Actor Nam Joo-hyuk is receiving love from global viewers with a successful comeback project after his military discharge.
Nam Joo-hyuk once again proved his presence by leading global box office success with the Netflix series 'East Palace'. East Palace, which unveiled its veil on the 17th, has received a strong response not only domestically but also abroad since its release. In particular, Nam Joo-hyuk, the central pillar of the work, drew praise from viewers worldwide with a bold challenge to a new genre and a performance that spared no effort.
East Palace recorded 4.9 million (4,900,000) views (the value obtained by dividing viewing time by the work's total running time) just three days after release, ranking No. 2 on the global top 10 non-English shows. From the moment of release it consistently held No. 1 on 'today's top 10 series in Korea', and furthermore it achieved the feat of appearing on the top 10 lists in 27 countries in total, including Hong Kong, Thailand, the Philippines and India.
In addition, in its release week the drama and its cast both rose to the top in buzz. In the TV·OTT drama buzz index for the third week of July, released by FUNdex, the official platform of Good Data Corporation, East Palace topped the list, and Nam Joo-hyuk also grabbed first place in cast buzz, proving an unstoppable rise.
Above all, East Palace is drawing attention for its original world combining Korean-style occult, historical drama, mystery, dark fantasy and action. In the unique setting that crosses the world of ghosts and the human world, Nam Joo-hyuk played Gucheon, who leads the story's center and firmly anchored the work's weight. Breaking away from familiar genres to challenge a new form of fantasy historical drama, he added credibility to the world with a more deeply developed expressive power.
Nam Joo-hyuk's action in particular drew admiration. In the process of traversing the two worlds, he performed rough action and high-difficulty movements himself, raising the story's tension. From scenes traversing water to filming in harsh environments, he showed a fighting spirit that spared no effort, completing more vividly the desperate fate and struggle of the character Gucheon. The action, which captured the character's desperation, was more than enough to heighten immersion in the drama.
Moreover, he delicately expressed the changing eyes and expressions whenever sensing and confronting the ghost's presence, and connected action and emotional acting naturally by portraying the changes in emotional tone each time he moved between the real world and the ghost world. His acting, which did not merely use the body but infused the character's narrative and emotions, made one fall further into the character Gucheon.
In this way Nam Joo-hyuk shines at the center of East Palace, driving both global success and artistic quality. Not staying within his existing image and interpreting a new genre in his own color, he once again expanded his possibilities as an actor, leaving a strong impression on global viewers.
Meanwhile, Nam Joo-hyuk recently confessed in an interview that he lost 7kg while focusing on action acting in 'East Palace'.
He said, "I started filming immediately two to three months after discharge. At that time my weight was about 85kg. While in the military I ate well and lived well. But by the end of filming I was 78kg. My weight before going to the military had originally been 78kg. I returned to normal. I returned to my pre-enlistment, pre-activity weight," adding, "If you look at the early scenes, Gucheon is chubby. (laughs) I thought that could also be used well. Gucheon's backstory isn't properly shown, but he was a child who ate lots of temple food and lived abundantly in the temple, and after first entering the palace he came and went to the ghost world and gradually weakened. We dressed that state well."
[Photo] Netflix
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