When a character in a kdrama looks familiar, it's not always because you have seen that actor or actress in another drama.
Even if the actors don't sing, you may have seen them playing a part in someone else's music video. And with so much crossover existing between the kpop and kdrama worlds, an MV appearance is not just a steppingstone to getting drama roles. It's not unusual for already popular actors to appear in music videos. Their presence adds a little more excitement, helping to increase the market for the record. And often the actors are represented by the same talent agency that represents the musical artists.
2NE1's hit "Falling in Love," for example, uses two actors that currently appear in dramas, model-turned-actor Lee So Hyuk of "Shark" and Kim Soo Hyun of "Shark." But it's not the first time an up-and-coming actor appeared in one of their music videos. In 2NE1's "Go Away" video actor Song Jae Rim plays the race car driver boyfriend that abuses CL. Song Jae Rim has appeared in "Flower Boy Ramen Shop" as Jung Il Woo's buddy, as a warrior in "The Moon Embracing The Sun," has a role in "Nail Shop Paris" and will soon play a killer in "Two Weeks."
A popular actor in music videos is Yoo Seung Ho, who starred in "Missing You" and "Operation Baseball." Early on he was featured in videos for T-ara and Girl's Generation. He also appeared in a music video for actor-singer So Ji Sub, playing the young So Ji Sub in love with Park Shin Hye. That mini-drama extended music video is called "6PM Ground."
For actresses, music videos can be a fun opportunity to hang out with the band. Park Min Young, who played Lee Min Ho's love interest in "City Hunter" played Gdragon's doomed girlfriend in the MV for "Haru Haru" and Park Eun Bin, who appeared in "Operation Proposal" and "Queen Seonduk" follows Taeyang to the spooky graveyard in "I'll Be There." Song Ji Hyo of the drama "Princess Hours" and the film "A Frozen Flower" makes a tragic choice in JYJ's "In Heaven."
Sometimes actor-singers contribute their presence and more to another actor-singer's video. For example, actress-singer Go Hye Sun, who starred in "Boys Over Flowers" and "The Musical" wrote a song for "Superstar K" winner Seo In Guk and appeared in his video.
This week Go Hye Sun released her fourth digital single, a sweet ballad titled "It's You." But Seo In Guk, who appeared in "Reply 1997, "Love Rain" and will soon appear in "The Master's Sun," was nowhere to be seen.
Do you have a favorite appearance by an actor or actress in a music video? Let us know.
