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When does an actor become an effect? Is it when his performance compels the audience to dig into the cast? Or when he masters a certain character or perhaps when he keeps excelling at polarizing roles. The ways are different, but the outcome is the same: his presence becomes his legacy on screen. Who could know this better than actor Son SukKu?
He has played some deeply flawed, morally ambiguous, or even outright cruel characters with just as much ease as a sweet clumsy leads. I first came across him in “Be Melodramatic,” where he made a special appearance. Those few sequences in the second half of the K-Drama where he steadily held the attention with his charming eyes encouraged me to watch all of his previous filmographies.
Therefore, his breakthrough with the anti-hero lead in “My Liberation Notes” (2022) felt like an overdue success. He was prepared to make the most of it by achieving what few actors accomplish in a decade: critical acclaim in both film and television, box office domination, and global recognition—all while playing characters who defy traditional heroism.
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Son SukKu: The Master of Complex, Flawed Characters
Son SukKu’s mastery lies in playing characters that aren't easy to love. Either they are morally ambiguous or varying shades of grey, but they feature a contradiction. A villain with a flicker of remorse, a hero with selfish impulses, and a lover who can’t articulate his feelings. This dedication to portraying the complexity of human nature is what sets him apart.
Han Cinema
Therefore, when he captures such characters with his charisma, he forces the audiences to confront their own biases. Why do we forgive some flaws and condemn others? His roles don’t offer easy answers, and that’s the point. Where some actors choose to showcase explosive outbursts, he conveys volumes through silence. A raised eyebrow, a hesitant pause, or a smirk can reveal more than a monologue. This restraint makes his characters feel lived-in as if they existed long before the camera started rolling.
What Dramas Is Son SukKu In?
Son SukKu’s filmography is versatile, with each role, no matter how small, adding another leaf to his rising tree of nuanced, scene-stealing performances. Here are some of the best ones:
• “Mother” (2018): He played the chilling character of an abusive stepfather, SeokAk. Although he relatively had limited screen time, he was able to capture the character’s brutality and its source. His performance was nuanced and helped audiences paint a complete graph of a villain that's more than a mere monster.
• “Designated Survivor: 60 Days” (2019): As a political strategist, Cha YoungJin walked the complicated road of loyalty in a flawed government. He was smart, proactive, and calculating. Yet he kept the audiences on their feet with his subtle intensity and the quiet moral dilemmas that simmered beneath his composed exterior.
• “Be Melodramatic” (2019): A departure from darker roles, Kim SangSoo was a lovable but emotionally immature director. His straight-faced comedic timing, sharp soul-gazing eyes, and piercing charm made him endearing. It was practically his first glimpse as a romantic lead, albeit brief.
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