There have been several discussions on this site about this topic, so I found the following article pretty timely. I both agree and disagree with the points outlined below, but regardless of my personal take on the matter, I’m certain there is enough room for convincing arguments on both sides of the issue…

“Who’s to blame when characters are criticized?”… “Incomprehensible” lead characters, damaged dramas

“I can’t understand my character myself, so how can I act in a way that viewers would sympathize? It’s disappointment upon disappointment.”

This is the confession of Ryu Shi-won, who was thrown into confusion at his incomprehensible character in SBS’s Style, which ended on September 20. With twenty years of acting experience, he found his character’s sudden changes difficult to handle. And it’s not just with Ryu Shi-won. Jung Il-woo, who is currently appearing in KBS’s My Fair Lady, expressed disappointment for similar reasons.

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The first image released of KBS’s upcoming drama Chuno [aka Pursuing Slaves, 추노] featured Jang Hyuk. These latest images showcase the drama’s other lead actor, Oh Ji-ho, playing a wrongly accused man who is made into a slave.

The drama began filming earlier this month on August 13 and has recently confirmed that Lee Da-hae will fill out the love triangle with Oh and Jang as the female lead.

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With Han Hyo-joo out of the historical drama Chuno [추노, aka Pursuing Servants], speculation has been rampant that Lee Da-hae would be filling in the vacancy. On August 4, her management spoke out and gave the official stance: “She has received the offer, but it’s only one of several projects she is looking at. She has not decided on anything yet and is seriously considering several scripts.”

I think despite the cautious wording, there’s a strong likelihood that Lee Da-hae will indeed take on the role. For whatever reason, her management is approaching the situation tentatively, but in cases like this, often the early rumors are confirmed in due course.

If she does take on this drama, this will be Lee’s first sageuk role, and she will be reuniting with her Robber (Bulhandang) co-star Jang Hyuk. It’ll be the first project following her much-talked-about (and much-maligned) quitting of East of Eden, which earned her a lot of heated criticism. (To be fair, the whole production was a hotbed of crazy, so it’s understandable that she wanted out. Her reputation, however, did take a hit.)

I think Lee Da-hae is a talented actress — one of the better ones in her generation — who hasn’t always picked the best projects. (I don’t think she’s made a good choice since Green Rose and My Girl. The three subsequent dramas — Hello Miss, Robber, East of Eden — were duds for her career.) If she does accept Chuno, she’s working with some good actors (Oh Ji-ho isn’t that exciting, but I can’t wait to see if she has rapport with the intense, charismatic Lee Jong-hyuk) and a talented director (Conspiracy in the Court). Funnyman Gong Hyung-jin and Kim Ji-seok are also cast.

Chuno will air on KBS in October.

Via TV Report

RELATED POSTS

• Chuno loses its leading lady
• Han Hyo-joo goes from Cinderella to Chuno
• Writer jumps from spy comedy to fusion historical
• More cast members to leave Eden following Lee Da-hae
• Lee Da-hae: Simply tired, or irresponsible actress?

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Lee Da-hae, in 2001 and more recently

Lee Da-hae (East of Eden, Hello Miss) has been attracting some attention for recently discovered photos of her earlier days, given how different they look from her current appearance.

These photos capture Lee Da-hae from a “Miss Chun-hyang” beauty pageant she had won back in 2001. The images were shown when actress Jang Shin-young appeared on the KBS variety show Happy Together on the 21st, and was asked about her participation in the Miss Chun-hyang pageant. She explained that she had come in sixth, but that in the same competition, Lee Da-hae had won first place.

Although Jang looks pretty much the same, many fans are wondering at the noted change to Lee Da-hae’s appearance, leading to inevitable plastic-surgery suspicions.

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Lee Da-hae is so pretty. She’s also five years older than actor Baek Sung-hyun (20), with whom she pairs up in a new music video, and while the age difference is pretty evident, they still look pretty good together.

The two actors are featured in kpop singer Kim Hyung-joong’s rather hyped music video; the song is his new single “Today’s Fortune” [오늘의 운세]. The video itself is somewhat standard kpop ballad fare; the story is told post-breakup, with flashbacks that point to a happier time when the couple was in love. (Watch below.)

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