’s done with her career.
@Ann Joel
LOL…all those actresses you listed, KGE, KJW, JSM have all taken very lengthy hiatuses in between projects and only have a few dramas as lead under their belt. PSH has taken other ‘hiatuses’ before and they have yet to affect her, the truth is the competition is not hard for her, she is at the top, and has already established herself, unlike these other girls that have a lot more they need to prove in terms of being leading ladies in dramas.
Like I said her last project was in November, she still does a movie/drama every year or so, hardly a lengthy hiatus. She also has already shaken off her cute image, just look at her most recent works, and is considered a mature actress – you need to stop bringing up six year old dramas and saying she’s ‘type cast’ lol…when she no longer is.
‘you’ll notice the comeback the rest of us won’t’
Yet, here you are…commenting on her potential comeback news. Trust me, she was the reason Doctors did so well internationally without a hallyu male lead, people notice when she makes a comeback, which is why the writer is trying so hard to woo her into this current drama.
As for Lawless Lawyer, why would doing a cable drama with LJK, who hasn’t had a hit drama in more than six years be something she would even consider doing or something to ‘boast’ about? It’s going to be yet another flop under his belt, and SYJ will continue to be a forgettable actress who gets roles because her fees are low. Sorry about it.
@jennie no need to apologise at all how about you do a video montage of all PSH work to date and in that find out how many cute roles she has characterised? Actually wait they’re all cute. There is no extension in her acting and this has been prevalent in a lot of the comments on Koala’s site. She needs to mature as an actress. Roll around in dirt lie in a riverbed like Seo Ye Ji did for Save Me. Do something that is gonna ‘Wow’ us. Be an actress with chops not a pretty model saying cheese for endorsements. No one is denying her popularity but give us anything else not the same ole cute PSH style of acting that we’ve grown accustomed to seeing. My comments are about her being an actress. And for you to drop LJK not having a hit drama? Seriously? He can’t help the scriptwriter create the script his purpose is to deliver it but hey at least he’s acting and in hot demand. Kudos to him for keeping in the game and staying true to his profession. Oh and as for KJW, KGE and JSM they were all in dramas last year as leads and are having a well deserved break now and don’t need to prove themselves as 3 dimensional actresses because they do it naturally. Obviously casting shade against LL being on cable tv and SYJ and LJK is so laughable because again they’re relevant and are currently acting…..Getting personal again is somewhat showing your age too. Please re read my comments and stick to the critique and try and not deviate off the path when commenting. All K pop is a great stomping ground for that. Have a nice day, it’s 10.30am New Zealand time. Glad SYJ gets low fees then I can see more if her on screen! That’s a good one. ❤️
Ann Joel… the way you type is cringy. And the way you define popularity and acting chops is even more cringy. I mean, first dibs on LL and rolling around dirt? LOL. Thanks for making me laugh xD
@Ann Joel
PSH was lead in a drama and movie a year ago, and a lead in a movie this past year, and is also taking a much deserved break – actually she has a variety show soon and has been doing a lot of other events, cfs, and photoshoots, so not even a break lol.
As for her roles, you obviously have only ever seen her in heirs and you’re beautiful since you literally have no idea what you are talking about. Go look at her reviews for her last movie, she acted opposite CMS and had no problem holding her own.
@ anne joel i totally understand what you meant by considering her popularity she should have gotten her dibs opposite lee jun ki. Because that would be a drastic change for her image in dramaland.
Not aiming to diminish her achievements because she really has been successful in sustaining her popularity.But Hallyu popularity has little relevance these days, especially with China and Japan trying to focus their attention more on their own art and entertainment.Not to mention hallyu staple genre like youth drama,rom com and melodrama has lost its lustre.There is no novelty, creativity or originality.They are just rehashing same old plots.I guess this is one of the reasons why the impact is not as strong as it used to be.
PSH also started acting way earlier aside except from maybe Shin Se Kyung, compared to most of her peers who started later.So its a bit of an unfair comparison to make since she has had more time and opportunities to establish herself.
But this thing where they say there are no under 30 actress is total BS.Off the top of my head are Jung So Min, Park Bo Young, Kim Go Eun, Kim Ji Won, even upcoming ones like Lee Sun Bin, Shin Hye Sun, Seo Ye Ji and many more.They are pretty, clean image, good acting skill,onscreen charisma, good chemistry with their male leads and much more attributes..so that given opportunity and combo of solid script, directing and good acting partner plus a stroke of luck..they would make their mark in hallyu.
