I’ll give an uplifted finger of thanks to the drama gods for the unexpected surprise that was tvN spring Mon-Tues drama A Poem a Day. I really liked it! Centering around a team of physical therapy and rehabilitation doctors, the drama was quiet and thoughtful none moreso than male lead Lee Joon Hyuk. So it’s really apropos that female lead Lee Yoo Bi recently did a news interview discussing her happiness doing the drama and playing the role of the poem loving doctor who finds love with the mature man rather than the typical hotheaded cutie. It’s worth noting that I thought was so woefully miscast in Scholar Who Walks the Night mostly due to the lack of chemistry with older male lead Lee Jun Ki and yet there she and Lee Joon Hyuk were just so wonderful together. So age gaps not a problem and sometimes it’s just that indelible ephemeral thing called chemistry that can happen or isn’t there no matter how hard one tries. I’m glad she got this great role in Poem and really enjoyed watching her in a role that was very likable.
I always have to disagree with ockoala. I wonder which area of the world are you from that age is an issue with casting. I know you are not from Korea as that region don’t seenthe actors real age.
I watched Scholar recently and definitely the love story was just 5% and I don’t see the reason why chemistry was an issue. The story was mainly to dismantle the palace governed by the vampire Gwi. The drama was great from the start but I think they run out of time. Must be a live-shoot drama. It was the same case with Goblin that they fill too many flashbacks and recycled scenes.
I know it’s a matter of preference. A poem a day was too slow and I think it showed in the rating as low as .77%. She was great in Scholar so I don’t the miscast comment as visually she didn’t loom too young for Lee Joon Gi in that drama. I hope Ockoala will be more broadminded when it comes to actors real life as it does not matter when it comes to casting as long as actors visually match in the drama.
I know, Scholar started out really interesting and I enjoyed Lee Soo Hyuk’s performance as Gwi but the plot was poorly done.
I don’t think the mismatch with Jun Ki was an issue of visuals or real-life either, it’s more an issue that her character was so stupid and immature that I had no idea why a hundred year old vampire would keep liking someone so childish.
The writer or director was changed mid-way when SWWTN was airing. So that caused the drama to loose its plot halfway.
in my opinion, lee yoobi is one of the better actresses in her age group. the hate she received for Scholar Who Walks the Night was completely unwarranted. Everyone in that drama got a better role than her. I can’t think of another actress in that age group who could have done a better job given the material she had to work with. I think she was at her best as the second lead in Suzy and Lee Seunggi’s drama (sorry, forgot the title).
Anyway, I’m glad that she got positive feedback for her role in A Poem a Day. I haven’t watched it yet but will definitely find the time to do so. Last I’ve seen her in is Somehow 18 with Choi Minho and I loved her in it.
Lee Yoo Bi is a good actresshen you rate her within her age group, although I think she shines in second lead roles than main role.I can say this confidently because I have watched her in nice guy, gu family book and pinocchio. Now, thats out of the way.The biggest issue in Scholar was not her acting or chemistry with LJK just because he was older.Like you said, she had chemistry with Lee Joon Hyuk(by the way who is only 6 years older than her and younger than LJK) but again LJK is working with Seo Ye Ji who is the same age as Lee Yoo Bi and the chemistry is sizzling.In that scholar drama, yoo bi did what she could with her acting skills, but an actor needs a good director and a good/entertaining script aside from chemistry with the male lead to shine. That drama, her character was horribly written and directing was horrible too.She really shouldnt have gotten hate for that.But I also understand that there is a group of people that have a distaste for her because they think she secures her roles due to nepotism.Her mother is also an actress so they think she gets roles because of her.In any case, she has a future in acting(she is pretty and she can act) so she should keep going.
I don’t think a bad performance can be blamed solely on writing and direction, I’ve seen plenty of cases where a good writer/PD were stuck with actors who were a waste of their efforts.
But when it’s an actor who has performed well in other roles like LYB here, that’s when I feel like the actor deserves the benefit of the doubt.
I really don’t think Lee Yoo Bi was the problem in Scholar, but her character was TERRIBLE and by that I mean a too-stupid-to-live birdbrain. Which is a flaw in writing, not really the fault of the actress at all when the characterisation is that bad. But despite that she tried really hard to find anything appealing about the character and she weirdly had chemistry with Changmin of all people, and a really hot kiss scene with Jun Ki. I’m a fan of LJK but I think the blame LYB gets for SWWTN is ridiculous, it wasn’t her fault and I remember she was working through a severe injury too.
Also I’ve seen her in other roles, she was charming and funny in Pinocchio and Twenty, which leads me to give her the benefit of the doubt for SWWTN.
The problem: viewers was too invested on the pairing when it’s not the main plot of the drama. It was clear from the get go of what drama was all about which was mainly about the Vampire Scholar vs Gwi & removing him from the palace. The love story part was just a side dish of it was a meal. That is why I was so surprised about ready this article.
Good thing I watch later and not during broadwatch. I was able to enjoy it open mind. The plot was great and the writing was fine. The way LYB’s character was written was up to the writer. I was totally fine with them. I even think the drama would have been better without the lovestory.
What I didn’t like was it was a bit messy towards the end. It was obvious that they run out of time to shoot enough and have enough time to get the right quality. But hey Goblin was the same but it did well in the rating category despite the declining quality.
I can’t really judge her performance in Scholar Who Walks the Night because I can’t remember of this drama…. I know I watched it and I didn’t really like the story.
For A Poem a Day, I liked the start but since the middle, the plot was cliché after cliché. The male lead was too much perfect and he was boring.
