by Wiam Najjar, December 26, 2015
42

Here comes the sad end. I feel so empty reaching the end of this beautiful journey. I must have missed many great actresses -I hope I did-. And my subjectivity might have classified some here who others don't consider amazing. But, I have at least tried. I awaited your precious comments and enjoyed reading them. 

Until we meet again. 


Jin Kyung (42)

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It’s refreshing to see one actress gaining fame in her forties. It makes up for all those who lost it.

It has only been few years since Jin Kyung entered the drama world and started gaining fame. She was in theater and a bit in films, but her decision to enter the drama land was a wise one, judging from the result.

I love Jin Kyung. She’s beautiful, charismatic and talented. She can be convincing playing any role. And she can get to the heart of her characters giving them bundles of emotions. I admired her in every single role I watched by her, whether I liked or hated the role.

I watched two films by her, My Paparotti and Cold Eyes. Her role in the first was small and cute. But her role in the second was as ground breaking as the film itself. Lord she was marvelous. She moved me on her whim and I couldn’t help feeling what she felt. That was Daebak.

She did a good job in Innocent Man keeping up with all the sick people around her. In Gu Family Book she was totally adorable. Her role in Blood was bad, rather sick and she did well –despite her makeup and the insane outfits (and here I’m using insane in the negative way).

The two roles that blew my mind –and many’s- away were in It’s Ok It’s Love and Pinocchio. In the first, she presented the inner struggle of the character so realistically and so emotionally that I identified with her completely and had a hard time walking away from her influence after the drama ended. And in the second she was the antagonist who symbolized everything that we could hate, but divinely.

In her latest, The Time That We Loved, I was pretty disappointed. Expected way more. Loved her idol obsession and completely related to it though. Can’t wait for her next projects.


Oh Hyun Kyung (45)

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Attractive, funny, charming and witty, Oh Hyun Kyung always leaves a deep impression. And in all that I watched by her, always makes me love her.

I first watched her in the hilarious sitcom High Kick Through the Roof. She acted the tough mother solving everything by her kick. She was so funny with her loud voice and kicks.

She played my favourite character in Legendary Witch. Or more precisely she turned it into my favourite. I loved how despite her greed, she placed her friends first. She was the best.

Now I’m trying to watch her in two old dramas; A Faraway Nation and My Son’s Woman. I gave up trying to find the whole dramas because it’s almost impossible to find the dramas online. So I’m hunting for more clips here and there. Ah, Kim Min Jong starred in both. Just so you’d know! *wink*


Shin Eun Kyung (42)

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Shin Eun Kyung is a very popular Korean icon. I’m sorry to say I still don’t know her well. I have only watched 8 episodes of Flames of Ambition before putting it on-hold. Those 8 left me really interested in her. In Oh My Ghost, her small role was so cute it was so confusing. If you watched any of Flames of Ambition episodes, you’d understand what I mean. Then Achiara started and oh my god. Creepy, mysterious, cruel and ruthlessly self-centred, she did outperform all. Giving me the chills. She has that invincible aura about her. I have many of her works on my list and I will check her out; well, one day.


Jeon Do Yeon (42)

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I know two things about this actress. One, she’s my drama oppa KwonSangSeung’s goddess. Two, she triggered my attention in her outstanding performance in The Harmonium in My Memoryas the village teenager who falls in love with her Seoul teacher and the struggle between her past, her lifestyle and her love for him. She was beautiful in it, extremely. I know! I will hunt her down and watch all her works; whenever I trim my list a little bit.


Lee Mi Yeon (43)


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This woman is a beauty. Seriously!

So I watched this beautiful and talented (at least from what I saw and her fame) in three films. One is the mentioned above, The Harmonium in My Memory. There was nothing to her role actually.