When did I say there were no actresses under their 30s? I just said none of them are anywhere near PSH’s level because they are not. The fact that the most ‘impressive’ actresses you could think of were people like KGE, KJW, JSM, etc. proves my point even more. These actresses are not anywhere close to PSH’s level. Maybe in the future, but they have a very long way to go.
Also, hallyu relevancy isn’t as important anymore, but PSH has both domestic and hallyu relevancy, so I don’t get what your point is.
Each to their own and at least the actresses listed above are relevant and are currently acting or locked into upcoming dramas/films. I’m sorry but if you define yourself as an ‘actor’ then show us the honours and ‘act’. Endorsements and attending events is part of the game but it’s not acting. You say ‘PSH’ is on another level? Yes she is but with the lengthy breaks in between acting gigs doing CF deals; traveling to fashion shows; appearing on variety shows ah yeah she is going to loose that shine and mantle to the other U30 talented hardworking K actresses already showcasing their art and when PSH does make an appearance it won’t compare because for those of us we’re already getting our drama actress fix and unless you’re a diehard PSH fan you’ll notice the comeback but the rest of us won’t. Can I ask then if she is that popular why wasnt she given first dibs on Lawless Lawyer with Lee Jun Ki? That would have been a killer pairing but I’ll answer my own question because (sorry pretty autumn I keep referencing you) she’s typecast and has a tendency to play cute high school damsel in distress roles and won’t be taken seriously as a mature actress no matter how hard she tries – she can’t shake the tag. PSH acting style is cute as and if she wants to compete with the likes of PBY; KJW; SYJ; JSM; KGE then bring it. ❤️ Being cute gets kinda boring after a while.
Why would getting first dibs on Lawless Lawyer be seen as a testament on an actress’s popularity? Lee Junki is a fab actor and its obviously great to act alongside him, but one look at the plot and the writer’s past works show that the drama’s focal point is on the male lead. PSH now needs a good female centric drama which would focus on her character, and Lawless Lawyer doesn’t give her that.
On the contrary, I can ask you the same question. Why not Seo Yeji who gets first dib on Kang Eunkyung’s upcoming drama? It’s that simple – different actresses suit different roles. And at different points in their career, they go for different kind of roles.
And yeah, it’ll actually be great if people don’t notice her comeback and focus on the other talented and hardworking actresses like you said. So we will stop getting these kind of comments everytime her name appears in this website. People dissing her upcoming drama and saying it is bound to be a failure, people not watching her latest works and saying she only takes cute roles, people complaining about her hiatus when she had a work coming out every year except for in 2015 when she took a year off to focus on school…. etc etc lmao.
@cherrypie Glad I made you laugh that’s the point of these comments isn’t it? Cringey? Maybe in your neck of the world and if I can evoke an emotion out of it enough to make you respond then I must be doing something right. Sorry I’m at work so keep it flowing and I’ll be back this evening people to continue the round @Jennie and @Lera. Peace and warm Pacific greetings from the South ❤️
Its true.
The actresses in the twenties age group are constantly overshadowed by the generation before them – like Song Hyekyo, Son Yejin, Jun Jihyun etc. K-media also hypes the 3 Kims too much and are eager to push them into leading lady status asap. At the same time, you have those idols with company connections taking lead roles right off the bat without prior acting experience. All these has resulted in the K-media always saying they are lacking actresses in their 20s.
PSH was lucky she had her child actress background as a huge buff to establish herself. Her rise to popularity coincided with the prime of Hallyu.
@kiara thats true.Talking about the three Kims.I feel bad for Kim So Hyun.She is also one of those actors with good acting skill and bad luck when it comes to scripts.I mean she is at that awkward stage in her career where she cant do these teen dramas/youth dramas because she has a lot of acting experience and it would feel like a waste of talent.But she still has some growing up to do(and maybe date a little) before she can start taking those mature romance female lead roles.I am saying this after my assessment of her performance in “Radio Romance”.Maybe she should go the Son Ye Jin or Han Hyo Joo way and focus on building her experience in movies and dub in kdramas every once in a while.Same with Kim Yoo Jung in Moonlight and Kim Sae Ron in Mirror of the Witch.They are all indeed very talented with great deep acting chop and have a great future ahead of them..and I like them all.But there is no need to push them so fast.
