I loved Song Joong Ki to pieces but in nearly a decade he hasn’t gotten a K-drama female lead I’ve liked off the bat the way I freaked out with happiness when he and Moon Chae Won were cast in Nice Guy together. Shin Hyun Bin was awful in Reborn Rich and Jeon Yeo Bin grew on me in Vincenzo, and Kim Ji Won only recently went from okay to like for me thanks to Queen of Tears. Now his female lead in his next drama My Youth will be Chun Woo Hee as reported by K-ent and I’m just like “long sigh” because she’s budget Han Hyo Joo to me. She looks like a less pretty version of Han Hyo Joo and is what I think productions pick her when they can’t afford or get Han Hyo Joo. I’ve never wanted to watch any of her dramas but now I have to and hopefully this drama will make me see her appeal and add another actress to my watch list. My Youth comes from the screenwriter of Run On and the PD of Yumi’s Cells and Familiar Wife.
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She is such a good actress. Her acting skill is miles beyong any other actresses
Chungmuro queen
I have never seen any similarity between her and Han Hyojoo, apart from their age. In fact I think Chun Woohee is the better actress. She was the standout in The 8 Show despite it being a repetitive mess. HHJ is obviously more popular and successful but is very hit-or-miss for me. She has good performances but somehow makes me question her acting abilities at times. It was almost embarrassing to watch her try to act like a gang boss in that one Netflix movie. I have the same opinion of SJK to a lesser extent.
yeah her and HHJ are the same age and that’s the only point they have in common. I also can’t see any resemblance at all and I’ve seen both of them in multiple movies/dramas. Maybe if you squint really hard?
(agreed she’s a better actress than HHJ too, at least far more reliably good)
Agreed that Chun Won Hee is a great actress – HHJ is not in her league in terms of acting despite a much bigger name in Korea.
The thing I like Chun Won Hee is her choice of projects. She doesn’t do much mass appealing shows but ones that have unique plots or messages – those with indie feel. She doesn’t have a Korean typical pretty face but shines instead in her acting – like glowing in her character.
She could be the female lead we’ve been waiting for SJK. Who knows?
I get it this is your blog and your opinion, but if even Kim Ji Won was only “okay” to you before QOT and Chun Woo Hee – a talented actress who’s been a recognisable name in Chungmuro for a decade – now looks like a “budget Han Hyo Joo” (I personally don’t think they look alike at all, if anything CWH looks like a slightly older version of Kim Sejeong) I’m having a hard time understanding what your standards are for actresses.
I personally think Chun Woo Hee’s a really good actress and will pair well with Song Joongki, she’s in his age range too and they have similar ‘younger than they really are’ looks so they won’t appear mismatched.
note: I love Moon Chae Won but she needs to pick better dramas, Flower of Evil is the only good one she’s done in the last decade.
She’s a suzy fan nuff said her other fav is pmy who’s at atleast good. She’s been shady towards certain actresses like jiwon for a she even undermined fffmw success and her acting yet praises her favs with 2% ratings. She was also salty about hansohee when she was rising but is recently is quiet on her cause she’s basically a proven bonafide star now.
huh I remember that. I think she’s a bit weird about newer actresses who actually worked their way up from smaller roles or second lead – which is so bizarre because if anything those ladies deserve more praise because their leading lady status was the result of their hard work and didn’t just fall into their laps unlike those idol girls!
Instead it’s “I can only see her as bitchy second lead she’s not leading lady material” (uh if she was only getting second lead roles, that’s not necessarily a lack of talent or appeal, just paucity of imagination) and she has to score tvN’s highest ratings of all time before she’s “approved of”. Not to mention that absolutely nasty diatribe about Kim Hyeyoon around the time Extraordinary You was airing.
also that’s just a weird way to describe CWH, as others have noted she looks nothing like Han Hyojoo, she also doesn’t style herself like her or copy her looks or anything. And an actress at CWH’s level isn’t “budget” anything.
She’s also a fan of IU, Han Hyo Joo, and Park Shin Hye.
Agreeing here. Chun Woo Hee is an excellent actor and would pair well with Song Joong Ki (going by looks only (I think she is the stronger actor of the 2 and we won’t see their chemistry until the project)). I loved her in Be Melodramatic and she stood out (in a good way) in her most recent projects on Netflix (8 Show and the Atypical Family).
You took the words out of my mouth. Reading this blog lately, it seems like koala’s taste in dramas and actors is regressing.
Chun Woo Hee is a good actress who lacks buzz. Also, I can’t take anyone seriously if they looked at Kim Jiwon’s recent body of work and concluded that Queen of Tears was her strongest showing.>_<
KJW is only okay to me too and only just turned to like in QOT. But to me CWH a better actress than both her and HHJ. The difference is HHJ just has this innate likability along with having a diverse and super successful resume. Even with mediocre acting, she led Dong Yi in her early 20s. CWH simply lacks the buzz and just because she is a Chungmuro actress, doesn’t mean she actually has that buzz. Now that she gets to work with SJK, thing may change for her.
On MCW, she may just not be getting offers. She is not exactly bankable and even Flower of Evil was credited mostly to LJK.
@emily Tbf to koala, it can take 1 role for u to change your mind about an actor. I was like that with SJK but after watching arthdal chronicles I cant deny how great he is.
Yikes I lov Chun Woo Hee so much but not SJK. Hope she decline this
I have never watched anything with her but heard she is a great actress, better than Hhj so that’s fine.
But I’m also quite concerned that SJK is the only one with star power in this team, none of the the script writer, the director, and the female lead are that wellknown in dramaland. Just hope he chose it because the script is a really good one, not because his agency is producing it.
