Ever since Rebekah introduced me to Asian dramas a few years ago, a few actors have emerged as favorites due to their ability to really bring different types of characters to life.
As a writer, I learn much about character development by watching how these actors fade to the background in order to let the characters entertain (and/or edify) us.
One very unlikely actor (for me, I thought), is Kim Bum.
I first saw him in Boys Over Flowers, which I watched with Rebekah earlier this year. He plays a wealthy teen playboy who likes create pottery. He is one of a group of four rich boys (F4) who terrorize the school the boys attend. The main character's best friend develops a crush on him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78xVG7dW2_k
When Boys Over Flowers ended, I looked up some of the characters and other roles they played. I found this clip for the drama Tail of the Nine-Tailed and didn't even recognize Kim Bum for most of the scene (where he plays two very different versions of the character) until Rebekah pointed it out later - and that intrigued me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDE4LnGYWQA
Then Rebekah suggested we watch Law School and said "the playboy" was in it. His performance as a quiet, soft-spoken prodigy law student was outstanding.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gmMv7BdCWo
So we circled back to Tale of the Nine-Tailed. I wasn't too sure if I liked the actual drama at first. But I enjoyed the horror elements and Kim Bum's performance as Lee Rang (half humna, half nine-tailed fox) is entertainingly over the top, creepy and hilarious, sometimes at the same time.
Favorite line (so far, it's in the last link):
Evil CEO of broadcasting company: "I'm sure you didn't come to watch me die."
Lee Rang: "I love watching death. I even brought popcorn."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr9e_DhpKoE&t=86s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM0ZYVXzNYw&t=2s
