Viewers having high expectations for the new drama starring Jun Ji Hyun also puts more pressure on the famous actress.
After 5 years since the broadcast of the drama “Legend of the Blue Sea”, Jun Ji Hyun will finally make a comeback to the screen in an upcoming TV series. The 1981-born actress will officially “join the drama race” on October 23 with her role in Jirisan, co-starring Joo Ji Hoon and to be broadcast on tvN. Although Jun Ji Hyun is known for her stable series of achievements with TV dramas in the past, 5 years have passed since her last work and the industry has changed more or less, so viewers believe that this comeback puts a significant amount of pressure on Jun Ji Hyun.
Continuing her series of success in dramas
If the sidequel “Ashin of the North” of Netflix’s series Kingdom is included, Jun Ji Hyun has only starred in 5 dramas during her entire career. Although this is a small number, in return, she has achieved remarkable successes with these 5 works. The most memorable drama in her career is definitely ‘My Love from the Star’ in 2013 that gained tremendous success and popularity in both Korea and internationally. Thanks to her role of Chun Song Yi in the drama, Jun Ji Hyun won the Grand Prize – Daesang at the Baeksang Arts Awards and SBS Drama Awards, helping her become an A-list actress who successfully impresses the public in both dramas and theatrical films.
Legend of the Blue Sea and Ashin in the North, despite not achieving an equal amount of success to My Love from the Star, still manages to attract many viewers’ attention, not end up being called “flops”. This is considered both an advantage and a pressure for Jun Ji Hyun, as it puts her in a position where she is expected to maintain the impressive series of successes on the small screen.
If unfortunately, Jirisan does not succeed as expected, it will surely be a setback in Jun Ji Hyun’s career. Especially since it’s been a while since she appeared in a TV series. With great expectations comes greater responsibility. Thus, Jun Ji Hyun definitely has more pressure while filming Jirisan compared to her previous dramas.
Showcasing diverse acting and getting out of the familiar image of an eccentric character
Jun Ji Hyun’s characters in ‘My Love from the Star’ and ‘Legend of the Blue Sea’ are both well-loved by viewers. But it’s not difficult to notice that the personalities of these two characters somehow overlap. As she continues to play characters with a weird and eccentric personality, many viewers have questioned whether Jun Ji Hyun can only play such roles in dramas.
It seems like the viewers are not worrying in vain. It was revealed in “Jirisan” trailers that Jun Ji Hyun’s character is likely to have the same color as her previous roles. It’s still unknown whether this will be the real image of her character or it is just a tease from the production team. However, the reactions from movie fans are not as enthusiastic as expected.
The viewers will still accept if Jun Ji Hyun’s character in Jirisan continues to be a funny girl who sometimes likes to exaggerate things. Hopefully, we can see a new personality of this character that differs from that of Jun Ji Hyun’s previous roles. But if this character still owns the same color, the audience may give her negative reviews again.
Facing a competition with movies starring other famous actresses
In the last few months of 2021, not only Jun Ji Hyun’s drama but many other famous actresses will also release their films. For instance, we have upcoming dramas starring Go Hyun Jung, Lee Young Ae, Im Soo Jung, Han Hyo Joo, and also Song Hye Kyo. They are all beautiful and talented actresses who have made their name known in many hit Korean dramas. Therefore, the comeback of Jun Ji Hyun may have some disadvantages in this competition.
In fact, this competition is a good chance for Jun Ji Hyun. If “Jirisan” makes a hit, she will gain respect from both the public and movie critics. However, if this drama fails to impress the audience, Jun Ji Hyun should be ready to face criticism. This will be an intense competition, not only for Jun Ji Hyun but also for other actresses mentioned above.
Right after “Hometown Cha Cha Cha” ends, “Jirisan” will be aired. “Hometown Cha Cha Cha” has made a success as it is currently loved by not only Korean but also overseas fans. Therefore, more pressure has been put on Jun Ji Hyun and the “Jirisan” team. It’s still early to make any predictions, so let’s wait until the first episode that marks Jun Ji Hyun’s come back to see if she could solve all these fans’ worries.
Source: Dienanh