I am excited about this casting news. SJK has sense of choosing good scripts. I loved Chun Woo-hee in Be Melodramatic. I agree with others that she is far better than HHJ in acting abilities.
I know nothing about CWH. But I disagree with everyone else here regarding HHJ. HHJ has a unique aura on screen. She was impressive in her Disney+ mega hit, Moving. She reminds me of the old time Michelle Yeoh, an amazing action queen and now an Oscar best actress that always had very strong presence in action movies. HHJ has completely transformed herself from pretty sweetie into an action badass. That entails a lot of work though and not everyone can be successful. She might not be good at romance and did not have swoony chemistry with her male costars, therefore not to the liking of many visitors on this site cos it appears old school K romcom and melo are the favorite genres of the majority of active commenters here. Nonetheless, that doesn’t mean she isn’t a good actress cos she has been great in thriller and action genres.
Same as Koala, I have loved SJK and almost all his dramas since Nice Guy. But so far I’ve only liked his pairing with MCW in NG (lol no pun intended) and his ex in Descendants of the Sun. Yet to finish Vincenzo cos I didn’t feel chemistry between him and the FL after watching a few eps. Not the one for romance and life drama and the title sounds a tad bland to me. But it’s SJK’s project. I’ll check it out at least.
I dropped Vincenzo bec literally could not feel the chemistry and the attempts at Italian were also killing me.
@Somebody, I am watching this Korean Youth drama…no expectations but quite good for youth drama- High School Return of a Gangster. I just started on eps 2…only 8eps altogether… I hope it will stay enjoyable.
Thank you @HL. I’ll check it out sometime. I’m so invested in the Double that I put all other dramas on the back burner, including Chief Kim that I enjoyed for quite a few eps but the plot felt a bit repetitive at midway, only a few eps for me to wrap up. My Junho also looked pretty awkward playing a villain. LOL. CK isn’t as good as Hot Stove League which I loved . I only have this much time following dramas. I’d be like being on drug if I watched all I wish to watch at the same time. LOL. Thank you for the recommendation.
Such a shallow and weird thing to write about a woman! Budget Han Hyo Joo…seriously??
By the way, Chun Woo Hee is a critically acclaimed actor and looks nothing like HHY. She has her own unique charm.
Some need to watch her movies before making such a statement. In talent and reputation, she is miles ahead of HHJ. She is not in dramaland to chase popular dramas.
I’m of the opposite opinion I happen to like all his female leads and not him.Ive only ever liked him in arthdal chronicles.
Chun wonhee is way more interesting than him and has range for days lol he’s the lucky one to be paired with amazing actresses.Also, chun wonhee and hyojoo don’t look alike at all, what are u smoking lol.
That reminds me how I so wish SJK and KJW returned for arthdal chronicles, could not get into their recent dramas at all.
man Koala is such an asshole for this post.
Chun Woo Hee is very accomplished in the movie industry . She is much a better actress than Song Joong Ki or your expensive Han Hyo Joo
Koala is not a man and you do not call a lady an asshole. LOL.
ouch, that was a harsh reaction towards CWH. She might be less pretty compared to HHJ but her talent is top tier.
Honestly i’m a hater of SJK so i was hoping she would decline this. Anyway I hope she will overshadow SJK.
No actress has ever overshaddowed him in his drama so your chance is slim
funny thing is, i think he got overshadowed in A Werewolf Boy & Nice Guy. He was stoic as Kang Maru & borderline mute in AWB. So yeah, there are example(s) where his co-star actually managed to overshadow him.
I love Nice Guy but I think he was overpraised as Kang Maru.
DOTS and reborn rich shall be disregarded cuz it’s a male centric drama after all.
Lol no way. He said only one line in the werewolf boy so yes he’s litterally mute in that drama. And no, i dont think either of the two actress overshaddow him at all although both are excellent actress
LOL. I’m afraid you’d be greatly disappointed. SJK isn’t having fame and money without reasons. I bet a lot more people would watch this drama to see SJK not CWH, regardless of how desperately her fans claim she’s a better actress than HHJ and also SJK antis claim that she’s better than SJK in acting.
BTW, I forgot to mention SJK’s supporting role in Deep Rooted Tree as the young version of the king. He already showcased his great acting in that drama even though he’s only got limited screen time of a few eps.
@del, I might guess why you hate SJK cos his status and popularity also threaten your fave who may be overrated with overhype??? LOL.
Shes just got no star power. Period. Good actress aside. It is what it is. Nothing to contend or defend. The reality of k-ent. Han Hyo Joo’s next japanese drama on netflix pairs her with very prolific actors Shun Oguri and Jin Akashi. Its already making ripples by sheer virtue of the 3 names alone. I love seo kang joon to the moon but recognise despite his visual and great acting. He also lack star power. Cest la vie really. Thats why in k-ent they always talk about the importance of a “life drama” until CWH and SKJ meets theirs like Byeon Woo Seok did and SJK on descendents, they will still have to contend with mediocre billing 🙁
Sjk is already top actor before DOTS. You must be ignorant not to know how big his name after Nice Guy. And his breakthrough was from Sungkyunwan Scandal.
nice guy and a werewolf boy. Both happens at the same time. He topped the Gallup actor list in 2012 for a reason.
I became SJK’s fan thanks to his amazing performance in Nice Guy. And I watched A Werewolf Boy later on, just to solidify my admiration for his acting gift. He’s never disappointed me since although some of his dramas might not get the best out of him or he did not have strong chemistry with his leading ladies, e.g., AC I and Reborn Rich. SJK is a sophisticated actor who doesn’t rely on theatrical expressions and tones to declare his presence on screen.