For LYB, I think she’s good but no drama in her filmography was outstanding…
I would like to see her in more mature role without all the cute things she always does.
Agree. LYB is good but no drama is outstanding yet… she is 27 already so she has to really carefully pick the next drama to wash off her cutesy image (e.g Seo Ye Ji in Save Me). Her sister Lee Da In is pretty too and still stuck in supporting roles. There are so many young pretty actresses who can act, why choose an idol like Joy or Hyeri to be Lead?
@candycane @Sayaris this is what happens when idols who can’t act (I got no issues with the ones who can – Eunji, IU, Girl’s Day Minah types are fine by me) keep on getting younger lead roles, it shuts genuinely talented actresses out of the chance to build their public recognition and leads to kdrama producers saying bulls–t like ‘there are no actresses in their 20s that we can hire for leads’.
Lee Yoo Bi had the misfortune of debuting and having her early years in the middle of this idol casting boom but she’s not the only actress who was affected, look at how long it took for Kim Ji Won, Shin Hye Sun, Park Eun Bin, Jung So Min etc to get a break into leading lady roles. I hope that with so many recent idol dramas flopping so hard, the production companies finally wake up to the fact that fanbase can’t cover for crappy acting and at least have the decency to start the Joys and Suzys of this world off in small roles if they must act.
And it’s not like they can’t do that – BTS is the hugest group in kpop right now with even a Billboard #1 album but only one of the guys in it has even tried acting, and it was in a small role in Hwarang – his company at least took the correct approach there. So idk why other companies can’t do that too instead of thinking their idol popularity deserves automatic lead roles.
BTS members’ ages range from 20-25, so they still have a few more years in the music industry as a kpop group before they hit enlistment age when some will need to go solo or venture into acting. Just like 2pm, Junho is doing well as an actor while two other members are doing military service. BTS is banking as a kpop group now so it is unlikely that any member will take on a drama project. Infinity is not as popular now as a group so L has to act more… same with CNBlue… just my observation 🙂
That is true, if your group is that wildly successful on such a scale then the usual ‘go solo or into acting and let the group fall by the wayside’ route isn’t even necessary. But at this point they’re so huge, they’re practically at Big Bang levels of recognition for their music so I don’t think the usual rules for more niche groups really apply to them (I know Infinite but never heard of CN Blue).
The Hwarang guy had a realllly small role in that drama though, he looked like a kid next to grownups but iirc his acting was ok even though the drama was fluffy teen cringe. It’s a good strategy if he does want to act, almost all of the male idol-actors whose acting is well-received, started with a handful of smaller roles first (Im Shi-wan, Yoon Doojoon, D.O., Junho, and this guy’s Hwarang costar Park Hyung-shik).
Also the Hwarang mention seems random but I happened to think of it because Lee Yoo Bi’s sister is in that (she’s the one playing Minho’s sister). She’s a good actress too, she and Do Ji Han were my favourite part in that drama.
Lee Da In shines in Hwarang more than Go Ara. Now her character in Come and Hug Me is so small that I wish she can get more screentime (does not have to be a loveline). I am getting bored watching those crying scenes which are becoming too draggy…
Lol BTS is not Big Bang, dont kid yourself. Female idol and male idol are different. Male group can earn lots of money with touring. While female idol earn money mainly from CF – actress got higher fees idols thats why popular female idol try to get actor tag.
Was that directed at me re: BTS and Big Bang? I’m not an idol fan and even I know Big Bang is iconic for a reason. But getting a Billboard album chart #1 (main chart mind you, not World or kpop charts or whatever) and a soldout world tour, I think BTS deserves to be acknowledged as being icons too, no offence meant to anyone.
And yeah it’s no surprise that wooden female idols want to get the ‘actress’ image for the sake of endorsements even when they clearly have no real will to act or act well. Trust me, with some of them it really shows, they are there only for PPL. It doesn’t make them easier to watch or actually help the drama they are in.
Definitely the writing and script of scholar was mess and at the end I was like SPOILER…for those who dint watch. well if blowing the building was the plan why need of all the 1000s of sacrifices and our lead pair. They could have just planned and blew the entire palace LOL WITH OUT ANY CASUALITY. Dumb writing
I dint find anything wrong in her acting but definitely she got the hate but it was because someone spread rumours that she got role because of her parents and also because of other reasons.
I thought LYB was hilarious in Twenty-loved her in that! Will keep APAD in mind though. I haven’t seen anything else of hers. ?
@Ann Joel – she has great comic timing, I really enjoyed the scene where she threatens to rat out Kang Ha Neul for his nighttime activities lol.
Now that just reminds me I miss Kang Ha Neul, it’s going to be another year before he’s out 🙁
Yep I loved that scene in Twenty and especially her infatuation with Junho – in fact when Kang Ha Neil finishes his military duty I advocate that they pair up in a rom com drama. And I’m patiently n quietly waiting for Kim Woo Bin too; when he’s fully recovered and in time ?
Heh I really liked her and KHN as brother and sister but I like the idea of a romantic pairing even better. She meshes well with actors of that age group.
I’m also waiting patiently for Kim Woo Bin to come back, I just don’t want him to take any risks with his health so I’ll wait however long it takes.
I love Lee Da In, the sister of Lee Yoo Bi. So much better then Joy&Hyeri&Go in my book.
Go Ara
Not too impress with her in a a poem a day. She is really should quit act a cutie character with no depth. Not everyone can pull it off I guess. Watching Innocent Man, Her scene at the first episode when Joong Ki left her for his noona is a terrific scene, And I would like she get a chance to act that kind of performance again.
The drama was nice but not great. I don’t still see leading lady potential in her but she’s improved.