The Korean drama "Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo" recently aired its finale on MBC. Although it only garnered single-digit ratings throughout its run, its well-written storyline and other memorable bits have since given the series cult-like status. With that, actor Nam Joo Hyuk, who played Jung Joon-hyung in the series, talked about how the recently concluded drama helped him grow as an actor.
Poor ratings, good reviews
For the uninitiated, "Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo" was a coming-of-age sports drama which aired on MBC from Nov. 16 last year to Jan. 11. It followed a group of college athletes who were trying to make their way to fulfilling their dreams. The K-drama starred Kim Bok-joo, a weightlifter who falls in love with Nam Joo Hyuk's character, Jung Joon-hyung.
Nam Joo Hyuk was not oblivious to "Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo's" low ratings. The K-drama tanked commercially as it averaged only four to five percent of viewership ratings, according to Soompi.
But while this disappointed him, he said he had fun starring in the drama and was not bothered as much with the ratings. He narrated that his close friend, Ji Soo, told him not to focus on the ratings and "just do as [he] was, since [he] was doing a good job," according to the same report.
Pressure as the main character
Nam Joo Hyuk also talked about how much pressure he was under as the lead star of the series. A relative newcomer, Nam Joo Hyuk was a former model and acted in small roles for "Surplus Princess," "Who are You-School 2015," "Cheese in the Trap," among others.
Having already played the role of a swimmer in "Who are You-School 2015," Nam Joo Hyuk didn't have trouble adjusting to his character in "Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo." In a report from Korea Times, he said playing his character made him think of his childhood and gave him a chance to refresh his mindset. He also said he and Joon-hyung shared many interests, such as playfulness and naughtiness, which made it easy to adjust to his role.
