Kang So-ra's return after 6 years is also a test of her ability to play the leading role

Six years after marriage and childbirth, she returned to the small screen as a 'divorcee' character, but her firepower was minimal. It is true that there are limitations as an ENA channel, but there is no topicality or viewership rating of any kind. Although Kang So-ra has been consistently active as a leading actress, Kang So-ra has been put to the test of her leading role skills in that she has not had any notable works since the movie 'Sunny'.

ENA's Wednesday-Thursday drama 'Can We Be Strangers', which first aired on the 18th, is a drama about the love and life growth stories of divorce lawyers who find divorce easy but break up difficult. In the drama, Kang So-ra plays O Hara, the ex-wife of Goo Eun-beom (played by Jang Seung-jo) and a star lawyer specializing in divorce who is called the goddess of litigation.

It's been 6 years since Kang So-ra's drama 'Revolutionary Love'. After the release of the movie 'Do No Harm' (2020), Kang So-ra married an Oriental medicine doctor who was 8 years older than her that year, and gave birth to a daughter the following year, 8 months later. After taking a break, Kang So-ra confessed on her return after a long time, "I am more nervous than when I debuted. I was afraid whether I would be able to perform as well as before."

Playing a single character in her first comeback after marriage was also a refreshing choice. In response, Kang So-ra said, “I think it makes me think more deeply about love. Breaking up when you are a lover and breaking up when you are already married have different weight. “I think I’ve become more empathetic because I can think about those things in depth, even if vaguely,” he said, expressing confidence.

The first episode of 'Can We Be Strangers' tells the story of Goo Eun-beom and O-Hara, who dated for 10 years and got married but divorced, as they reunite at a law firm. O-Hara believes that the divorce was due to Eun-Beom Koo's affair, but it was hinted that there may be a real reason for Eun-Beom Koo's divorce, raising curiosity. Here, various divorce cases also appeared in each episode.

The actors' visual chemistry and chemistry were all stable, but there was no one thing that could grab attention. Kang So-ra attracted attention with her more mature visuals, but she lacked acting charm. I didn't feel the bouncy charm from the movie 'Sunny'.

The viewership ratings for all three episodes were also in the low 1% range. Even considering that it is an ENA channel, this is a very low figure. It also did not rank high in the OTT TV rankings. This also means that the actors' topicality is weak.

The most important thing for an actor is acting ability, but the lead actor, who is responsible for leading the play, also needs charm to captivate viewers. However, the reality is that the name ‘Kang So-ra’ alone does not generate interest in the work. As an actress in her 15th year since debut, Kang So-ra's concerns are deepening.

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