There are quite a few impressive actors of his generation at 30+ and 40+, including him, Kim Soo Hyun, Park Seo-Joon, Lee Joon Gi, and Nam Gong Min etc., to just name a few, who already delivered great performances at their 20+. I haven’t yet found one actor at 20+ currently to impress me except for Lee Jae Wook of Alchemy of Souls. I hope BWS isn’t a breakout fluke. LOL.
This Chun Woo Hee who you insulted won so many awards and is considered the bluechip of chungmuro.
Her last 2 dramas did so well on Netflix and buzz worthiness hence she is receiving lots of love calls.
If you haven’t already seen it, you’ll probably enjoy her interview on YouTube, search for “Actress Chun Woo Hee, also known as the “Little Giant” – really interesting and thoughtful, unlike Ms Koala’s “she ain’t pretty enough” rant
Yeah, disappointing to see such a profoundly shallow reaction to CWH. The irony of someone who writes at length about the netizen culture of judging on looks doing EXACTLY the same thing is rich. I’m looking forward to this for both leads, but definitely feel that CWH is the better actor of the two.
Eh, I dont have a strong opinion on CWH either way, but I do see resemblance with HHJ. They’re both not so great actresses actually imo, but HHJ most definitely has star power and a mass appeal. I don’t necessarily have the same tastes as Koala, but have to agree with CWH just like I disagree with SHK.
Anyway, she was meh in familiar family, and decent in whatever I saw of 8. I think she’d look great with SJK. I’m not a fan of his at all, but he has a good eye for scripts and this one is being produced by his agency. So I’m sure they are going for an actress they feel is best suited for the role.
No star power really? Just because she isn’t a hallyu star yet that doesn’t mean she isn’t a big star.
She is a very respected actress in Korea and won many awards including box office seller.
She is the better actress than the actresses you mention above. Love MCW to death but she isn’t even a chungmuro actress like CWH
CWH acting in Atypical Family is excellent including the 8 show where she acted as a psychopath
I like her and not him. Theres sth about her acting that is both natural and versatile. SJK seems tp have a knack in picking scripts though. So we shall see
No idea who this is but I do know Han Hyo Joo and have liked her since brilliant legacy so I guess I can agree from star power and popularity alone Han hyo joo would be a bigger name for the drama. This actress might be amazing at acting so can’t speak to that. I do have to agree that other than SHK I have not felt much chemistry btw SJK leads.
I hope its not true because while I love her and she is a fantastic actress, he, not so much.
I feel like he is seriously coasting on fame and good looks but his acting, while never stellar, has deteriorated. So I hope she passes and finds a better male lead.
Oooh I think their chemistry would be very good. Their visual matches and both have stellar acting skill.I become a huge fan of Chun Woo Hee after watching ‘The Atypical Family’
To me the way she speaks and acts reminds me of Song Ha Yoon. Their voices sound similar to me and they are both relatively petite women. I’m not saying they look identical though. She is a good actress to me but the roles she plays might seem rough and slightly unlikable however she plays it well. Atypical Family was pretty good. I’m surprised though they paired her with song joongki though. They normally place him with drop dead gorgeous actresses. Not that she is not pretty. My wish that may never happen is that they pair him with Moon Chae won again. Just because to me his best drama will always be Innocent Man. They had such great chemistry. I’m sure that she will act well with him though. And I disagree she does not look like Han hyo joo.
Yes this is true her resemblance is more SHY and less HHJ. However do agree CWH does not have an eye for scripts and hasn’t been getting much movie scripts either recently it seems. She was IU’s replacement for The 8 Show and not the first pick. With dramas I agree star power matters more than acting power for dramas and the sad reality does seem to be that SJK overpowers most of his female leads in star power except SHK. For MCW she seems lack both an eye for scripts and star power plus her agency doesn’t seem interested in pushing her. In this era of streaming it’s important to stay relevant and good acting doesn’t necessarily go a long way but popularity does. Suzy and IU have impressed me with how they’ve maintained their superstardom for over a decade despite all the naysayers and GYJ with her steady rise to fame is another one who seems poised to join their league in a few years. I also mostly watch dramas for looks rather than acting because good acting doesn’t always mean much if the script and visual chemistry is boring.
SJK only overpowers his female leads because he doesnt ever get paired with popular actresses and chooses very male dominant dramas recently His last pairings have been Shin Hyunbin and Jeon Yeobeen, both relatively unknown and still not big stars despite costarring with him. One of them even got spat on for godawful acting and pulled him down along with her. He was paired with KJW and the chemistry was stale as 5 day bread.
Even now his costar is someone who has no actual star power or presence with the wider audience which is VERY IMPORTANT for a kdrama. Her last two dramas both in the same month flopped so those feeling salty here and claiming she is some huge star, get over yourselves please. No one’s claiming she needs to be a Hallyu star, but even domestically, both her dramas came and went without any trace. SJK is easily the bigger star amongst them and his track record far outweighs hers.
@Gleegirl Vincenzo and Reborn Rich were both smash hits despite Jeon Yeobeen and Shin Hyunbin having no star power or presence with the wider audience that you say is “VERY IMPORTANT” for a kdrama, so much for that argument lol. And his chemistry with Kim Jiwon was actually great – in case you forgot, he was playing two characters and happened to have stronger chemistry with her as one of them.
If you want to put down Chun Woo Hee as his potential leading lady, you’ll have to at least avoid contradicting yourself twice in the same comment.