Another fashion spread and another consideration but still no drama. In Someways her modelling is now becoming more central to her acting. If i was in my twenties and as popular as PSH i would be wanting to act and act as much as I can. The best actors never stop acting and thats how you perfect the craft like you do with any job you keep doing it and never has that been more important in that business when in your 20s and you still have plenty of opportunity and the chance to remain relevant.I hope the waiting pays off and she has not wasted her valuable time and picks a good project soon even if its theatre work its all about expanding and maxamising opportuinity while its here as life holds no gaurantee…only my opinion.
I kind of agree your view. Too long hiatus and no acting project to broaden the scope in acting. Where’s the passion in acting? Just a waste of the hard work all those years ….
Her last acting project came out in November of 2017, it’s the end of March 2018. Her hiatus has only been a few months or so. I don’t get why people on here think she’s been gone for such a long time.
Also, the more famous an actress is the less they work – look at JJH, SHK, etc. They do projects sparingly because they have already established themselves. The reason PSH doesn’t work as much as actresses like Nam Ji Hyun or Chae Soo Bin is simply because she doesn’t need to. She’s already established herself as a big name, these other actresses constantly working have not.
Where’s the long hiatus?
She filmed a movie in 2017, then took a long break because her back was hurting.
Now she’s going to do a drama in 2018. It’s almost 90% confirmed after an article was released saying she’s still positively considering even with the massive change in script. Now she’s just waiting for the script.
If fans want her to do dramas and movies back to back non-stop like she did in 2012-2014, then that’s not gonna happen. She’s already past the rising stage where she needs to grab hold on to all the scripts thrown at her. She can afford to play and rest.
Her movie filmed in end of 2016 till Jan 2017 then no projects till now. I’ll not count on the reality show coming up coz not acting project. I quite agree on prettyautunn view, take part in movie to broaden her acting skills.
Yeah Silence finished filming in February. But anyway, what I’m trying to say is that her hiatus is not as long as some people exaggerate it to be. Like what RubyRed said above, she started her career earlier than her same-aged peers, so she’s more likely to be burnt out. It’s alright for her to take a break.
Anyway we all want her to be successful in film but it’s up to her to decide what to do. Who knows? Maybe Incheon Airport People would be her last drama in awhile and she will start focusing on films exclusively like Han Hyojoo did starting next year.
There aren’t that many good drama storylines that focus on female leads. She is in a no win situation. If she did drama after drama, the audience would complain and if it flopped they would blame her. I prefer her to chose wisely, whether it is film, drama or variety.
Agree.Thats the side effect of popularity.She really cant win.Adding to what you are saying, She cant date in peace because well..she is not dating some people’s ideal fantasy partner for her.In their words, her oppa is C-list so he doesnt match her because she is popular.She cant work work with veteran actors without her casting news being enveloped with negativity because well..they are ajussi and will bring her popularity down and she will lose to idol actress on IG..lol.Any comment on her news here or any other that is not praising her is automatically interpreted as hate when every other artist also have critics, fans and antis and the comments are not necessarily hating or shading her.
In the end though, she is a grown woman.We can run our mouths and fingers here but she wont read this and she will do what she wanna do with her life.I only hope she makes good decisions that will maximise not limit her potential as she gets older and she has good people surrounding her who tell her what she NEEDS to hear not what she WANTS to hear.
@Lisa – True that! I guess she has to be cautious with her return to dramaland and choose wisely. Even then I support pretty autumn’s comments saying she should stick to doing more film roles and seeing her shine as an actor would be phenomenal. However I’m not overly excited about watching an airport K drama with or without PSH. If it’s going to be anything like ‘Little Britain’s Come fly with me’? Well then it would be worth watching.
Thanks! I just think that she’s already established in dramas but k-dramas rarely offer any substance and nuanced characters to female actresses. If PSH really wants to take challenges, movies would be a good place to start to build her reputation, she’s already got one foot there.
