GB's non-exhaustive list of 'must-watch' or 'don't-mind-trying-to-watch-a-show-for', kdrama actors/actresses.

I'm going to do this slowly since there's no rush and I need to think if I'd seriously want to watch them act. I think I can have a blanket cover condition... I'd watch almost anything except stuff that offends my sense of what's right and I'm very picky over sageuks, therefore there's less chance of me being lured to watch even my fave actors in them.

Mickey Park Yu Chun - I've watched him in Rooftop Prince, I Miss You and Girl Who Sees Smells.

I found him funny and endearing. Later shows, I started thinking that he's actually quite good. His comic timing, expressions and not-afraid-to-be-ugly attitude was noteworthy. The mark for me of a good actor is that I forget now and then who they are in RL and see them only as their character. Mickey Park managed that on and off.

@ Susan
GB’s non-exhaustive list of ‘must-watch’ or ‘don’t-mind-trying-to-watch-a-show-for’, kdrama actors/actresses.

Lee Sung Min - I definitely was watching him in Misaeng, and he did appear in these other shows that I watched...
Misaeng (tvN, 2014)
Miss Korea (MBC, 2013)
Arang and the Magistrate (MBC, 2012) cameo
The King 2 Hearts (MBC, 2012)
My Princess (MBC, 2011)

... however I must admit that I was not watching for him or noticing him before Misaeng. During and after Misaeng, I became a fan. Totally compelling and believable, whether understated or over the top. He just convinces me he is that character.

@ Susan
GB’s non-exhaustive list of ‘must-watch’ or ‘don’t-mind-trying-to-watch-a-show-for’, kdrama actors/actresses.

Actress Park Bo Young - Watching in (Oh My Ghost)

Actor Ji Sung - Watched him in
Kill Me, Heal Me (MBC, 2015)
Protect the Boss (SBS, 2011)

I put these 2 together because I'm so taken by their ability to switch personalities at a drop of a hat, and to do so, so completely all the way to mannerisms, expressions, tone of voice. Overflowing with talent. I'm extremely interested in any shows either of these 2 persons pick up.

@ Susan
GB’s non-exhaustive list of ‘must-watch’ or ‘don’t-mind-trying-to-watch-a-show-for’, kdrama actors/actresses.

Lee Bo Young - Loved her in IHYV. Watched her in
I Hear Your Voice (SBS, 2013)
Harvest Villa (tvN, 2010)

Yoon Eun Hye - Watched her in
Marry Him If You Dare (KBS2, 2013)
I Miss You (MBC, 2012)
Lie to Me (SBS, 2011)
Personal Preference (MBC, 2010) cameo
Take Care of the Young Lady (KBS2, 2009)
The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince (MBC, 2007)
The Vineyard Man (KBS2, 2006)
Goong (MBC, 2006)
Movie: My Mini Black Dress

I find both these ladies delightful and so watchable. Lee Bo Young, I'd say is more talented and charismatic and yet, I find that I've watched almost all of Eun Yoon Hye's shows. I find her looks not so standard and more interesting. I believe I liked her best in Coffee Prince and Lie to Me although as Goong was my first ever kdrama.... I watched her and most of the show like 6-10 times!!! I hope she manages to choose a good show next.

Anyway these two ladies succeed in getting me excited about any project that they choose to do.

@ Susan
GB’s non-exhaustive list of ‘must-watch’ or ‘don’t-mind-trying-to-watch-a-show-for’, kdrama actors/actresses.

Ji Chang Wook and Joo Won for their versatility, for being all immersive and convincing in their roles. They both bring something extra in their acting, maybe from their stage experience in theatre/musicals. They have presence.

Susan
Continuation...
GB’s non-exhaustive list of ‘must-watch’ or ‘don’t-mind-trying-to-watch-a-show-for’, kdrama actors/actresses.

Seo In Guk and Lee Joon Gi (Lee Jun Ki)

Seo In Guk - Watched him in..
bits of Reply 1997
Love Rain
The Master's Sun
High School King of Savvy
I Remember You

I've been wondering if I'd watch him in anything, and now that he's got more acting under his belt, I believe yes, I'd like to watch him in almost any show. I have yet to bring myself to watch a sageuk like The King's Face just for an actor, but I may take a peak, because he intrigued me in I Remember You. Although I hated Love Rain, I can actually recall his character slightly, which speaks volumes, because I usually forget side characters entirely. I find him very intense and compelling. He was very good in Savvy.

Lee Joon Gi - Watched him in
My Girl
bits of The King and the Clown
Time Between Dog and Wolf
Arang and the Magistrate
bits of Two Weeks

I can say about the same for Lee Joon Gi as for Seo In Guk, in that I may not feel compelled to watch him in a sageuk like SWWTN, but I might in other shows. I found him too 'pretty' in My Girl, however his looks made a big impact for The King and the Clown. I preferred him in TBDW and the little that I watched of Two Weeks. Yes, as you say, he's an amazing goofball off-camera. I like watching BTS of him.