In case YOU are forgetting, this is a MELODRAMA, where SJK cannot carry female leads who have zero screen presence and or worse- negative presence. The smash hits you talk of both happen to to be male dominant dramas which I already mentioned quite resoundly in my first comment so even if his female leads are nobodies, it worked out because he carried it himself (or in Reborn Rich’s case, the other male lead Lee Sungmun did). This is a romance (read: two play the game), but of course you what… forgot that? Didnt know that? Didnt bother with that? So yea, so much for your argument and the so called contradiction because it seems you’re unable to comprehend the simple difference.
And nope, I didn’t forget his GODAWFUL chemistry with KJW playing both characters. It’s funny you talk as if chemistry itself is something that everyone sees equally. Or maybe you are the type who will put down someone for thinking the opposite of you when it comes to chemistry of someone you like. You might think SJK-KJW have roses and rainbows flying around them and good for you. Congratulations, at least you were able to enjoy Arthdal then. On the other hand, I thought they had chemistry as stale as old bread or worse. And funnily enough, you can’t prove either of us being right because that’s just chemistry in a nutshell. It’s subjective. Just like how someone will swear up and down that KGE-LMH have SO MUCH chemistry, there will be someone who will poo-poo that completely. Again, chemistry = subjective.
I dont need to put CWH down as a leading lady because she did that herself. As I already wrote down, her two dramas aired at the same time and also vanished within the same speed. Flops to be precise. Whereas SJK’s last two dramas were amongst the biggest in the past few years. So yup, she isnt in his league and he is a far bigger KDRAMA star that she is and its not even a smidge close. But maybe he can single handedly carry a melo romance.
@Gleegirl ah I see it, a self-appointed kdrama “expert” moving the goalposts on having basic logic failures pointed out.
So now it’s “Chun Woo Hee can’t carry a melodrama because she has no presence or star power” – lol the clownery of saying this about an actress whose breakout role was a tragic movie and whose best known drama before this was literally called BE MELODRAMATIC. That’s not even counting the further clownery of apparently not knowing that classic kdrama melos often starred rising actors who weren’t A list and who were made into stars by those very dramas. Your ‘opinion’ of her may be whatever but actual Korean film critics and awards panel judges don’t share it, going by her nominations and wins.
The one being an absolute clown here is you. Your clownery is not understanding the conversation, then throwing a fit because “the goal post is being moved”. Nope, the goal post was the same, your comprehension skills was clowning you.
You talk about BE MELODRAMATIC like it was some huge hit? Lmao are you okay? You are talking about a 1% rated drama here – talk about clownery. Another clownery of yours (and also a major contradiction to your bullshit) – Chun Woo Hee is now a… rising star?? Yea okay dude. Pick your side, either she is someone who has “awards” (the last one she won for a film was a good 10 years ago) or she is a “rising star”. Or maybe you think a woman who’s had a career well over a decade is still rising… I’m bowing out because there is no point talking to fools who jump into conversations not knowing a thing about what the topic is at hand.
I always wonder with MCW career path. Like it always stagnan??? Even after many success drama, like Nice Guy, Flower of Evil, Princess Man or Good Doctor. She is pretty and i remember didnt hear anything bad about her, but why??
She was seriously unwell for quite some time and that stalled her career by making her unavailable for roles
Oh really. She was one of my favorites back in early 2010s. She was amazing even in her earlier dramas – Painter of the wind and Shining inheritance (HHJ and LSG were so awkward in this one).
@vicki: I think it was Moon Geun Young who was ill for a long time. I haven’t heard about health issues with Moon Chae Won.
To hear Chun Woo Hee as budgeted is something I would never expect. She had won blue dragon best actress in an indie movie which had also won international film award. Her range and acting ability is beyond Han Hyo Joo (which Im a big fan as well).
She is one of the best chungmoro actress in her generation. Just because she barely do any drama and only started as of late is one of the reason she is not Hallyu level. Han Gong Ju and The Wailing is some of kmovie classic.
In fact, i wish she declined because SJK has been stalled in the acting department. From his latest project, i even feel that his acting ability has been a bit lacking as compared to his previous project. Nice Guy is still by far his best work.
The only thing he did where I think he could be better is reborn rich. Others have been great. And i heard he was great in hopeless and my name is lkw which were his latest projects, so we’ll see
While I can’t say much about his acting, not really a fan, but if I’m a CWH stan, I would very much prefer her to be in a drama with him ngl. He, aside from the likes of LBH, LJS, KSH, HB etc. has some pretty good records on picking successful projects for themselves. This might benefit her to get better drama offers like it did with Kim Tae-ri after she did Mr Sunshine.
“Budget HHJ” does sound uncharacteristically and needlessly unkind of you, Koala, so I hope you’re doing well and life isn’t throwing too many curveballs your way.🍀
This pairing is meh
That’s kinda harsh on her. Especially since she has talked about her not getting that much work because of her looks.
I will forever love her for The Wailing. So I will be tuning in.
I like both HHJ and CWH. Both are fantastic actresses, and it’s sad to pit them against each other. I would say they both have different vibes. A role that fits HHJ would not fit CWH and vice versa. I do appreciate CWH a bit more for how her roles don’t have the kdrama heroine feel. It’ll be interesting to see her paired with SJK whose roles are often quite heroic. Even when he’s a mafia boss, he’s heroic.
Where did this narrative that Hyojoo can’t act come from? Yall forget her masterful performance in Moving.It’s similar to the sudden comments I’m seeing about Kim Soohyun. The good thing is both actors have won numerous awards, and their critical acclaim speaks for itself.