But I understand that a lot of her fans want to see dramas and that dramas are her main thing. This writer is good, I loved Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim, Dalja’s Spring was good too. I just think that SBS is losing in terms of freshness and originality to tvn, ocn or jtbc. I don’t know about PSH, but she needs to quit playing high school girl roles already and finally play something more challenging and widen her range. Doctors was a god start but she needs to keep it up. I don’t think this drama will be anything like Little Britain’s Come Fly With Me because Little Britain is like a sketch parody. This drama could, at its best, be like a realistic drama about the life of different airport workers; the office workers, pilots, air-hostesses and stewards, customs and security personnel and so on. This drama could depict the working live of these airport staff, where their professional lives and private lives often entwine. This drama could show workplace feuds and romances, workplace hierarchy and the interactions between different kinds of travelers…
I don’t know if SBS can do it since that station is like an unoriginal makjang station nowadays. Also, I’m pretty sure that PSH’s childish delulu shipper fans (who, like, constitute a major portion of her [international] fandom) won’t be fond of the idea of their unni playing in mature dramas like that. They only want to see PSH acting with a hot hallyu oppa and her playing a love interest for Lee Min Hoo, Lee Jung Suk etc. in makjang dramas where she will be grabbed from her wrist and then she will act surprised when she gets kissed, and then she will wear a school uniform for the umpteenth time.
OMG @pretty autumn have you seen Little Britain? Anyway if I was a popular sought after actor and my fan base dictated the roles I took I guess I would give up being an actor and become a puppet because that’s essentially what she is doing to keep her popularity intact; which I must say is quite clever on her part. However in saying that what a cool move to do that variety show with So Ji Sub. Umm I wouldn’t rush that for ANYTHING! Happy camping PSH ❤️
I want to see her doing meatier real roles for a change. A real woman. She plays it too safe.
@Gem, I think that’s what she was going for with Doctors and Fox Star Bride. Doctors was take it or leave it but I think she was trying to transition. She might want to take a young mother role like UEE does to start somewhere.
Which was why I was hoping for an action or crime drama this year… But at least Incheon Airport is not a romance drama. She’s done enough of them.
I read that the “hallyu” term is originated by a Beijing journalist & now being used in many Asian countries. @Jennie says PSH has international popularity is totally misquoting Ms Koala’s words, this is so wrong! PSH has not breakthrough outside of Asia. She has no movie representation to qualify her as an international star. Hyun Bin & Kim Min Hee are known internationally in European Movie Film Festivals, just giving some examples…. Staying in K-dramas won’t get her too far, fans defending for PSH are living in a bubble…. I agree with @Ann Joel who lives in NZ as her viewpoint speaks more at the international level than those ignorant fans who take things personally & think PSH is the most popular ?
OMG thank you candy cane I feel vindicated! I love and support PSH too so to say that I’m acting all anti it’s like what? I want to see her in meatier acting roles and I know she just needs more time in film and to be given kick ass scripts and we’ll all be fawning over her achievements. Koala provides a forum for us K drama buffs to critique; gloat; praise and to share our points of view which is a good thing. Ok I’m on my break so back to work.
I will give you my point of view as a Latin American viewer.
PSH has small group of fans, most of them know her from Stairway to Heaven because it was one of the first kdrama aired at this side of the world around 2005. Back then Korean and Chinese dramas were a trend that lasted for a few years until it faded away . Therefore, I must disagree with people who says PSH has international popularity and is a well known global celebrity. There are small groups of kdrama fans left in some countries but even kpop has become a bigger trend. Some people watch any other kdrama but they don’t know even the name of the actors.
I am not a hater, I wish PSH the best since she stared in my first kdrama (STH), she is a grown up woman and from what I have read delulu fans argue and believe popularity is everything, they think she must have popular oppas as costars and have a popular drama no matter how shallow the content is, it will not help her. Time passes and she will come to an age where acting skills overweight popularity, other young stars will rise and only skills remain.
Shin Hye looks so beautiful on those pictures representing Swarovski as a GLOBAL MODEL, as she is the BENCH GLOBAL MODEL, the CHANEL ambassador, and more. An actress recognized Worldwide , where her movie “The Royal Taylor” was very popular in Europe and Americas winning the Audience Choice Award, viewers want to see Park Shin Hye on big screen. I am glad she is her own boss, when she feels like and it is the right project she will comeback for sure! She is not in competition with nobody. She is a true actress and takes her career serious ,reason why she takes her time .
It is understandable, that many that used her to promote and keep their oppas popularity are angry and desperate, since their oppas will no longer be able to use her to mislead fans playing cold childish games, underestimate people’s intelligence! Those are the ones that do not have confidence and/or take their acting career seriously . Go after them, and leave Shin Hye in peace. She owns nothing to none of you!
