Actors I Try to Avoid

Ju Jing Yi

Chinese

Chen Du Ling

Chinese

When I think about Chen Du Ling's performance in Love in Flames of War, that slumber party game "light as a feather, stiff as a board" immediately comes to mind because it perfectly describes her presence. Every time the camera fell on her, she had this blank-eyed, open-mouthed expression on which managed to feel both insubstantial and wooden. 

Esther Yu

Chinese

My problems with Yu Shu Xin are the same problems I have with Yang Zi. I realize her voice is naturally high and a little breathe-y and her characters are supposed to be naive or cute, but...ahhh, it makes me so uncomfortable! Everything is too childlike, for my taste.

Shin Sae Kyeong

South Korean

Shin Se Kyung's career is one of the great mysteries of my lifetime. On a very, very basic level, this woman cannot act. Everytime I finished a drama in which she was the FL, I came away feeling as if she dragged the project down and someone else would've been a better fit. I finally decided it's best to steer clear.

Ji Chang Wook

South Korean

Is Ji Chang Wook a one hit wonder? Healer is a phenomenal drama and he did a great job in it. Everything else? Not so much. I've tried K2, Suspicious Partner, and Melting Me Softly and he just comes off as really stiff or unsure. I'm not convinced he's a strong enough actor to lead a drama that calls for a lot of emotional depth.  

Lee Hye Ri

South Korean

Lee Hye Ri's charm is lost on me, unfortunately. Her comic scenes never land and I come away from her performances feeling as if she was trying too hard.

Go Ah Ra

South Korean

Like Lee Hye Ri, I don't find Go Ah Ra as charming as I think I'm supposed to. It's the difference between an actor whose charisma is immediate or subconsciously felt and an actor who is trying too hard to be charismatic. For me, when a performance feels effortful on the actor's part, it ends up being less effective.

Im Yoon Ah

South Korean

Im Yoon Ah is one of the idol-turned-actors who feels like an idol-turned-actor instead of an actor-actor. When she pops up as The Girl in various dramas, her presence is quite bland and forgettable, in my opinion.

Ok Taec Yeon

South Korean

Just like Im Yoon Ah, Ok Taec Yeon is someone who I can't seem to forget is an idol-turned-actor. In other words, there's a mismatch between the level of the role he is cast in and the level of his acting ability, which isn't his fault but does make me re-think watching the dramas he appears in. I thought this was particularly apparent in Save Me, when he was acting alongside Seo Yea Ji and Woo Da Hwan.

Jin Se Yeon

South Korean

Whenever I see that Jin Se Yeon is in the cast of a drama, I adjust my expectations. She doesn't generate chemistry with her male co-stars, the quality of her acting is noticeably weaker than those around her, and the FL roles she takes on are typically underwritten.

Ren Jia Lun

Chinese

I'd have no complaint about Ren Jia Lun if he'd simply stick to non-romance dramas. I don't sense anything terrible about him, he's a little stiff but some actors are and do just fine by carefully selecting similarly stiff characters (just talk to Jang Ki Yong!). However, the romance genre demands that two actors work in concert, generating interpersonal chemistry on screen, and he's never been convincing in that department for me. And yes, I've seen him with Bai Lu in One and Only. Like Leo Wu, his baby face and awkwardly wooden demeanor doesn't do anything to sell him as a mature, serious, or morally ambiguous ML, and his performance in The Blue Whisper was only more proof of that.

Park Bo Gum

South Korean

My mom and I are divided on Park Bo Gum. She saw him in Record of Youth, fell in love with his smile, and finished Encounter because he was the ML. Meanwhile, I've unintentionally dropped every drama I've seen him in.  Here's my hot take: I actually think he'd be more effective in a supporting role. He's charming, I'm just not convinced that his charm is enough to carry the weight of an entire drama.

Lee Seung Gi

South Korean

Like Park Bo Gum, I know Lee Seung Gi is very, very popular and I still can't seem to get onboard. Apart from whether he's a talented, experienced, or skilled actor, he gives me this...mean vibe? I don't know, I'm sure he's lovely in real life and it's just me being crazy, but I can't shake this feeling that he's a jerk? Maybe he's played too many anti-heroes or something? 

Song Kang

South Korean

I hated Song Kang's character in Love Alarm and it must've left a deep impression since now I can't see him without thinking of how legitimately mean he seemed. He's similar to Lee Seung Gi in that way.

Oh Yeon Seo

South Korean

I don't think Oh Yeon Seo is a bad actress, but I do think that actors who have had too much plastic surgery on their face are sacrificing some of their emotional range and she falls into that category for me. 

Peter Sheng

Chinese

I applaud Peter Sheng for taking on the ML role in Oh My General because I'm sure his "feminine" character was considered controversial. At the same time, I feel bad for Peter Sheng for taking on the ML role in Oh My General because he was paired with Ma Si Chun and she seemed to be doing laps around him, acting-wise.

Leo Wu

Chinese

Love Like The Galaxy was a solid drama. Not my favorite, I was happy when it was over, but there were a lot of moments I really enjoyed. However, the entire time, I was so, SO distracted by Leo Wu's wooden performance. He was horribly miscast, I think. The script kept suggesting his character was supposed to be all morally grey with ambiguous intentions and this penchant for extreme violence or torture and, uh, I got NONE of that -- it just wasn't believable, coming from him.

Yang Chao Yue

Chinese

The Journey of Chong Zi was a garbage fire for a number of reasons and Yang Chao Yue isn't responsible for all or even most of them, but her performance was a drag and that certainly didn't help matters. Jeremy Tsui is an expert in elevating the material he's given yet she never managed to generate convincing chemistry with him. Her scenes were stolen left and right by supporting actors, her range of emotional expression was frustratingly shallow, and her attempts at inhabiting the mischievous, flighty, and immature FL trope were way off base.

Park Hye Soo

South Korean

Did the casting agent for Age of Youth/Hello, My Twenties have a personal vendetta against Park Hye Soo? Putting her in a leading role alongside actors like Park Eun Bin and Han Ye Ri feels cruel, like it's divine punishment for something she did in a past life. She's nowhere near their league and her performance in Introverted Boss only solidified my instinct that her work isn't for me.

Cha Eun Woo

South Korean

I know that Cha Eun Woo is an idol and I love that for him. But, on the barest level, my dude cannot act. Again, casting him alongside a crazy charismatic and watchable actor like Hwa In Youp in True Beauty feels like a mean prank, while his continued presence as the ML in romance dramas is downright baffling.

Chen Yu Qi

Chinese

In the beginning of my Chinese drama watching career, there was a time when I wanted to see Chen Yu Qi as the first female lead. I was fresh off of Ashes of Love and her character was a nice break from Yang Zi's creepily infantile romance. Then, there was Mirror: A Tale of Twin Cities and Unchained Love and I quickly changed my mind. She falls short of what lead roles demand, at least right now.

Lu Ting Yu

Chinese

Zhao Lu Si

Chinese

I don't think there's anything subpar about Zhao Lu Si's acting and Love Like the Galaxy seemed like an intentional effort to challenge herself with deeper material, which I was impressed by! However, her past work muddles together for me because she's been repeatedly typecast, to the point where it's hard for me to see her as a specific character as much as it just feels like I'm watching The Zhao Lu Si Brand. I've become too aware of her as a celebrity I guess. 

Yuan Yu Xuan

Chinese

Zhang Ji Jun

Chinese