More...GB’s non-exhaustive list of ‘must-watch’ or ‘don’t-mind-trying-to-watch-a-show-for’, kdrama actors/actresses.

Kim Hee Sun - Watched..
in bits of Faith
Angry Mom

She came to my mind when I was thinking about actresses I might like to watch again. I have not caught her many works, however I was impressed by her in Angry Mom and feel I might like to catch her again in a different role.

Ji Hyun Woo -
Queen In-Hyun's Man
Trot Lovers
Angry Mom

I was most taken with him in QIHM and not so much in Trot Lovers. I might like to see him in roles which demand more of him and have him also performing musically.

More later... just got a work Skype message...

@Susan
BTW, I actually re-watched the last 2 episodes of High School King of Savvy just to see if Seo In Guk struck me as good then, and he did. I did not really pay attention before and I missed most of the last episodes. But this time, I watched for him and found myself (emotional drama viewer, that I am) feeling for him and laughing at him and Lee Ha Na. So yes, I can keep him on my list of should watch.

I'll be watching the Saturday last episode of OMG for him and of course for the closure. There had better be a good closure!!!

More…GB’s non-exhaustive list of ‘must-watch’ or ‘don’t-mind-trying-to-watch-a-show-for’, kdrama actors/actresses.

Shin Sung Rok - Watched him in ...
Liar Game (tvN, 2014)
Trot Lovers (KBS2, 2014)
You Who Came From the Stars (SBS, 2013)

Being a bit a bigot when it comes to bad guy characters, I enjoyed watching him in Liar Game and YWCFTS, but was not willing to praise him sky high the way other commenters did. LOL. I will admit that he put in 110% in his roles and was smouldering, crazy, evil when the role called for it. It was a refreshing change to see him in Trot Lovers. I feel a lot of it is also his look... just so intense, so I'm a little biased in wondering if I am getting carried away by his dark appearance and am not giving his acting a fair viewing. Maybe for this reason I'll put him on my to-watch list.

Susan, are you trying to sell of a writer? LOL! What kind of deal are you offering?

More…GB’s non-exhaustive list of ‘must-watch’ or ‘don’t-mind-trying-to-watch-a-show-for’, kdrama actors/actresses.

Byun Yo Han - Watched in
Misaeng
Ex-Girlfriend Club

Jo Jung Seok - Watched in
Oh My Ghostess
The King 2 Hearts

Both are very natural and don't look like they are acting.

Sorry I'm not a better chatter this week. I'm exhausted and sick and doing rewrites and under deadlines...

I'm in that time zone right now as well.

So, I'm curious - are you watching Yong Pal?

And, which drama is TTILY?

Susan, I'm interested to know... what gives you the clues that an actor is good as a certain kind of character? Is it merely that they did well in that role before or how can you tell that a person could do a different character and still carry it off?

Hi Susan, just saw a positive comment on your comment in SWWTN recap... It's "2.1.6 KDaddict?JCW August 21st, 2015 at 12:41 AM"

I sort of 'know' KDaddict in that we are both in the Healer group of Beanies. Good to have her good opinion. :)

From somewhere above....

"
“Seriously, this is all plot driven.” – Yes, that’s a pity. I want to see how people grow in every show and how teams bond…. not just because of mutual need or threats but out of better feeling. If this goes on, I’ll be exhausted trying to figure out all the plot, and finding no payoff emotionally because everyone is still the same at the end.

“… the aud will only stay with a plot if it’s reasonably believable. With so much complexity and a tendency to already ignore medical realities, I wonder if they can pull it off over 16 eps.”
LOL! Now you’ve got me worried! But this is the other reason I watch… to enjoy or failing which, to dissect what is going wrong and where it starts unravelling.

At this point, it is still possible to inject some character into the characters isn’t there? Even voiceovers of their thoughts might help if they can’t show us much of who they are inside."

I'll try to answer this mostly in the YP discussion, but I would say that they will have to pick and choose.

Okay.... let me write for a while and then I'll come back and tell you the casting director story.

@Susan

1. @GB told those of us at Healer thread about her conversation with you here.

2. My first kdrama was The Moon Embracing the Sun (2012) rerun on local Korean channel. I've watched around 25 kdramas total. About 4 to 5 currently-airing dramas a year.

3. As for American TV, 4 shows, some sports and news are all I watch.

4. When it comes to TV, I prefer to be in the lowest energy state, or close to it, don't think or analyze. Of course, sometimes I can't help but anticipate plot development/logical progression.

