Cine 21 surveyed 62 experts leading the Korean video content industry on which actors’ activities they are paying attention to next year. Following the male and female actors who are drawing attention from experts, we will also take a look at the promising new actors.
Male/female actors who are drawing attention
1st place. Koo Kyo-hwan – Han So-hee.
Han So-hee, who succeeded in transforming into a different image through “My Name,” and “Nevertheless“, and Koo Kyo-hwan, who has shown his own charming personality from “Peninsula”, “Kingdom: Ashin of the North”, “Escape from Mogadishu”, to “D.P.”, topped the list with the most support from experts.
2nd place. Lee Byung-hun and Kim Tae-ri.
In 2nd place are Lee Byung-hun, who is scheduled to release three works, “Emergency Declaration”, “Victory”, and “Concrete Utopia” in 2022, and Kim Tae-ri, who played as the captain of the movie “Space Sweepers.” Kim Tae-ri is planning to meet fans through the movie “Alien” and the drama “Twenty-five, Twenty-one” next year.
3rd place. Lee Jung Jae / Yoo Ah In – Kim Hye Su
Lee Jung-jae, who has been reborn as a global star thanks to “Squid Game,” debuted as a director through “Hunt,” and Yoo Ah-in will release three works in a row, including “The Match.” Kim Hye-soo has also finished filming “Smugglers”, which is scheduled to be released next year. The movie is directed by Ryu Seung-wan, who has worked with Kim in Netflix’s original “Juvenile Justice”.
In addition, actors such as Lim Si-wan, Park Seo-joon, Wi Ha-joon, Park Eun-bin, Jeon Jong-seo, and Lee Se-young are also on the list.
Notable new actors
1st place. Lee Do-hyun – Jung Ho-yeon
Lee Do-hyun, who plays the main character roles in dramas “Youth of May” and “Melancholia”, and Jung Ho-yeon, who has been receiving huge love after appearing in “Squid Game”, topped the list of best new actors. In particular, audiences are paying attention to what kind of work Jung Ho-yeon, who challenged acting for the first time through “Squid Game”, will choose as her next project.
2nd place. Koo Kyo-hwan – Kim Shin-rok/Shin Si-ah
Kim Shin-rok, who received compliments for her excellent acting in “Hellbound” and Koo Kyo-hwan, ranked No.2 in the “new actor” category. In addition, actress Shin Si-ah, who has recently been cast in “Witch 2” through a competition with the 1408:1 winning rate, also tied for 2nd place.
3rd place. Tang Jun-sang – Ahn Eun-jin
Tang Jun-sang, who showed impressive acting through “Move to Heaven” and “Racket Boys”, was cast in the movie “Dog Days” and will work with many experienced actors, such as Youn Yuh-jung, Yoo Hae-jin, and Kim Seo-hyung. Meanwhile, Ahn Eun-jin, who gained huge attention after acting in “Hospital Playlist”, plays the main role in JTBC’s ongoing drama “The One and Only”.
In addition, new actors, such as Ahn Bo-hyun, Wi Ha-joon, Junho, Kim Hye-jun, Shim Dal-gi, Won Ji-an, etc., also appeared in the rankings.
Based on this list, it is not exaggerated to say there are many great actors in Korea. In particular, these new actors are drawing keen attention. K-drama fans are looking forward to more activities of young actors, who will be in charge of developing the Korean video content industry in the future.