He “fell out” of top-tier status after one role.
12 minutes ago
Actor Jae Hee, who was once widely loved for his lead role in the hit 2005 K-Drama Sassy Girl Chun Hyang, recently appeared on a YouTube channel where he spoke candidly about how his acting opportunities changed after he appeared in serial dramas.
| @the_jaehee/Instagram
According to Jae Hee, things began to shift after he filmed a serial drama (also known as a daily drama). Although the drama performed well in ratings, he said the types of projects being offered to him changed almost immediately. “After I filmed one serial drama, the lineup of projects coming in changed,” he said.
Jae Hee as the male lead in “Sassy Girl Chun Hyang”
Films and miniseries both suddenly stopped coming in. Even though the ratings were good, that still happened. And then when I would go to discuss appearing in a film, they would say, ‘You did a serial drama, didn’t you?’
— Jae Hee
He then criticized the industry perception that actors who appear in serial dramas are somehow of “lower status.”
They judge actors who appear in serial dramas as having dropped in status, like we’re low-tier talent. I don’t know where that idea came from. I think many people who have appeared in serial dramas will relate.
— Jae Hee
The actor shared that, because he still wanted to act, he accepted another role in a serial drama. However, that only deepened what he described as a vicious cycle, with only similar offers coming in afterward.
“I wanted to act so badly, but there was no space for me to act. So I did another serial drama,” he explained, “but then only serial drama offers kept coming in, and the vicious cycle continued.”
Eventually, Jae Hee decided to take a break from acting, hoping that disappearing from the public eye for a while might change how the industry viewed him. However, the hiatus brought its own struggles. Jae Hee revealed that he worked in restaurant kitchens and even took night shifts at convenience stores during his time away from acting.
Because my face is known and because of my age, I couldn’t get hired… I ended up working in many kitchens. I did live broadcasts while working at the restaurants, and I also worked night shifts part-time at convenience stores.
— Jae Hee
Jae Hee debuted in 1997 through the MBC series Mountain and later rose to popularity. His last K-Drama before his hiatus was MBC’s A Good Supper, which aired in 2021. His recent confession has drawn attention for shedding light on the stigma some actors face after appearing in serial dramas, even when those projects perform well.