Past comments made by K-Drama staffs are resurfacing among netizens.
On popular online community forums, past comments made by a group of K-Drama staffs in 2016 is redrawing netizens' attention. The opinions had to do with the increase of idols over rookie actors in small screens, and the anonymous interviewees revealed some insider info regarding the idols' pay and employability.
One staff 'A' shared that it is natural for casters to eye the idols even during the audition process: "The competition is heavy and the idols prepare a lot more compared to the rookie actors. And, there are many idols who are good at acting nowadays. But, it's also true that the idols get more attention from the onset, even if they may not be so good at acting."
"When asked to showcase their individual talents, the idols are more than ready. They are so good at singing different types of songs, and since their companies train them from the very beginning, their talents surpass the rookie actors by a lot," added another staff 'B'.
Another info that the public doesn't seem to know, according to the staff members, is the fair amount of pay that both the idols and rookie actors receive. They say that some people mistakenly believe that the idols receive much higher pay, which is not the case.
"Recently, a K-idol appeared in a successful drama, and the pay was very reasonable. Though, I heard that this company usually asks for lower rates. The pay for the idol was known to be only 5 million won (~less than $5000) per episode. There was also a different top-class idol who received only 2 million won per episode at that time," revealed anonymous staff 'C'.
Meanwhile, staff 'C' revealed that a popular girl group member from a mid-size company had asked for 350 million won per episode, which was "preposterous".
Furthermore, the staff agreed that the producers cannot ignore the idols' marketability overseas and the amount of media attention they bring.
"Even if I were them [the director], I would choose the idols, too," said anonymous staff 'E'.
Under this interview, netizens left comments such as:
"Yeah, some of the actors aren't that good at acting these days anyway"
"We have to start accepting the fact that idols receive a lot of training because they are sculpted to be global celebrities"
"The only issue is that certain companies blatantly ask the drama producers to give their idol a lead role without an audition process..."
"Hm..."
"What's the deal with being angry about seeing idols on screen?! They are celebrities, too"
"Placing myself in their shoes, I'd also choose idols any day"
How do you feel about seeing more and more idols in K-Dramas?
Generally speaking, an idol who has been trained to sing and dance cannot be better than a rookie actor trained for years in acting. Of course, some idols have a natural talent for acting but I think the main reason for choosing an idol instead of a rookie actor is the popularity...very unfair for the actors
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