I don’t think HHJ is a great actress in the lines of Kim Tae Ri for example, and there are moments when she can be slightly awkward on screen (to me) but she most definitely can act and she has chemistry in spades. She has a charming on screen presence and undeniable charisma that many actress lack despite being able to act a lot better than her. Tbh, the ability to hold an audience despite shortcomings is what makes her such a huge star and an S tier.
Since you mentioned KSH, I’m a big KSH fan and I’d absolutely love love love for him to pair up with HHJ a ton more than any other actress mentioned here by others. Me thinking she isn’t a “great” actress doesn’t mean I think she can’t act. She has her weaknesses but those are too minuscule vs her strengths.
I would say she’s unstable. She can be great in something and bad in others. I havent watched but I heard her acting was quite bad in pirate the movie based on Knetz reaction.
I really like her look and presence though. As for acting, most of the time unless someone is horrible (e.g. Han Ga in in moon embracing the sun or the actress in Bof), if you have a charming presence it shoud be enough to enjoy the drama.
@Royal We
Agreed about unstable for HHJ, although I feel like she is a lot more solid and grounded now than she was in her 20s. I find her extremely charming in the similar veins as Suzy (except obv in their youth, it would be insulting HHJ to compare her to Suzy lol). But to me, they’re both easy to watch on screen and always have chemistry with their costars even if the acting can be awkward. Obviously Suzy is past that criticism for the most part now, but she always had that natural charm like HHJ does. I think its why they were both so popular domestically and internationally as soon as they broke into the scene. On the other hand, yea HGI and GHS were not only horrible, they also had no chemistry. GHS was particularly awful, she overshadowed some terrible acting from several others there LOL.
P.s I havent seen the new pirate movie. I am still stuck on SYJ and KNG and really wanted them back lol.
@Stranger – lol sorry my previous response was to you and not @Royal We
@Royal We – ignore that LOL. I was going to respond to one of your comments above on MCW and just got distracted with another topic. But re: MCW, totally agree. She had so much potential to be the top actress of her gen and in fact always got compared to HHJ back in the day. She also had such a great string of well received, high rated dramas but for some reason, she just faded away. Almost like HJW…
@Butterfly @Stranger is right, HHJ’s skill level is unstable, and I did say she’s not reliably good – in a good performance, she can be great (Moving) but in a not so great project she can be completely mediocre (The Pirates 2, as Stranger said – I found her still watchable but if you’ve seen the first one with Son Yejin in the lead, the comparison is quite unflattering for her). Compare her to say, Kim Goeun and the difference is stark.
but she’s come a long way from the bland pretty presence she used to have in her younger days, back then she was completely insipid, now she’s at least watchable even in her less great projects.
It’s sad to know Moon Chaewon was put out of commission by illness, her early 2010s dramas and War of the Arrows was one of the greatest runs I’ve ever seen from a kdrama female lead. I always thought she was a standout even when she was still doing 2nd female lead roles, I actually rooted for her in Brilliant Legacy ahead of HHJ whom I found boring and insipid, simply because she was capable of bringing that extra something.
Some international fans love to be contrary when someone offended their favs lol. I swear I’ve seen some insane take on Lee Byung-hyun’s acting from some of them. I mean, we can all agree he ain’t shit as a person, but his acting would be the last thing to dunk on him for.
I agree on the budget Han Hyo Joo with regards to Chun Woo Hee. I don’t care that most here think she’s a better actress or a chungmuro darling but the truth is (to me at least), she doesn’t have the appeal to lead a drama. I never could watched her drama, can’t even imagine having to sit watching her for 16 episodes. So yeah, even if most ppl think Han Hyo Joo is the less talented one, she certainly can carries a drama, so its no wonder she’s popular.
She looks like Song Hye Kyo to me from these pics alone lol
I agree. A skinnier version and maybe that’s why they chose her. Not denying her acting though. I wanted to say this too lol
Chun Woohee is a FANTASTIC actress and very pretty. I don’t think she looks like anyone in K-ent. She has a rather unique, gamine kind of look.
It’s not a big issue that she isn’t a big commercial star. SJK has enough star power of his own, and he’s already shown that as long as the script is good, and his co-star is good, the show will do well, with the added bragging rights of being able to propel your co-star to bigger visibility (e.g. Vincenzo). It’ll be a worse situation if he chooses a co-star who can’t act well with him, and drag down the show and his own performance (e.g. Reborn Rich).
It makes sense that less established stars want to work with big names for the attention, but when you’re a big name, you should care more about the quality of the script and your co-stars.
Kim Ji Won is just okay before QOT, did she seriously need to make record ratings on tvN for you to acknowledge her as a good actress? Her acting was good at least since 2013 and her second female lead role in Heirs, people remember Rachel Yoo even now. Song Joong Ki is a mediocre actor, someone saw his acting in Arthadal Chronicles? I can’t even name another complex male main character like this twin brother in AC, not to say that he played two different characters and nailed both of them. Many people criticised him after Reborn Rich, but the thing is, then some bad actor whos acting was bad for a decade, finally starting act good in some drama, everyone praising him for improve. But if good actor who was good for a decade, failed in one role, people suddenly forgot all his acting before and starting critisize him as some newbie. This is just hypocrite.
And, finally, CHW as budget version HHJ. They have nothing in common. At all. Not their looks, not their style, not their drama’s choices, completely nothing.
I think it’s time for me to find more peaceful blog, I can see only toxicity towards everyone here.
