Ahn Jae-hyun's 'acting ability controversy' could not be erased

《Taeyuna’s Listening Bodbo》
Reporter Tae Yu-na and Ten Asia will properly cover all aspects of the drama based on what she heard and saw on the spot. We will be the eyes and ears of readers in an era where dramas are flooding in on numerous channels.

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It was a crisis from the beginning. The concerns eventually became reality. This is because the acting skills of actor Ahn Jae-hyeon, the male lead in KBS2's new weekend drama 'The Real Thing Has Appeared!', are on the chopping block. Even after returning after four years, Ahn Jae-hyun's awkward and exaggerated facial expressions did not change. I hoped it would be a trick to revive the weekend drama, but the reality was not.

'The Real Appears', which first aired on the 25th, is a work about the fake contract romance between a single mother and an unmarried man surrounding the 'real' baby in her stomach. It is a drama about the family's ups and downs as they become 'Avengers' through pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare.

In the play, Ahn Jae-hyeon plays the role of Gong Tae-kyung, a highly skilled obstetrician and infertility clinic specialist who has a beautiful appearance and superior genes, but is a non-marriage person to the core.

In the first episode, Ahn Jae-hyun, who was dating a famous announcer, rejected his girlfriend's marriage proposal and emphasized that he was not married. Afterwards, he got involved in a bad relationship with Baek Jin-hee (played by Oh Yeon-doo), who scribbled on his car after mistaking it for her cheating boyfriend's car. This incident led to a cheating scandal, forcing his step-grandmother into an arranged marriage with Cha Joo-young (played by Jang Se-jin). I was hit.

The actor's performance was most important as he went through a whirlwind of emotions as events unfolded one after another from the first episode, but Ahn Jae-hyun broke the immersion of the play with his exaggerated eyes and facial expressions when acting out strong emotions.

In particular, in the scene where he confronts his step-grandmother Eun Geum-sil (played by Kang Bu-ja) and shouts, "Mr. Eun Geum-sil!", the awkwardness reached the extreme to the point where it was embarrassing for the viewer. The scene where his vocalization, which was somewhat stable when portraying calm emotions, became angry. I broke down while acting.

This is not the only controversy over Ahn Jae-hyun's acting skills. He also faced criticism due to controversy over his acting skills in his previous work, ‘People with Flaws.’ The clumsy acting, including stiff facial expressions, robot-like movements trying to look handsome, and frustrating vocalizations, made me feel uncomfortable the whole time I was watching it. His acting skills were also on the chopping block in 'Blood', where he starred in his first title role.

In particular, Ahn Jae-hyun must have felt a lot of pressure as he joined the cast late as a replacement for Kwak Si-yang, who left 'The Real Man Has Appeared' due to scheduling issues. At the production presentation, Ahn Jae-hyun said, "I didn't feel like there was a lack of timing. The production team created a comfortable path for me. I did my best to prepare as much as I could." He may have done his best, but the results were below expectations.

Accordingly, the viewership rating for the first episode was also disappointing at 17.7%. This figure is 2.8% points lower than the viewership rating for the first episode of the previous work, ‘Three Brothers Bravely.’ This is the first time in 4 years since 'Love is Beautiful, Life is Wonderful' (18.3%) that the first broadcast did not exceed 20%.

Will Ahn Jae-hyun's acting, which was at stake from the beginning, grow as the series goes on? The 'flower of KBS' that exceeded 30% has become a thing of the past. Even if it's a KBS weekend drama, if the production quality and the actors' acting don't support it, viewers will ignore it. This is why Ahn Jae-hyun ‘must’ prove his capabilities as a leading actor.

Taeyuna, Ten Asia Reporter youyou@tenasia.co.kr