Younha takes on movie role opposite Ryu Seung-beom
by javabeans
Add singer Younha to the ranks of pop idols venturing into acting, as she’s just been cast in a new movie.
It’s not a debut for her; she acted in a short film in 2005 (天使が降りた日: Episode 5 Diaries), which she followed with Next Sunday, both Japanese projects. (Somewhat unusually, Younha debuted in Japan as a singer before debuting in Korea, and is fluent in the language.) This will be her first acting role in a Korean project.
This film is called Life Is Beautiful, and in contrast to Younha’s two earlier projects, it looks much higher-profile, particularly with veteran film actor Ryu Seung-beom (No Mercy, Radio Days) starring in the lead role. He’ll play an ex-pro baseball player who works at an insurance company, while Younha won’t be straying too far from her own image, playing a character who’s passionate about becoming a singer.
The film is described as a comic and touching drama with a “unique concept.” Not sure yet what is so unique about it, but I am guessing there’s a key element we’re not being told yet. In addition, the film also stars veteran comic actors Sung Dong-il (Runaway, My Girlfriend Is A Gumiho) and Park Chul-min (Return of Iljimae, Beethoven Virus). Life Is Beautiful will begin filming in November.
While normally the singer-to-actor crossover attempt elicits lots of groans and cynicism, this time I’m not so bothered. Younha is one of my favorite kpop singers, with her fantastic vocals, live performing skills, and reliably catchy melodies. She also has an appealing personality/public persona, from what I’ve seen of her; while I can’t vouch for her acting, she does have good rapport with the camera, so she’s one singer I don’t mind seeing branching into acting.
SONG OF THE DAY
Younha – “Say Something” [ Download ]
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1 dubusangtae.
October 29, 2010 at 9:33 AM
yay younha is going to act as well now :))
i agree :)) younha has amazing live performances ^^
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2 blokkoms
October 29, 2010 at 9:40 AM
LOVE Younha - interest piqued...
And goodness this is confusing having two "Life is (Lives are?) Beautiful" ^^
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3 sandy80
October 29, 2010 at 10:01 AM
I am so fed up with idols all over the place seriously the actors of korea should do something about that cause those idols are ruining the entire industry we miss seeing real actors and watching those good for nothing idols trying to act is like watching grass grow pffffffffffffffff
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4 Lexington
October 29, 2010 at 10:15 AM
Wow, she's got a set of lungs on her! I'm always really jealous of people who can speak multiple languages, and by the song it sounds like her English is really good too.
I've got no expectations, but the only idol stars I've seen in dramas/movies (Choi Siwon, Micky Yoochun, Yoon Eun Hye) have been pretty decent, so no groans from here.
Oh wait... I just remembered Ji Hoo sunbae (I'm blanking on his real name... Kim Hyun Joong?).
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5 sploosh
October 29, 2010 at 10:17 AM
Oh! This is FANTASTIC NEWS!
/overreaction
Seriously though, if this gets her more attention in Korea then I am all for it. I just hope she can act.
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6 chichaloca
October 29, 2010 at 10:19 AM
i love younha.she cute
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7 boo
October 29, 2010 at 11:43 AM
Honestly, I dont get why people are so worked up over idols/singers crossing over to acting...I mean, it's been done all over the world (Japan's drama world is even more idol-infested,IMO) and the fact that they're idol =/= their acting skill is lacking. If they can bring life to their character in movie/drama I think whether they're idol or whatever doesn't matter. Besides, you need to know that these people that you bash so unfairly has worked hard also to get to where they are, they need to have multiple talents to be admitted into their respective management companies (SM,JYP, etc) so it is completely ONE-SIDED to criticize them when they haven't even gotten chance to prove their worth. Sheez~
And so far, there has been a good number of idol-turn-actor who turn out great, eg: Choi Siwon, Jiyeon, Micky, Eric, Eugene, Yoon Eun Hye, etc so the basis of complaining here is just urghh. Of course some like Kim Hyun Joong truly need to take some serious acting lesson firsthand before acting again in the future, but generalizing is unfair for the others who actually have the talent in acting! As if they ain't worth the chance because of their idol status.
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ar
October 29, 2010 at 2:44 PM
it's not that they can't act, but it's that it feels likes idols are taking away potential breakout leading roles from those who are PASSIONATE about acting and have been working so hard to hone their skills in acting- those who are good but have only got to play supporting roles. What if someone like Kim Soo-hyun was passed over for a member of 2PM when getting that role in Will It Snow For Christmas or his upcoming Dream High or Jung So Min for a member of SNSD in Bad Guy and Playful Kiss. The implications are pretty disheartening.
It's not that singers or even models (or even those lingerie-wearing pin-up girls in Japan) can't be good actors (Yoon Eun Hye and Eugene are treasures). Even if they have acting talent up the wazoo, their motives for going into acting are a bit suspect- which gives off a negative vibe.
I don't mind Younha much because she doesn't feel like some who is produced and told "you must do this role and gain fans and spread the name of your group". And she has done smaller projects before. I actually don't mind most idol acting as long as they start off in small roles and then build up (like Choi Si Won!!).
