This guy still hasn’t had his breakthrough script like other K-actors.... Even rookies like Lee Chae-min and…
Of course talent and acting skills matter, but the industry never works on talent alone. A huge role is what company you are under, what kind of scripts and connections they can provide, how marketable you are to investors and advertisers, and how many viewers you can attract. Especially in commercial dramas, actors who already have strong public recognition, CF deals, fandoms, or trendy image often get prioritized. That’s just the reality of the industry almost everywhere, not only Korea.
But personally I also don’t think “having only main roles” automatically means someone has the better or more stable career trajectory. Sometimes supporting roles, especially distinctive, memorable ones that go viral, are actually more beneficial in the long run, especially early in a career. Actors who debut immediately as leads can get typecast very quickly or have one explosive breakout and then disappear because the industry loses interest (many such cases). Meanwhile actors who steadily build their filmography through versatile supporting and secondary roles often last much longer and get to play a wider range of characters.
And honestly, if we look beyond just MDL lead-role counts or frequency of appearances, Lee Jun-young already has a pretty decent trajectory to me. He had main roles alongside established actors relatively early, got cast in major Netflix projects, and even being part of When Life Gives You Tangerines is already a big deal exposure-wise. So I’m not really sure I agree that he “still hasn’t had a breakthrough script.” Maybe he hasn’t had that one massive global viral main role yet, but that’s different from being ignored or having a weak career path.
But personally I also don’t think “having only main roles” automatically means someone has the better or more stable career trajectory. Sometimes supporting roles, especially distinctive, memorable ones that go viral, are actually more beneficial in the long run, especially early in a career. Actors who debut immediately as leads can get typecast very quickly or have one explosive breakout and then disappear because the industry loses interest (many such cases). Meanwhile actors who steadily build their filmography through versatile supporting and secondary roles often last much longer and get to play a wider range of characters.
And honestly, if we look beyond just MDL lead-role counts or frequency of appearances, Lee Jun-young already has a pretty decent trajectory to me. He had main roles alongside established actors relatively early, got cast in major Netflix projects, and even being part of When Life Gives You Tangerines is already a big deal exposure-wise. So I’m not really sure I agree that he “still hasn’t had a breakthrough script.” Maybe he hasn’t had that one massive global viral main role yet, but that’s different from being ignored or having a weak career path.