Exactly. KJW has always been a great actress since the start (QOT is trash and my least fav of hers btw). And yes peope suddenly singing a different tune about SJK’s acting after reborn rich is so weird. His acting in RR could be better (he made a mistake of trying too hard to act young but it’s still not bad, just average) but other than that he was always stellar and so so versatile.
QOT is one of my favs actually, although I’m agree with most of flaws commented about this drama. But this the point, even if you dislike some of KJW’s dramas, or even some of her characters (not all of them greenest flag), her acting never was a problem.
She always does her best, offers from top writers from her first to last female lead roles is the best proof to that.
And Song Joong Ki filmed in two movies after Reborn Rich, but some people still criticise his role in RR like one and only work for his entire career.
@Olesya1 – seconding everything you said! The fact that even Korean comment sections on Kim Jiwon’s articles mention Yoo Rachel by name to this day despite that character being a 2nd female lead, says a lot.
I think the weird comments about SJK, KJW and now CWH are simply this – for the mediocre or terrible, the bar is put on the floor and they will be praised for even coming near it; for the excellent, the bar is in the sky and if they fall short then everyone will act like they’re failures. Got tvN’s highest ratings ever/cable tv’s 2nd highest ratings ever? Not good enough! Fave with dead eyes and 5 percent ratings? Endless comments on how their acting is “improved” and how they totally deserve top pick of roles.
+++, completely agree with the difference in bar, but it also works in opposite.
People can’t say anything about CWH’s acting, so they talk about her ratings. Then the main question is if her acting was one of the flaws or one of the best sides of those dramas.
Agreed. I know people may have their favorites but I can never immerse myself in a drama with leads like Suzy, Park Shin Hye, even IU to some extent. They are never the character for me but just themselves. The bar is always so low for the idol actors grabbing lead roles and now for all these upcoming 90s male actors who are soooo wooden.
KJW has been consistently good even in her second lead roles. She outshined all other female characters in Heirs.
Many may say QOT is not her best role, which is fair. However, it’s great that this role has allowed new fans and casual viewers to notice her microexpressions and her ability to portray subtlety beneath the surface. The fact that she made a role written to be unlikable into someone likable, making her more than just a one-dimensional cold ice princess says alot.
Quoting your reply to Gleegirl: Your self-appointed expert opinion of Koala’s fave may be “terrible” with “dead eyes”, but actual Korean film critics, award show judges, and industry professionals don’t share it. Despite the international side still refusing to acknowledge her improvement—aside from the occasional positive comments on this blog, which you consider “endless” praise since any reaction in favor of her is unpalatable—Korean sentiment toward her acting has changed. The reality is that she’ll continue to be a top pick for roles as she has been for the past 13 years, and deservedly so.
Anyone using this opportunity to shade actresses not mentioned in the original post should know that Koala is a fan of many people, including Park Shin Hye, Yoon Eun Hye, Moon Chae Won, Park Min Young, Han Hyo Joo, Suzy, IU, Kim Yoo Jung, and more. By calling her standards low, you’re calling all the aforementioned inferior, not just the one or two that you don’t like. 😉
@Okay save your little tantrum for someone who cares, I wasn’t even referring to Han Hyojoo with the ‘dead eyes’ comment and sorrynotsorry, some (SOME) of those mentioned actresses are in fact not very good or haven’t lived up to their hype. As pointed out in a previous comment, koala has also let out some borderline misogynistic, uncivil rants about actresses she doesn’t take a liking to for whatever reason but I guess that’s fine since she doesn’t like them?
and it’s a bit rich of you to be whining about “shading” anyone when this is now a 104-comment thread because some of you are seething about Chun Woo Hee and calling her talents and star appeal into question.
@Okay, well said. Agreed, specifically about the part shading actresses not mentioned in the OP.
I am a bit taken aback by Ms Koala’s denigration of a critically acclaimed actor. I like SJK but I feel it’s his fault he doesn’t have chemistry with his leading ladies. I wonder if it is something to do with his perennially boyish looks which is more suited for idol dramas.
??? The only leading lady SJK hasn’t had chemistry with was Shin Hyunbin. Never heard complaints otherwise.
Agreed. And Shin Hyun-bin’s acting is so bland that I do not blame SJK for not having chemistry with her.
I didn’t feel his chemistry with the FL in Vincenzo either. He appeared to have better chemistry with his female costars before he broke up with SHK. Don’t know why.
I see no connection between CWH and HJY, I love both of them. But they’re different. The career is different too. Both of them have a lot of range in acting.
I like SJK. I loved Nice Guy, so I’m 100% for melodrama. He’s so better than the plank of wook that JKY was in The Atypical Family. They had no chemistry.
The male lead in Atypical Family truly was the weaker actor to me then the rest of the cast. The sister and daughter character are the ones that out shone everybody and the scammer posse too. The story was just a little messy with time travel and fast paced with the romance. The main female lead did well as well but her character was frustrating to root for at times but her acting was done well.
Your comment about Chun Woo Hee visuals was unnecessary and mean.
CWH is a good actress ( Be melodramatic, Delightly deceitfull) , the only thing that she doesn’t have is the kind of beauty that make some actresses popular even if they aren’t talented . But she has her own aura . I’m curious about Moon Chae Won, she has some big hits under her belt, she did a great job in Flower of evil , so where is she ? Her Choice ?
Moon Chae Won’s last lead role was with Lee Sun Kyun in 2023… I think. She did guest star in Taxi Driver S02.
Maybe she is taking a short break..
