Are Asian actors sexier or just better actors?

Or do they have better material to work with?

If you don’t include being crazy about David Cassidy when I was 8 I’ve never been a fan girl.  A pretty face has never pulled me into a story and there are plenty of pretty actors in American and British TV.

Somehow, since I’ve started watching Asian dramas I’ve lost some impulse control.  I’ve found myself saying (sometimes repeatedly)-

“D@mn! That’s a fine looking man!” (Gong Yoo)

D@mn! He’s a sexy beast! (Yoo Ti Jae)

D@mn! He’s pretty! (Woo Do Hwan)

But I could list a dozen others-Ji Chang Wook, Mark Chao, Vanness Wu, Yummy Park Bo Gummy with his Mary Tyler Moore Turn the World on with His Smile, etc.

On paper they are all nice enough looking but what magic happens when they act?  Is it a more expressive acting style-the vulnerability and tears?  Better material? Some of them go back and forth between movies and tv so do they have a higher skill set?  What kind of magic do they wield to pull us in? Whatever it is, I’m not complaining. 

What do you think? Or am I alone on crazy island?

When Americans or Brits quote Shakespeare or poetry, usually in a court room drama or Star Trek it comes off as pretentious most of the time. When Gong Yoo quoted poetry in Goblin it was more like mental foreplay even if the FL never heard it. Frick on a stick those of us at home did.  I guess this is my question-what makes the difference?

Benedict Cumberbatch was brilliant in Sherlock but for me not even close to sexy.  Idris Elba was sexy as heck in Luther but the material let him down after the first season.  

Maybe Asian dramas have perfected the trifecta of acting ability, better emotional material, and looks. Maybe that’s what draws me in. 

@crystalstars

You just made me realize-no neck beards! That is a welcome respite.