[OSEN=Choi Young-Kyun's Insider]
The challenges put up by the idol singers into the acting world is so strong, one can easily call this an invasion.
And the strain felt by the acting management agencies are big as well. The number of idols participation in supporting roles have continued to increase over time. There were times in the past when a singer would come on a drama, immediately be struck with the 'acting criticism', and return to focus on his/her main job as a singer. But things have changed a lot now.
Some claim that the main reason behind the decrease of 'acting criticism' is because today's idols are more prepared for acting. Many of acting idols had taken acting classes before debuting as singers. But this argument is lacking in completely explaining the reasons to why it has become easier for idols to become actors today.
The answers can be found in recent dramas, 'Sung Kyun Kwan Scandal' and 'Dream High'. There are similarities in the reasons to how the main characters were able to succeed in their debut and receive good reviews. If an idol can select a character which require limited changes in facial expressions, voice, and emotion, such characters that require limited skills of these 3 expressions, then he/she can succeed. This was the case for Park Yoo-Chun of 'Sung Kyun Kwan Scandal' and Suzy of 'Dream High'.
Park Yoo-Chun's character, Lee Sun-Joon and Suzy's character, Go Hye-Mi were basically crude characters. Because their characters were crude, emotional expressions which required changes in their voice and face were limited. Of course, they were both warm hearted characters who were only crude from the way they seemed on the outside. But the more complex scenes that require displaying of emotional warmth is not necessary until the latter part of the drama.
As for the beginning of the drama, they use their emotionless and expressionless face to fulfill a character with limited script lines. The best example of such case would be Big Bang's Top, from drama 'Iris', although it wasn't his main role. Top was able to successfully complete his challenge into the acting realm.
It was all different in the past. Everyone had previously thought that the way to succeed in becoming an actor was to pick a character which had the most similarities with personalities of the actor playing the role. It was because of Bi (Rain), who had succeeded in playing a sad, but playful character in 'Let's Go To School, Sang Doo' and Yoon Eun-Hye, who successfully portrayed the easy going and lovable young girl in 'Goong'.
But by examining the outcome of all other singers besides these two, and the fact that all outside of these two had failed in their acting debut, we can easily say that this solution of choosing the character who has similar personalities isn't the answer to success. In the end, we must correctly conclude that while Bi (Rain) and Yoon Eun-Hye were singers, they simply had the talents to become a successful actor. While both of the characters that Bi (Rain) and Yoon Eun-Hye played in their first leading roles may have been somewhat similar to their real personalities, the respective characters were more complex than the simple, crude ones.
In comparison, choosing a role which limits the requirements of 3 expressions, is expected to continue for the idols. It is a way to lower the 'acting criticism' and allow popular idols to be used in dramas, by simply letting them play one of the main characters that requires limited expressions in face, voice, and emotions. And this practice is expected to increase in the future.
[OSEN: General Public's Culture Guide ck1@osen.co.kr]
