What if "Shooting Stars" fails, as a number of recent Korean films have?

The first episode of "Shooting Stars", a new series starring Lee Sung Kyung and "Penthouse Prince" Kim Young Dae, aired last night, April 22.

It is well known that this is the series that caused Kim Young Dae to reject "School 2021" in order to obtain it. However, it appears that this trade-off is not worth it as "Shooting Stars" has a mediocre start.

The series' first episode, which aired last Friday night, received only a 1.6 percent rating on TV. The audience also had negative feedback about the series, particularly about the male lead's acting, Kim Young Dae.

Kim Young Dae has been described as "just for looks" since the "Penthouse" era, and his acting has improved but remains inferior to his co-star Lee Sung Kyung in this series. Another issue that makes "Shooting the Star" less appealing is the series concept.

Originally, more than a year ago, Korean series exploiting the issue of celebrities' lifestyles, behind the scenes of entertainment are exceedingly selective about the audience.

Before "Shooting the Star," there were shows like "Idol: The Coup," "Imitaton", and so on. All got extremely low ratings, averaging approximately 1% or higher.

This series topic, which was popular approximately a decade ago, is no longer highly appealing to audiences.

Why did tvN invest in "Shooting the Star" despite being an exceptionally sensitive channel in catching trending themes and according to the audience's tastes?

Audience comments:

• Didn't expect much from Kim Young Dae and it's been forever
• Kim Young Dae is so different from Sung Kyung, I don't want to watch the acting
• I don't understand why they're still making series about idols these days, how many failed attempts did tvN take the risk
• Lee Sung Kyung is more boring than when she was a German medical teacher. I don't understand. Why did she choose such a boring script?

Source[1]

Lee Jun Young recently opened up about the emotional toll of playing a villain—and how one powerful scene made him break down in tears behind the scenes.

On the May 1st episode of KBS 2TV’s variety show Problem Child in House, Lee Jun Young appeared alongside co-star Jung Eun Ji to promote their new KBS drama Pump Up the Healthy Love.

During the show, Lee Jun Young was asked about the most unforgettable villain he’s played. He chose his role as Han Su Gang in the film Brave Citizen.

He explained, “It was really tough to film. I had to act like I was leading school violence, and there was even a scene where I bullied a grandmother.”

The hosts were surprised, pointing out how kind and gentle he seems in real life. Lee Jun Young shared how he transforms for such roles.

“I try to act as bad as I can, but sometimes the director says, ‘You still look too nice.’ Then I focus even harder and adjust right away.”

He also revealed that filming one particular scene hit him hard emotionally. “My real grandmother was sick at the time,” he said.

“In one scene, there’s a grandma selling gimbap, and I ad-libbed by stubbing a cigarette out on the gimbap. I was really into character, but after filming, I just broke down. So many thoughts came to me and I started crying.”

Fans praised his dedication to acting but also felt moved by how deeply the role affected him. Lee Jun Young’s honesty gave a raw look at how even fictional roles can hit close to home.

Source: [1]