The whole conversation here is childish. PSH is already established that she doesn’t need to do back to back dramas and they wouldn’t even benefit her to be very honest since j-drama female leads written to actresses her age don’t vary much. It’s okay if she wants to take care of her personal life too, quite frankly it’s her personal choice. So it’s pointless to say things like why isn’t she coming back sooner? When Park Bo Young doesn’t comeback that fast either. And not getting offers next to Lee Jun Ki doesn’t mean shit. She already acted with the biggest names in Korean cinema already. It’s true that very few actresses her age have the same status as her as an actress; bankable and audience likes them. My issue is that she seems to have the drive for acting but k-dramas won’t offer her a good enough challenge. If she decides to take this Airport drama, I hope the writer won’t write yet another bright girl character in a school uniform..
typo, I meant to say k-drama, not j-drama lmao
I don’t think the above person meant popularity. It’s the image in drama land. Seeing her last drama I was sure she wanted to go in the action thriller direction. And there is nothing better than doing it with Lee jun ki. Even if it was a male centric plot considering her popularity they could have really adjusted it for her. It would have been really a good change for her to grab a chance at it. What Lee jun ki does is totally opposite of what she does. As for lee jun kis popularity It is one of a kind top notch and strong going but he was never popular for his dramas anyways SO she could have added her dramaland popularity to make writers bargain about script. What she needs now is not a hallyu oppa just for the sake of fan girls or a newbie actor to show her popularity. She needs a drastic change and it needs someone one like him not necessarily him. But there are very few dark character actors with action chops like him. they would have made a awesome action duo. I seriously thought she was changing her path to action after seeing her in doctors I thought she is slowly and cleverly doing it right way at right age.
Unless inchion airport is giving her a strong dark role or that of a female strong and sly also slightly cunning and clever security agent or what ever. It wI’ll be waste of her time if it’s another peaceful and calm character who feels bad for people and hurt by her own family or personal matters.
@rd Thank you for your comments and my sentiments exactly. The change in image for PSH would have had us all in awe and she would be truly revered even more if it was the genre was action/thriller/horror/sci fi. Because a true fan would want to see her challenged and her acting repertoire extended beyond what she has been doing currently. She deserves it and I wish more opportunities were given to her to consider. I believe she could take on a role like Ok Kim Bin in The Villianess or what IU’s character is in My Ahjussi. However I guess she’ll have to pay the price of her loyal fan base who will balk at the idea of her being outside the realm of what they expect to see her in and growing up as an actress is not what they want so PSH along with her agency are playing it safe and whilst keeping the masses happy there is a small contingent of us that are hoping and waiting that the change is gonna happen – soon. Much love and respect PSH ❤️
Idk why people shit on Park Shinhye’s popularity? I mean, she might not be the most talented and beautiful to some but she is most definitely at the top of her age group when it comes to hallyu popularity. She and Suzy recently topped the survey conducted by Ministry of Tourism for actresses (alongside SHK), which is pretty accurate in my opinion.
But Suzy’s popularity doesn’t translate to popularity in dramas. She gets into acting controversies. Reminds me of Kim Tae Hee who starred in very popular dramas, got titled as beauty goddess with brains but knetz ain’t that dumb. They still criticize her bland and monotonous acting. At least she’s got the intelligence part going on… I expected to see Park Bo Young on that list because she was in that SWDBS jtbc hit and her acting is widely liked. I guess she really does’t desire the popularity hallyu star status.
Also Song Hye Kyo and Park Shin Hye have had smash hit dramas in their recent filmographies (dramas hitting 20-30 percent in ratings are nothing if not hits) while the other….not so much.
Park Bo Young has been in more than one major hit movie since she was very young and Werewolf Boy even premiered at TIFF but she really doesn’t seem interested in the ubiquity and media play required to be ‘popular’ outside Korea, she has her rep and her viewership records (ratings/tickets sold) and those speak louder than any number of advertisements hawked by CF stars.
I’ve always been puzzled when Park Boyoung is missing on certain lists. For e.g: Gallup poll for actors. She’s loved both domestically and among international fans, so I don’t really get why. Oh well, her performance and drama ratings speak volumes anyway.
What was that poll about? From Korean people themselves or from non-Koreans??? Is it the one where PSY came in first?
It was a Korean wave survey. PSH didn’t top it. She came in 6th, and 2nd among actresses. Which is just what Koala said, she is the no.1 Korean wave star in her age group. m.entertain.naver.com/read?oid=382&aid=0000633818
I don’t take those polls seriously. I’m glad she came in at 6 even though she hasn’t been in a drama since the summer of 2016.
She Is a gorgeous actress and I can totally relate to what miss koala is indicating