I’m keeping expectations low for upcoming KBS drama Red Single Heart, because it’s a recipe for disappointment if I ride the high praise of recent sageuk The Red Sleeve Cuff and expect the same quality. With that said, this sageuk definitely has the pedigree on the casting of the leads – Lee Joon plays the young King, Kang Han Na is his love interest, and Jang Hyuk is the kingmaker Premier to the ruler. The first stills are out and Lee Joon looks PISSED hahaha, clearly he’s going to be grumpy as he ascends the throne with no real power and tries to wrestle it back from the guy who helped put him and his father to rule. Kang Han Na looks lovely as a noble Joseon woman, it’s her first Joseon era role but she was fantastic in Moon Lover: Scarlet Heart: Ryeo set in the Goryeo dynasty as she played a princess who also wanted the throne for herself.
Lee Joon is a good actor, one of the few talented idols who can act but I always have that reservation imagining him as lead actor,carrying a drama. There’s just something about him that doesn’t resonate with me.
Anyway, I like Kang Hana a lot. In fact, I find her way more captivating than IU in MLSHR. It’s great that she finally get to lead a drama.
Is it the “stage presence” that Lee Joon is lacking? I do think he’s quite talented but I don’t think he commands the camera like other leading men do
I thought he did great as one of the main leads in My Father is Strange and while he didn’t get much airtime in Bulgasal, he was a scene stealer. I think he can carry a drama but I’m not sure about a sageuk? His characters in the aforementioned dramas were on the quirky/weird side. I think he’s a very interesting actor in that type of role but the King role in a sageuk doesn’t lend itself to that.
I start RSC with a low expectation with no prior Junho experience before and not to mention, I love Lee Seo Jin & Han Ji Min version.
Sometimes, low expectation is good. It may come as a surprise when you watch it in right mood .
Lee Joon is not a bad actor and I like Lee Ha Na. So why not ?
But Jun Ho portrayal of Crown Prince / King ,is hard for other young actors to surpass.
I am so impressed by him in that role.
I totally agree. I think Jun-ho has set such a meteoric standard that’s going to be very very hard to follow. I actually feel sorry for any actor who will take on the Crown Prince role after Jun-ho because he will always be compared to Jun-ho.
I can see comparing if someone played the exact same character, but I don’t think it is fair to compare a completely different character in a different drama to Jun-ho.
It is unfair to compare actually because RSC characterization of Yi San / Jeongjo is also perfect , not to mention Jeongjo is a benevolent king everyone loves.
When you combine it with Junho acting skill, well it is hard to surpass.
But unfortunately, yes. People will compare future CP / King ‘s role to Junho performance in RSC.
Although Jungo portrayal seems unbeatable but Lee Joon is quite decent idol actor too, he may surprise us. I
Kang Hana wasn’t that hood in her few dramas but she keeps on improving anf finally become a skilled actress.
Moreover there is Janghyuk. He will def be the star of the show.
The actors are great, so i dont have any issues. They one thing to look out for is the writing and the directing…
One of the main things I appreciated with TRS other than such ensemble cast of top notch acting, is just how poetic and beautiful the directing was. The writing already had solid background cause the novel itself was great. Then the script writing just needed to carry the momentum from book to drama narrative, which for the most parts it did…
Now with this drama, i think it truly need such solid writing. And maybe some of God JiIn magic.
Lee joon looks so cute as a king, curious to see how he will lead this drama