Getting popular is every actor’s dream. But it is just the very first step,
and the true difficulty lies in maintaining the popularity. In fact,
while there had been many actors who managed to constantly shine after a breakthrough role,
others weren’t so lucky, and only managed to get one successful work. These actors and
actresses can be called the one-hit-wonders of the acting work, and now, let’s get to know them
Goo Hye Sun The case of Goo Hye Sun is quite notorious:
The actress basically shot to stardom overnight thanks to her performance as the
female lead of the massive hit Boys Over Flowers. With an average viewership rating of over 25% -
the series was no short of legendary - stealing the hearts of Korean and foreign netizens alike.
Its local filming locations basically became tourist attractions,
and Goo Hye Sun, like many other cast members,
was so popular she flooded the advertising field and attended various events across Asia.
In fact, the money Goo Hye Sun earned from Boys Over Flowers was so much,
it has ensured her a comfortable life for over a decade - proving just how huge her fame was.
Unfortunately, the actress’s breakthrough series was also her last relevant work, as
all of her later series got little to no fame. The Musical, her return drama after Boys Over Flowers,
wasn't at all successful, and while her other dramas like ‘Take Care of Us, Captain’
and ‘Angel Eyes’ did pretty decent - they just didn’t live up to the actress’s name.
And worst of all, Blood - her final drama for the time being,
could be considered to be a total flop - as it recorded a low average rating of 5.2%,
while the actress herself was harshly criticized for poor acting.
It has since been 6 years since the actress’ last TV gig, and while she had attempted multiple
fields, including singing, directing, and arts - Goo Hye Sun hadn’t been able to rekindle her fame.
And all the controversies surrounding the actress’s divorce certainly didn’t help.
Kim Bum Speaking of Boys Over Flowers,
Kim Bum, despite only playing a supporting character, had also earned extreme fame.
His performance as the skilled potter So Yi Jung has charmed the audience
with his charisma and a fluttering love, and subsequently boosted his name across Asia.
Unfortunately, despite his talents and stunning visuals, it seems that Kim Bum didn’t have much
luck in picking his future works. Dream, his first Kdrama after Boys Over Flowers,
didn’t record much success, and the actor’s future projects like ‘The Woman Who Still
Wants to Marry’ and ‘Goddess of Fire’, while did decently with average ratings of 8-10%,
didn’t live up to other dramas at the time. Kim Bum also went through quite many failed
dramas, including ‘Padam Padam’ - which recorded a 1.6% viewership ratings, ‘Hidden Identity’ - which
recorded an average viewership of 2%, and ‘Tale of the Nine Tailed’ - which rating averaged at
5.2% - quite disappointing, considering the series had starred famous actors like
Lee Dong Wook and Jo Bo Ah. It seems that despite Kim Bum does pick decent scripts,
he just hadn’t got as lucky as his B.O.F days. Fortunately, discussions surrounding the actor
had recently started to rise. Kim Bum’s recent project ‘Law School’ had managed
an average rating of 5.3%, while his newest project ‘Ghost Doctor’ is gaining attention.
Seo Kang Joon After years and years of playing supporting roles,
Seo Kang Joon finally got his breakthrough through the 2016 Kdrama ‘Cheese In The Trap’,
as the second lead Baek In Ho who completely woos the viewers. Ever since, the handsome actor was
popular enough to constantly nail major roles, and yet, it seems that luck wasn’t on his side.
His first project after Cheese In The Trap was the dark comedy Entourage - which was highly invested,
starred popular actors, as well as invited a large number of famous cameos - adding to the
anticipation of the series. However, despite all the hype, Entourage was considered badly-done,
and thus, weren’t well-received both commercially and critically, recording
sad ratings that barely managed to surpass 1%. Then, the actor returned with ‘Are You Human Too?’
- a series that also performed under expectations, recording declining ratings that averaged at 5.9%.
Later works of Kang Joon only do worse and worse, with The Third Char, Watcher, and When
the Weather Is Fine all doing badly, recording ratings at 2.5%, 4.5%, and 2.2% respectively,
It seems that the actor’s popularity has only grown less relevant overtime,
and we can only dearly wish that Kang Joon can pick up better scripts in the future.
