Korean Actors: Behavioral Insights From Rude to Ruder. Plus, Our Unexpected Encounter With One of Them!
- lewishooper1
- Jul 10
- 2 min read
Unexpectedly, Nam Joo-hyuk and Kim Tae-ri made this year's list of "worst" actors, as chosen by the media. What happened? We discuss why this might have happened and our personal experience with one of these actors!
Surprising Selections in "Worst Of" Picks
This year's media-selected "worst movie" and "rudest cast" lists have delivered some shocking inclusions, and the Dojeon team was left reading these nominations over and over.
Nam Joo-hyuk, landed as a second runner up, and this is most likely due to his school violence and harsh bullying, not to mention his underage drinking scandals, all of which have impacted his career, as seen through his film Remember's publicity, it was the news of Kim Tae-ri, star of the hit drama Mr. Sunshine, reportedly securing the runner-up position that truly stunned fans.
Journalists' opinion
Journalists often get the chance to work closely with many K-stars at events and galas in order to pester them for photos in order to sell them for a high price in the media. Journalists are those who voted for this topic. These are the people who get the gossip before anyone else does, so their opinion matters on this topic.
Self-confidence and arrogance are two different qualities, Kim Tae-ri often showcases, as she acts as if she is superior to others, and often chooses to ignore journalists during interviews, or it's been rumored that sometimes she even starts doodling, which is simply just rude. This evokes comparisons with her immature onscreen personality Na Hee-do in Twenty-Five, Twenty-One while she was promoting her new film Alienoid.
Star of Men of Plastic, Not a Mr. Nice Guy in Real Life
Hitting hard and taking the lead in first place is the one and only Ma Dong-seok (Don Lee), who had absented himself from the promotional materials and interviews for several movies. These were The Roundup and the comedy film Men of Plastic, leaving only other cast members to be interviewed. This simply shows a lack of interest in the roles that he took on, and potentially a lack of interest in his co-stars.
Even when the larger-than-life actor was interviewed, he gave answers irrelevant to the questions asked, and was criticized for his “utter lack of professionalism”. Despite being the film’s producer and lead actor, Ma Dong-seok did not do his best to promote the film, leading press reporters to have reservations about his character, despite the film’s strong box office performance.
Meeting Ma Dong-seok in person
Behind-the-scenes photos of Pig Village filming (Credits: Lewis Hooper)
However, our team member Lewis Hooper worked on set with Ma Dong-seok, filming Pig Village, which is set to be released later this year. Lewis had the chance to meet the star on the way to his dressing room by mistake. Lewis thought that the star was very friendly and charismatic, and happy to stop for a quick photo and talk. Was this because he was not a journalist and a member of the cast?
What are your thoughts on these rude celebs? We would love to hear from you in the comments below!