5. I watch Scholar Who Walks the Night on dramaferver licensed with a 2-week lag. I don't have much attachment to it. Reading the recap before I see the episode actually helps me to remain "in the lowest energy state."

6. I've always enjoyed mythology- Greek/Roman, Celtic, Norse, Hindu, Chinese, Egyptian... These ancient stories are not always consistent, coherent or logical. I can tolerate a great deal of chaos in fantasies.

7. Based on what I read at DB SWWTN recaps, people acknowledged the writing wasn't great from the start. Your position is by adding a new writer, the overall quality of the show declined causing it to lose viewers. You cited the show's ratings to support your argument. Causation/correlation/inference. That piqued my interest.

AGB Nielson Seoul

Somewhere above you said this rating is more relevant because the audience is younger. Is that the vampire fantasy sageuk target audience? Personally I believe, that is, no data to back this up, older east Asians are comfortable with fantasy sageuk. Fantastic stories are part of the culture. Judeo-Christian beliefs have not relegated them to the background.

I looked up the ratings at AsianWiki.com. The site contains AGB Nielsen and TNmS of Seoul and nationwide ratings and rankings. Ratings are absolute while rankings are relative.

Because these are numbers, I was compelled to plot them and run linear regressions. Through episode 10, AGB Seoul ratings were essentially flat while TNmS Seoul showed a very gradual decline. Drop in ranking was more obvious. To me, this shows that although SWWTN had about the same number of viewers, other shows gained viewers.

@Snickers

I love that you love mythology. What are your favorite global stories?

:-) Arrgh.... I either need to sleep or work.... track me down another day?

I gather that neither of you have yet settled the points you set out to make? LOL!

I'm glad to see that you have found each other to chat with.

My very simplistic way of thinking... (sorry if this is another point and not the one you are trying to make). Does a schizophrenic shift in a show (due to a change in writer) followed by a fall in ratings/ranking indicate that the writing has become bad (or worse than before)?

1) Show seems to advertise itself as A, starts off that way but with a writer change, becomes B some episodes down the road.

2) Some viewers feel cheated. Some viewers like the change.

3) Ratings and rankings may or may not change. Either way they do not reflect the integrity of a show or lack thereof, they only reflect if some numbers of viewers are watching for whatever reasons they may have.

4)Since people both intelligent and super intelligent have various reasons for watching or dropping shows, ... many of which may not be based on the quality or integrity of the show, an assumption that the change in the figures in ratings and rankings indicate strength/weakness in writing, is "beset" with invalidity.

A correlative conclusion is extremely hard to draw.

If I am any indication... when I choose to watch a show, no matter how badly written it becomes, I may continue to watch it to the end, complaining all the way and still enjoying myself in the process. Totally unscientific, irrational and unreckonable. :)

"Examples:

Homer’s Odyssey, Journey to the West (China), Mesopotamian hero epic (forgot the name).

dramafever viewers had trouble getting Jade Emperor and his brother/counterpart in Arang and the Magistrate. I think cultural background was their obstacle."

Can you tell me more about your thoughts on ancient fantasy novels?

@ GB

About casting...

When I first started out I worked with a very high end casting director. I used to ask her the same thing you asked me, "How do you know which actor to choose for a role? What do you look for?" And she said, "I know it when I see it."

She didn't come in with preconceived notions about what was good for a role - she waited to see what the actor would bring in the audition. She cast against type all the time - different ethnicities, sex, unexpected people. It was like she just had a sense of what would be a beautiful performance on a screen.

Of course, she was pretty special, she had cast quite a few Oscar winning films and had even found relative unknowns for roles who had gone on to win that trophy.

I can imagine that your next question is "How did she know who to audition if she didn't have a preconceived notion of what she was looking for?" She watched a lot of people - actors she'd seen at previous auditions, actors she saw on screen, people she just happened to meet at parties... We used to watch a lot of films together to look at actors' performances, and as she watched those performances, she began to imagine the possibilities of other things they could do with those skills. There was a lot a free association there.

Some things, of course, have to do with technique. Everyone starts somewhere and people grow, so this can evolve. On the other hand, talent - an innate ability to be technically good early on - is a big deciding factor on who gets cast young enough to get experienced enough for the top roles. Take a look at all those people in the background. They wanted to be actors, too!

On a business level, top actors are often cast by considering both their ability to bring something commercial to the role - a big audience! That's why you get some real miscasting problems - for the show to get funding to get made, it needs a headliner. On the other hand, if the headliner doesn't do a good job, the audience bolts. Leading men and women have both an acting job and a fan group development job. It's why you have so few Kang Dong Wons out there. It's hard to just be good enough to draw audiences. Most people have to be popular as well as competent. And popular means pretty, no scandals, etc etc.

@GB

Someone over on the YP thread wrote that

"[T]his drama has well written and smart characters."

What do you think?