Julien Kang Perhaps new Kdrama fans haven’t heard of Julian
Kang, but in the olden days, this Canada-Korean actor was a household name, appearing in various
variety and reality shows. Basically, he had risen to fame after playing a role in the sitcom ‘High
Kick Through The Roof’, which was considered the ‘national drama’ with its extreme popularity.
However, in 2014, Julien’s career as a celebrity basically ended, as the actor was all across the
news for a not-so-positive-reason. In particular, Julien was spotted shopping
and posing publicly in only underwear, and basically waltzed about half-naked through
various streets in Seoul’s Gangnam district. Apparently, the actor did it all under the
influence of alcohol - and this just didn’t sit well with Korean netizens.
The embarrassing incident had got Julien apologizing for his behavior, and subsequently
disappeared from the entertainment field. He now only appears as cameos on some dramas,
and now mostly works as a model and Youtuber. So much for wasted fame.
Ryu Jun Yeol As Kdrama fanatics,
it’s a guarantee that we have heard of the Reply series, and among those, the final installment
Reply 1988 has been the staple of popularity. Likewise, all of Reply’s actors had got their dose
of fame, including the highly-talented Ryu Jun Yeol, who had delivered a spectacular performance
as the sort-of-male-lead Kim Jung Hwan. The series had earned him a Baeksang’s Best New Actor
award - which says a lot about his popularity. However, Ryu Jun Yeol didn’t see much luck in
his future drama ventures. ‘Lucky Romance’, where Ryu Jun Yeol starred alongside the famous actress
Hwang Jung Eun, didn’t do particularly well, while his latest series ‘Lost’,
was a total commercial failure, with ratings dropping from 4.1% to as low as 1%.
Still, it’s important to note that Ryu Jun Yeol was madly successful on the bigger screen.
In 2017, the actor won a Baeksang’s Best New Actor Award thanks to his appearance in the
political crime movie ‘The King’. His further projects like ‘Believer’, ‘A Taxi Driver’,
‘Hit-and-Run Squad’, and ‘The Battle: Roar to Victory’ - were all commercial successes,
and among the highest-grossing films upon release. He was also critically acclaimed with ‘Little
Forest’ - a true testament to his wide-range acting abilities.
It seems that TV and cinema audiences are two completely separate groups.
Yoon Shi Yoon
For the final entry in today’s list, let’s come to the curious case of actor Yoon Shi Yoon,
who was once a national favorite, but has since had no luck in his drama projects.
Now, had you been into dramas during 2009-2010 - it was impossible to not hear of Shi Yoon’s name.
The actor had starred in the sitcom series ‘High Kick Through The Roof’, and later had cemented
his standing via ‘King of Baking Kim Takgu’. With ratings that sky-rocketed from 16.3% to 50.8%
in the final episode - King of Baking Kim Takgu could be said to be a legend in South Korea.
Likewise, Yoon Shi Yoon became a household name, nailing various commercial deals,
leading roles, and was even named ambassador for an entire province.
However, this popularity is short-lived, and the actor’s later works just didn’t live up.
‘Me Too, Flower’ - the actor’s first work after his breakthrough,
only managed to record a 6.1% average rating, despite being broadcasted on national TV.
Yoon Shi Yoon’s declining fame was even more apparent through later works, and his dramas like
My Cute Guys, Mirror of the Witch, and Hit The Top - were only ranging around 2-3% in viewership.
Even after his hiatus in 2015, the actor’s fame was not able to recover. From ‘Grand Prince’,
‘Nokdu Flower’, ‘Psychopath Diary’, to ‘Train’ - Shi Yoon’s prime days seem to be far behind.
Yoon Shi Yoon will once again grace us in 2022 with the weekend drama ‘Now Is Beautiful’,
and we can only hope that the actor will finally be able to break the low rating curse.
And that’s the list. What are your thoughts on these actors and actresses?
Were their later failures a result of bad acting, bad scripts, or just pure old bad luck? Feel free
to let usk know your opinion in the comment section! And if you want more videos like this,
like, share and subscribe to Bbali Drama. We’ll comeback soon. See ya!