Before I start, you’re probably wondering, “Where are the Love Alert recaps?” Well…. uMM.. You see…. You see what had happened was…..
Okay. So I will be honest with you, I haven’t had the time to sit and watch Love Alert to do full recaps. I will likely get caught up during my break from work even though the show will have ended by then but I stick to what I say dammit!
Now onto this post.. You can consider this an open discussion/opinion post that was prompted by something that I saw online while scrolling through twitter. (Okay fine, it was a Netizen Buzz comment that she translated and it got me thinking.. HOWEVER I DID NOT CLICK ON THE ARTICLE CAUSE NOPE! SHE IS A JENNIE ANTI AND WE DON’T FUCK WITH JENNIE ANTIS)
The article was about Park Min Young taking another rom-com role after Why Secretary Kim (I really couldn’t get into this one idk man) and how she is always doing rom-com roles; Is this even true? I mean this is arguable considering her role prior to Why Secretary Kim was Queen of Seven Days which is definitely not a rom-com. Below is the comment in particular that jumped out at me:
“What’s wrong with playing the same character? I notice these people even accuse singers of sticking to the same genre but it’s not like they’re the only actors or singers in existence. You can go to other actors for other genres. It’s not necessary to squeeze yourself into roles you’re not a fit for. I think it’s fine if you’re good at a type of character and play it off well.”
Now naturally I found that I had a lot of feelings about this in particular and I realized that I had a kind of ‘devil’s advocate’ type approach to this, for a lack of a better phrase.
Niche – If You Have Found Something That Works Why Not Stick With It?
Let us examine the large end of the spectrum, there are many actors/musicians/content makers out there that exist so if someone has a targeted audience or specialty why risk it? Why should a group like Twice that thrives with electropop/bubblegum pop sound and constantly makes hit after hit, switch it up with something new? They have their targeted audience locked. And if you as the consumer want something new, why not explore different groups that fit your taste?
There are actors who specialize in being comedic kings and queens, for example, Jim Carey or Mo’nique. They are the type of people that when you hear that they are cast in a movie you know right away the type of role they will be playing. Similar to the type of roles that we see Korean actors particularly shine in. Ji Chang Wook and Lee Joon Gi are great in action roles and if we hear of them joining the cast of an action movie or drama our expectations shoot through the roof. When I heard that Yoon Eun Hye was coming back in her rom-com I knew I would be getting bomb ass kisses and it is the reason I consider Marry Him If You Dare to be a blatant and terrible waste of my time. (Side bar: “Jeez Sugar Baby Unnie, how many times will you talk about Yoon Eun Hye?” AS MANY TIMES AS I FUCKING CAN!!!!!)
Slump – Instead of falling deeper and deeper into this hole, why not branch out?
In that same token, just because an actor or content maker is really good at something does not mean they should stick to that for the rest of their life. It gets boring, repetitive and predictable. No one wants to watch an actor play the same role project after project after project. You like seeing your favorite actors or musicians branching out and learning new things. I love seeing my favs get challenged with new roles. I anticipate all EXO releases because I know I get a huge variety of options when it comes to their music (stream Tempo and buy Love Shot on Dec 13th) . Yes, there are artists who specialize in the certain content that you can get for whatever fix you need, but like I also want to see my favs branch out and do something new because they may actually be excellent at it. It isn’t limited to just content in the media either, but even the jobs that people take and make careers out of. New experiences are always super fun.
So I guess what I’m saying is that it goes either way. If someone is comfortable doing their thing, then let them, but that also shouldn’t stop them from exploring other options. However, remember that not everybody has the range whether they find their niche or branch out.. Bae Suzy. Until next time!
Unbothered Unnies 