The antagonist in a drama is one of the most critical roles in the story. Although there are dramas once in a while where there aren't any evil characters, there is always a character who is a troublemaker. It has been proven that the viewing rate goes up when an antagonist character is present in the drama.
SBS drama "Yawang" and KBS "Ad Genius Lee Tae Baek" are two of the hottest dramas this season. Both dramas contain a troublemaker character. In "Yawang", actress Soo Ae has taken on the role while actress Han Chae Young took on the role in "Ad Genius Lee Tae Baek".
It is a given that these characters are destined to betray the people around them. These fictional characters were not created to become favorable to people in the first place so they will receive a lot of criticism. However, there is a difference in the types of criticisms these two distinct characters receive.
The drama "Yawang" contains a lot of flaws. The characters in the story are not defined as clearly as we prefer and they all act in unpredictable ways. This is a reason why the drama seems a bit flawed at times. The viewers can't seem to understand the characters and the story.
In a drama that is constantly receiving criticism for its unforgivable flaws, the one thing that is leading this drama to become one of the most popular dramas is Soo Ae. Viewers keep watching for Soo Ae, who portrays Joo Da Hae's evil motives perfectly. Soo Ae saves the drama regardless of the flawed storyline with her talented acting.
It appears as though Joo Da Hae's evil motives are the only things calling out to the viewers. The more evil Soo Ae gets, the higher the viewing rate is. Soo Ae trades her husband, family and of course, her love, in an attempt to get what she wants. Joo Da Hae has the drive and the motivation to get where she wants to be, which is what is so different from other antagonistic characters from other dramas.
Soo Ae's acting is stable and elegant. Even though she is playing to role of one of the most evil characters of all time, she does not portray her character as obnoxious or trashy. The motives behind her actions are the definition of evil Soo Ae somehow makes everything look elegant. Even though Soo Ae drew attention for her elegant and innocent image when first made her debut, she now chooses roles with lasting impressions.
Her role in "Yawang" makes Soo Ae stand out from the rest of the characters, which is probably why it was such a smart move for her to have chosen this role. Soo Ae will surely be critiqued for Joo Da Hae's evil motives in "Yawang" but it will be a role that will be beneficial to her in the long run.
On the other hand, Han Chae Young's role from the KBS "Ad Genius Lee Tae Baek" is different. Ten years have already passed since Han Chae Young made her debut in "Fall Story." Han Chae Young is being criticized, not for her evil motives in her role but for her acting. The keywords that are associated with her is "Barbie doll", "abs", "bodyline" and etc.
Bad projects are not the reason why her acting career failed to jumpstart. Of course, the roles she chose may have had some effect, but the main reason is that her acting was disappointing in all of her roles.
Even in her role in the drama "Ad Genius Lee Tae Baek", the storyline is interesting, yet there is something very disappointing about it. The drama received 4% viewing rate and is failing to catch the point the viewers want to see.
Regardless of the storyline, Han Chae Young is failing as an actress with her incredibly awkward acting even after ten long years. She is still being critiqued for her vocalization and facial expressions.
Han Chae Young is, without a doubt, a beautiful actress. If she had the basics, she wouldn't be critiqued so harshly. However, anyone can see that she lacks the basic foundations of acting. Is she making an effort at all? Some people seem to believe that she is underestimating what acting is all about. Even if she doesn't do an incredible job, she should at least be able to take on the character she chose to portray. Being an actress is not all about her "image". She must be able to become her character. However, Han Chae Young seems to still be mistaken that she could get away with her actress title with her beautiful looks.
Both Soo Ae and Han Chae Young have received attention for their outstanding beauty. However, their methods of building up their acting careers seem to differ significantly. An actress must be able to use her beauty to portray her character and be able to adapt because an actress who is only concerned with her "image" will not be forgiven by the viewers.
