More attractive than the main character. The sad days of being a ‘sub-female’ are over. Now, no matter what anyone says, the era of the ‘sub-female lead’ has arrived.
Unlike in the past when there was an atmosphere of avoiding sub female leads, these days, in the drama industry, people work hard to win attractive sub roles. As a result, he demonstrates a presence equal to, or even greater than, that of the protagonist.
The main characters leading the recent golden age of sub-female characters are Park Ji-hyun, Cha Ju-young, and Keum Sae-rok. Among them, Park Ji-hyun took the first start. In JTBC's 'The Youngest Son of a Chaebol Family', he played the role of Mo Hyun-min, the eldest daughter of the owner of Hyunseong Ilbo, and attracted attention as a fiercely ambitious character.
He perfectly portrayed the confident and urbane charm of Mo Hyun-min, showing off his conspicuous presence in every episode. In a return to the past as Jin Do-jun (played by Song Joong-ki), Park Ji-hyun makes her first powerful appearance in a leopard-print outfit, suggesting to Jin Seong-jun (played by Kim Nam-hee) that he overthrow the arranged marriage, and with his intelligent appearance that immediately grasps Jin Do-jun's temperament, his co-stars are impressed. and created a strange chemistry. Accordingly, even Park Ji-hyun's previous works are being reexamined.
Following Park Ji-hyun, those in the spotlight are stewardesses Hye-jeong and Cha Joo-young from Netflix's 'The Glory'. I played the adult life of Yeon-jin (played by Lim Ji-yeon) and Choi Hye-jeong, one of the group of school violence perpetrators.
Choi Hye-jeong is the daughter of an ordinary laundromat, but thanks to her beauty, she becomes an airline flight attendant. A person who becomes infinitely small in front of money. It is a typical ‘strong-weak-weak’ style where the strong are weak and the weak are strong.
In reality, Cha Joo-young, the daughter of a University of Utah graduate, was suddenly thrust into the spotlight by taking on a character that was completely opposite to reality. The character in the play, who lives more humbly than anyone else and aims only to rise in social status, is portrayed very realistically.
The peak of the era of sub-female characters was Geum Sae-rok in JTBC's 'Love and Understanding'. Keum Sae-rok appeared in the play as Park Mi-kyung, a woman who had everything but lacked one thing: love, and earned sympathy by forming a square relationship with Ha Sang-soo (played by Yoo Yeon-seok), Ahn Soo-young (played by Moon Ga-young), and Jeong Jong-hyeon (played by Jeong Ga-ram).
The charm of the independent character was revealed through Geum Sae-rok's acting. Not only did she have a lovely yet confident personality, but she also captured the weight with her deep emotions and showed her cleverness to delight the viewers' eyes with her luxurious styling. In particular, Keum Sae-rok confessed that he traveled around Hannam-dong and prepared props before filming in order to perfectly portray the character of Gold Spoon.
The heyday of the sub-female role continues even now because there are actors who have turned the position of sub-female role into an opportunity with their faith in the work and deep acting skills. Park Ji-hyun, Cha Joo-young, and Keum Sae-rok brought their characters to life with the skillful acting they gained while playing minor roles, and brought out their charm with their individuality. I am looking forward to the future of the three actors who made a decisive move at a critical moment.
Ryu Ye-ji, Ten Asia Reporter ryuperstar@tenasia.co.kr