Well, it is time for me to stop visiting this page. Your comment about Woo Hee looks was so uncalled for and unnecessary, and overall, it was really derogate. Like, seriously Koala??? In this time and age, we’re still doing that? We don’t need this type of toxic energy.
IKR! This post sounds like a toxic comment from a shallow toxic netizen.
I love Chun Woo Hee much more than HHJ or MCW or SJK ao there you go Koala
You should watch her movies and The Atypical Family to see how good she is
Han Hyo Joo is more popular among i-fans but agree that her acting is inconsistent while Chun Woo Hee is more known for her acting skill so this is so uncalled for from Mrs. koala. I think Song Joongki and Chun Woo Hee pairing is fresh and both are really good with melo
I won’t expecting him to smash hits the moment of his second marriage, it seems his image in korea is going down. Finaly, a normal script without superheroes / revenge theme. He seems so bored in recent project with his character especially his acting is getting regress in reborn rich. He is not even trying to act it out. And I have been delight with his performances in. My name is Loh Ki Hwanwgich is surprise me and his chemistry with choi sung eun is ellectric. I’m not hoping a smashing hits drama in this one, just need at least a good drama from Song Joong ki that he can shine. Bored watching his recent drama and his thin character doesn’t help him either. Though i like reborn rich better than vincenzo,
I can’t say I see the resemblance with Han Hyo Joo. HHJ is much prettier and more popular but certainly not as strong of an actress as CWH. I do think HHJ has improved her acting with age and her strong point is generating chemistry with her co-stars.
It looks like Chun Woo Hee is following the trend of most Chungmuro actors lately and moving into dramas. She was a primarily film actress and only starred in two dramas in six years and now (if she accepts this role) it will be her fourth drama in two years.
In contrast, Song Joong ki has been trying to establish himself as a film actor lately but none of his films have hit. I’m more concerned about him in this drama than CWH but he is producing this through his agency so they are not going to cast anyone else as male lead anyway lol. I have always considered him a good actor but he was bafflingly bad in the Youngest Son of the Conglomerate drama. At least the PD and writer for this are pretty decent so maybe they will get a better performance out of him than whatever the heck he was doing in that Conglomerate drama and CHW is a better romance partner than the anaemic Shin Hyun Been.
@butterfly I’m not delusional to think she’s on par with Kim taeri, I don’t think anyone in her generation is. I’ve had park eunbin being compare and nope as good as she was in EAW in her follow up drama she still had the same mannerisms as her EAW character. Kim taeri leaves no traces of her former characters with every project.
OK back to hyojoo, I actually prefer her in movies than dramas she’s better there, but her recent drama choices have been stellar. It’s all subjective especially since she’s getting more credit lately but I still find Suzy to be very mediocre, Anna hasn’t changed that.
Hhj’s pairing with KSH nearly happened, *sigh* what couldve been. Manifesting their pairing, it’ll be visual galore and nostalgic for og kdrama fans. Recently, we’ve been seeing A list similar aged actors pair up like GY/Shk and KDY/JJH etc, so maybe not impossible.
Both CWH and HHJ are beautiful and good in acting , no need for comparison.
Good that CWH is doing more dramas cos I absolutely love her in Atypical Family. I’m only worried about SJK, he needs to improve his acting.
koala got what she wants with all these comments, seems like a repeat of her harsh articles on actresses like kim hyeyoon which generated so many comments too.
On chun wonhee as great as she is her last good drama is be melo. I agree with what some of the comments are saying, what’s the point of being a great actor if u just pick anything,its like with jcw (who I adore) that man accepts anything. Then u have not so great actors that have the midas touch when it comes to picking drama’s and know how to work with their limited acting abilities. Hyojoo recently picked solid dramas and shined in them, a great role can do that for u even if you’re not the best, lJS who I found meh is also great at that. IU recently rejected the roles chun wonhee and kim jiwon took and it’s fair to say she made a good choices and really didn’t miss out, she’s an example of someone with a good eye rather than accepting any project even if it’s with acclaimed writers.
Not every actor/actress choosing dramas according to your taste, mind it.
I still didn’t finish Hotel Del Luna, but can’t say because of that that IU made bad choice or doesn’t have good eye in dramas.
I’m not fond of hotel del luna either but it was a good career move for her after the heavy my mister plus it had good ratings and she got a baeksang nom out of it.
@Kailey b
Well, then you can say that filming in QOT was a good career move for KJW as well
I missed you more controversial takes Koala. You used to express your likes and dislikes a lot more emphatically in the past and even if I did not agree with it all, I enjoyed reading it. Please speak your mind more, thats what makes this blog fun to visit.
Btw, I agree with everything you said this time.
Moon Chae Won? Where is she now? Lmao
Han Hyo Joo? Her acting is very unstable
Chunwoohee? Solid acting skill
koala is such a b*tch lol, you can give criticism without being so vulgar and cheap
@chia: I think calling Koala the B word just because you don’t agree with what she wrote on HER blog is vulgar and cheap behaviour on your part🙄
sigh all these started because of Koala petty words for a Chungmuro and talented actress like CWH.
Miss Koala,that’s not so kind of you to say that….
What? CWH is excellent actor. She out acted male lead in Atypical Family and was stand out in The 8 show. Are you worried she will out act your precious Song JoongKi?
No shade against Jang Kiyong but his recent dramas proved that anyone can out act him. Almost everyone Atypical Family out acted him including his daughter. Even Song Hyegyo with her minimal effort in NWABU out acted him.
Haha. This comment. Jang Kiyoung is so bland. There are bad actors who atleast have some charm but he gives nothing.
Even Hyeri playing herself/Deoksuni for the nth time in that Gumiho drama outacted him.
