[HanCinema's News] "My Dearest" Proves to Be Yet Another Success for Namkoong Min

The forty-five year old Namkoong Min is not an obvious leading man. The actor was first noticed in 2000 with a minor role in "Bungee Jumping of their Own" and also took work in kids' dramas in order to get his start. Despite having a major supporting role in the violent noir film "A Dirty Carnival" back in 2006, Namkoong Min had to take a break to do public service through to 2008. He returned with a second lead role in "Becoming a Billionaire" back in 2010.

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Well until 2015, Namkoong Min was still stuck with second leading roles, such as "Remember" in 2015. But he finally had a chance to prove himself as a leading man to a large audience with "Beautiful Gong Shim" in 2016. Ever since, Namkoong Min has been a leading man in his own right. And despite the often unusual nature of his projects, from the corporate baseball management of "Stove League" in 2019 to the abbreviated "One Dollar Lawyer" in 2022, he has more hits than misses.

With "My Dearest" Namkoong Min has once again proved himself to be an apt judge of which projects allow him to make the best use of his talents. With ratings of 12.2% in its most recent episode, the tenth, from modest ratings of only 5.4% in its initial episode, "My Dearest" is a show that has succeeded more due to its popular appraisal than due to prerelease hype. As a Joseon-era romance, "My Dearest" is old-fashioned, yet Namkoong Min leaves his usually distinct mark on the genre.

As the Asian Games brings temporary halt to new broadcasts of "My Dearest" there's no doubt that fans will return to the project once the sporting event is over. While Namkoong Min hasn't yet selected his next project after "My Dearest" ends later this year, interest will remain high in the actor, and he will likely help uplift future co-stars just as he has uplifted lead actress Ahn Eun-jin, with their powerful chemistry now making her a major name in her own right.

Written by William Schwartz