Actor Nam Goong Min has proven his acting prowess once again with the success of MBC’s Friday-Saturday drama “My Dearest”. Now, all eyes are on whether Nam Goong Min can win another trophy at this year’s MBC Drama Awards.
Set during the Qing invasion of Joseon, “My Dearest” depicts the story of people who cultivate hope in the midst of hardship. It initially drew significant attention simply because Nam Goong Min was cast as the lead. However, there were doubts about the success of “My Dearest” apart from the news of Nam Goong Min’s casting.
This was due to the continued poor performance of MBC’s Friday-Saturday dramas. Since last year’s hit “Big Mouth”, MBC’s Friday-Saturday dramas such as “The Golden Spoon”, “Fanletter Please”, “The Forbidden Marriage”, “Kokdu: Season of Deity”, “Joseon Attorney” and “Numbers” failed to achieve notable results.
The last successful historical drama on MBC was “The Red Sleeve” in 2021. Especially considering the recent trend of fusion historical dramas that appeal to viewers lightly, the somewhat heavier and serious atmosphere of “My Dearest” made it uncertain whether it would appeal to viewers.
The fact that SBS’ Friday-Saturday drama “The First Responders 2” was a strong competitor was also one of the reasons the success of “My Dearest” was not guaranteed.
However, in this situation, Nam Goong Min led “My Dearest” to success. When the first episode had a rating of 5.4% (according to Nielsen Korea’s nationwide standard) and the second episode had a rating of 4.3%, there were concerns. However, the drama’s rating jumped to 8.4% by episode 5, steadily entering the double-digit range with 10.6% by episode 7. The finale of Part 1, Episode 10, set a personal highest viewership rating record of 12.2%, successfully concluding Part 1.
Nam Goong Min’s presence played a significant role in the success of “My Dearest”. The complicated love between Lee Jang Hyun (played by Nam Goong Min) and Yoo Gil Chae (played by Ahn Eun Jin) has captivated viewers. Many believe that without Nam Goong Min, Lee Jang Hyun would not have been portrayed as such an attractive character. He has delivered a flawless immersion into his character, making viewers forget his previous work, SBS’ drama “One Dollar Lawyer”.
At the press conference held before the airing of “My Dearest”, Nam Goong Min reacted coolly when he heard that Kim Rae Won, the lead actor of “The First Responders 2”, did not know the title of “My Dearest”. He confidently stated, “My drama’s title has only two characters, did you not know? How many characters does yours have? Since our dramas are airing at the same time on the same day, it would be great to engage in friendly competition. Rae Won, I’m confident.“
For this reason, Nam Goong Min is already being considered a strong candidate for the Grand Prize (Daesang) at this year’s MBC Drama Awards. Nam Goong Min won Daesang in 2021 for his role as Han Ji Hyuk in “The Veil”. When asked if there was a special criterion for choosing his projects back then, Nam Goong Min humbly replied, “Using the term ‘special criterion’ might be an exaggeration. I don’t look at anything else; I make my choice based on the first feeling I get when I read the script.”
This time as well, it seems that Nam Goong Min’s “first feeling” has paid off.
Source: Daum