Most of the time Chungmuro actors doesn’t translate well to dramas. Jun Jihyun and Son Yejin needed Park Jieun just to find success in dramas when they’ve been churning out box-office hits since their 20s in Chungmuro. CHW can certainly act circles around most kdrama female leads these days she’s yet to really find her footing in the kdrama industry. Maybe this is gonna be there time to shine. Not just with SJK but also with that writer/PD combo.
This is something I’ve never understood. Why are film actors so bad when they do dramas? Even KTR was mediocre in both Mr Sunshine and Twenty Five Twenty One and it wasn’t until she did Revenant I felt truly impressed by her acting. Drama stars always do well in movies but the opposite never seems to transition easily. Even KGE who is now proficient in both movies and dramas was terrible in CITT, Goblin and TKEM. However ever since Yumi and especially LW she’s been excellent in both movies and dramas. They all seem to struggle with the transition.
Because different skills are required for Chungmuro and kdramas. That’s why you find actresses that produces great movies will suck at dramas and actresses that are great at dramas suck at movies.
To be honest, I think movie actress talents are over-hyped. A movie is about two to three hours long at most. Each actor can retake a scene multiple times. The editor then picks the best of their work and pieces together a movie, then the actors get all the credit for that. A drama requires at least 12 to 24 hours of footage (sometimes even when with live shoots). There is not always the time for retakes and the editor has to use what footage is available to quickly fill up the drama scenes and send it out for broadcast.
A drama actor has to possess charisma, charm and aura that will shine through the camera and appeal to the audience. If an actor has talent but no innate charisma, the audience will not be charmed by their performance and the rating drops. Likewise, directors and editors have to fill out 1 hour worth of shots rather quickly for broadcast, they do not have the luxury of time on their hands to always pick the best shots and reshoot scenes. Which is typically why the first few episodes of a drama usually have the best editing, and the quality of production sometimes goes downhill mid-series to the end.
I personally think drama actress have it more challenging because they are required to work more, and since almost everything shot needs to be used, they are more likely to show their poorer/weaker sides to the audience than movie actresses.
This explains why most movie actresses do not perform as well as drama actresses.
As for Chun Woo Hee, she may be a talented, award winning Chungmuro actress, but she lacks the kind of charisma that would draw audiences and showcase her acting. I’ve watched both dramas Atypical Family and Be Melodramatic and really couldn’t get past the first few episodes. They bored me to death.
There are a few good actresses that shine regardless of movie/drama and in that small category you have Kim Go Eun and a few others. But they are the exception, not the rule.
@Xoxo, your points make best sense to me among all the comments here. I know nothing about CWH. But I don’t think accomplished movie actors are necessarily able to pull off good dramas. To say she’s a better actor than SJK or other drama actresses is baseless. A lot of people consider movie stars definitely superior to drama actors. I disagree, as I’m also convinced otherwise in many cases through their works on small screen compared with better works of drama actors.
People may not understand script writers and film directors (oftentimes movie directors were also the script writers of their own films in the West) have more leverage in the production of movies than actors, and therefore they are the ones making more impact on final products. More credits and higher respect always going to Oscar winning directors than best actors/actresses for the success of their films in Hollywood has said a lot about who matter more for movie making. When a memorable movie is mentioned by professionals in the filming industry here in the States, the name of the director is always the one brought up first, not the leading cast or any popular actors. I said this per my frequent conversations with a close relative working in the industry.
This sounds so different from dramas where acting is critical to attract viewers and fans. I just don’t buy the idea that movie actors must have better acting skills than drama actors. Therefore, a lot of comments on this thread delivering such a similar message appear spurious to me.
Chun Won Hee over Song Joong Ki all the way
KOALA bitching about kim ji won but her faves are some idol turned actress is fcking funny for me. jiwon best performance is not even from queen of tears lmao
I completely agree about Kim Ji Won. One of her best performances to date was My Liberation Notes. She just about stole my breath away with her acting in that drama.
Agreed. Her performance in MLN was what really sold me on her acting, and was the reason I watched QoT. I thought she diud well in QoT, but what impressed me most about her performance in it was how completely different it was from MLN. The mark of a good actor, disappearing into very different roles.
Ppl keep reminding me of KJW’s My Liberation Notes. I almost forgot my own fave was also a fan of MLN and I planned to watch it but have never got the chance to do so. MLN appears very sad per the synopsis and some short clips of MLN. I hope I will be in the mood to absorb the kind of storylines. Now I’m more in the mood to watch thrillers, mystery, or suspension. LOL.
Agree with koala, I thought Kim ji won acting was okay in QOT, not surprised though as folks really dig the cold hearted role .
I’m wondering, if her acting was “okay” in QOT, which parts did she could act better in that drama for you to be “good”? Just which flaws did she has as an actress?
It seems for me some people can’t criticise her acting, so they start talking about her character, as if “cold hearted role” is easier to play (she wasn’t even cold-hearted there for entire drama, only in first episodes).
Watch her other dramas or KJW herself in real life, and you’ll see that all her roles has nothing in common with each other, every time it’s completely different person onscreen.
The more I read comments like this the more I wondering what’s more than “okay” for some people, like she need to play hyper dramatic roles, psychos or what, what she need to do for you to accept that she’s a good actress.
So you think she’s not pretty, well I bet she is much prettier and talented than you, duh . If you don’t like her I bet the feelings are mutual 🤪 a lot of people like her so reading negative comments about her like this is very hurtful, I like reading your blog but sometimes your articles are not fair, Sorry for my English