But the other two were impressive. In A Company Man she gave an emotional performance as a mother and a lover. If you haven’t watched the film you should –for so many reasons.-

The other and the real mind blowing one was in Addicted. She acted Eun Su, a happy wife whose husband goes into a coma. In her distress, her brother-in-law declares that the husband’s soul is in his body. Eun Su can’t believe what she sees but can’t deny the proofs. The film is insane, literally. And Lee Min Yeon was in the eye of the storm. Put aside Lee Byung Hun’s exotic insanity, Lee Min Yeon made the film hers. And gave me enough reasons to add her to my must-check.


Yum Jung Ah (42)

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I watched Lovely Rivals by this lady but it was enough to leave me wondering. She was beautiful and funny and acted really well. To watch her fighting head-to-head with her grade 5 student for a male teacher was the most hilarious thing ever. She’s a teacher in my currently-watching School . I’m still frozen at 3 so I haven’t seen enough of her but she interestingly is leading the newbie teacher (Lee Chang Hoon) to the ‘’right’’ track; not too nicely!


Go Hyun Jung (44)

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So many reasons to go back to Sandglass. Well this lady is one huge reason.

Mishil! (Queen Seon Duk) ‘’Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.’’

One day, I’ll research this woman and write a paper on her. I’m serious. It’s a part of my life plan.

If you’re one of the lucky ones who watched this masterpiece then you’ll relate. Mishil was the best thing about the drama –along Kim Nam Gil. Can’t help it-.

Mishil was a character written marvelously but Go Hyun Jung turned her into the invincible being she became. Mishil, and with no exaggeration, is the most powerful, most intriguing, most beautiful, most shrewd and most ambitious female character in all the books –and they’re sooooo many-, all dramas and all films I’ve ever explored. She’s one character that inspires me as a human and as a writer. Especially that the person Mishil actually lived one day.

Mishil took over the reins of her country and the drama. It was her playground. She moved things her way. Doesn’t matter how evil she was. And she was. And how much I hated her, and I did. She just mastered the world. Regardless of her agenda and ideology, Mishil was a woman who led thousands of men in a patriarchal society. A woman that nothing on Earth could stop. A woman who had no limits. I would talk all day about Mishil.

So after the drama, without even checking , I added all Go Hyun Jung’s works to my list. I had a sufficient reason to, don’t you think??

I watched What’s Up Fox later. And there I met the loveliest noona ever, and of course the cutest noona romance with Chun Jung Myung. That is one great romance-comedy in every aspect. If you’re in the mood for one, this is the drama for you. And try to feel my inner conflict when that was what I watched of her after QSD!

I started both Queen of Classroom and Dae Mul but never passed episode 3. Long lists side effects. Her characters in both seemed intriguing. When would I be completing them?!


Kim Hye Soo (44)

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Well judging from her long list that has so many ‘main role’s on it, I can tell this lady is an established actress. But since I only watched The Thieves by her, I cannot claim I know her. I liked what I saw and I wish one day I’ll be able to watch more of her.


Kim Sun Kyung (47)

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There’s something interesting about this woman. I don’t know what it is. She acted small roles in few of the works I watched, Ho Goo’s Love, Missing You, Heartstrings,Commitment and most notably Sunny. I didn’t really form an idea about her acting but she had me curious about her every time. What is that work which would satisfy this curiosity?!


Jang Young Nam (41)

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This lady has something about her; something magnetic. I hated her guts in my first role by her in I Am Legend. She was such a b*****. And at the time I was still a drama newbie and unconditionally hated bad people. But I couldn’t forget her afterwards. I did watch her in few other works afterwards; Friend 2, A Werewolf Boy, Pained, Hansel and Gretel, A Bittersweet Life, I Love Lee Tae Ri andPerseverance, Goo Hae Ra. I liked her in all because I love her. But she didn’t satisfy my thirst for the actress who made me hate her to death in I Am Legend. And then I started7th Grade Civil Servant and there she was, beautiful, confident, charismatic and funny. One of the best things about a drama I pushed for a long time because of all the negative comments and ended up loving. She had a similar role in My Girlfriend is an Agent; to my sheer happiness. I want another wonderful performance, please!!


This concludes my Over 40 Actresses series. I hope you enjoyed the journey. Our next journey will be with 1990ers. Tune in!