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mellowyel
October 29, 2010 at 3:14 PM
you'd be surprised at the number of idols who go into idol groups when their real goal is to act. I guess it's easier to be an idol singer than to be an actor/actress, so they use singing (or not singing) to get their name out there before moving into the acting sphere. or they start out as singers and then decide what they really want to do is act. i see what you're saying in that they're taking breakout roles from people who are passionate about acting, but then the blame doesn't lie solely on them - PDs should hire the person with more talent as opposed to the person with more popularity. Sometimes they do, but sometimes they cast idols in order to up their ratings. Methinks the fault lies more with the entertainment industry in general, which favors idol singers so as to maximize profits, as opposed to idol singers themselves who decide to take an acting gig.
also, idol singers don't get paid all that much unless they're super popular like DBSK. i can imagine they take on acting jobs sometimes just to bolster their income, especially when they're not actively promoting their music.
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sandy80
October 29, 2010 at 3:45 PM
I have not seen some of my fav actors for years now and all what those talented ppl get is a supporting role every now and then while a so called idols comes out of no where to take the lead in tons of projects why cause they have a crazy fan base who want to see them all over the place this so wrong
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???
October 30, 2010 at 1:56 AM
and does that mean idols don't deserve a chance to act, is that it? :/
like someone said before, many idols use their idol status as a stepping stone, for singing solo, for acting, modelling, MC-ing, etc. they worked hard to debut,not much different with actors struggling to get a role in a film/drama.
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8 Jenny
October 29, 2010 at 11:54 AM
I've always liked Younha, houkiboushi was one of my favorite songs for a long time. Her japanese really is fluent so I think a lot of the idols trying to break into the Japanese market shoud learn a thing or two from Younha.
Japan has way more idols in the movie/tv scene, think of all the JE boys or men some of them are great actors like Kusanagi or Ninomiya Kazunari(letters from Iwo Jiwa etc)
Amnd now some of the members from AKB48 are doing movies or dramas.
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9 s2s
October 29, 2010 at 12:12 PM
hey JB - request: can you put some captions in the photos? for example, i don't know who the dude is in this article. you mentioned 3 actors, so i don't know who the photo is supposed to be of.
also - singers will act, and actors will sing. it's a trend i've just come to accept. not entirely different in Korea than say Hollywood.
so, in general, i'm not opposed to idols who want to act. but what i really object to is how they become idols in the first place, when a lot of them can't sing.
oh well.
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Kitty
October 31, 2010 at 8:57 AM
It's Ryu Seung-beom.
I like Younha too.. Hope she can act :)
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10 kitkat
October 29, 2010 at 12:40 PM
I watched old episodes of We Got Married starting Hwang Bo and Kim Hyun Joong. I laughed so hard (a great stress release). The interaction between the two is fantastic. Fell in love with Hyun Joong even more. He is just adorable. He has presence and is so charismatic. I feel bad that Playful Kiss had such low ratings because even with its faults, it was much better than the numbers. I enjoyed him in it. I hope he works really hard on acting and kicks butt in his next drama and proves his critics wrong!
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11 Biscuit
October 29, 2010 at 1:00 PM
Meh, I'm always half and half on the idea of idols becoming actors. In a way I don't mind, as we've got several star actors/actresses that have had their careers started in the pop world. And there have also been some actors/actresses who never were an idol but absolutely stink in their acting.
So regardless of whether they are an idol or not, I want a person that can act.... decently, at least.
The only time I'm irritated is when idols become EVERYWHERE (more with the talentless ones), and then I start groaning loudly.
I haven't watch Younha act... so I have little expectations. But I heart RSB, so I will be watching this either way.
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12 danni
October 29, 2010 at 1:19 PM
Yay! This is great, I love Younha so much. She's a great (and totally underrated, especially in Korea) singer so I hope her foray into acting in Korea will be successful.
On a note about singers turned actors, I can't really understand why it bothers people so much. I mean yes, there are definitely some cases where singers should just stick to their main profession, but if we're talking about idols, then I feel like they should move into every part of the entertainment industry they can. In Japan, as far as I know, an idol is a celebrity who tries out different parts of the industry, such as singing, acting, variety shows, and newscasting. I guess the term idol in Korea comes with different standards, but that's how I've come to see them. If they want to act, let them act. Yeah, I guess it sucks for actors in the idol age-range trying to find their big break because a production company will take a well-known idol name over a no-name actor 9 times out of 10, but that's how the industry works and that doesn't mean it will be impossible for those actors to get a role eventually.
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13 yoo_ah_in_fan
October 29, 2010 at 4:10 PM
i like younha!
i'm actually looking forward to this!
thanks for sharing!
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14 anagoshiki
October 29, 2010 at 4:43 PM
I love her songs but I hope she can act.
Anyway, I still love her because she loves Yoo Ah In and his Moon Jae Shin. They're each other's fans.
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15 min
October 30, 2010 at 3:49 AM
I'm really quite confused by the term "idol" is it always like, idol=singer/s. For example solo artists like Lee Seung Chul, Gummy, Wheesung and Younha herself, are they considered as idols?
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16 Lea
October 30, 2010 at 11:46 AM
Younha looks like she's high in the picture. "Ohhh... It's a CAmAara!"
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17 Keylye
October 30, 2010 at 3:52 PM
As much as I like Younha, I will be watching this for Ryu Seung-beom. He's always had this weird, sexy appeal for me.
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18 am
November 1, 2010 at 9:53 AM
Just here for Younha and that beautiful man with glasses whose name I still don't know!
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