7 K-Drama Stars Who Impressed With Their Dual Roles

Double the fun or double the trouble? Dual roles are an often used and familiar trope in movies, and K-dramas have also given us plenty of situations where leads have their own lookalike, which adds to the twists and turns in the narrative. Sometimes it’s a good or evil twin, or a doppelganger across time and space, and in some situations it’s an extension of their personality. Duality is also a way of showcasing the ultimate tryst between good and evil, strong and weak, which can be two sides of the same coin. Here are seven K-dramas where the leads gave us some impressive dual roles to remember. 

“Arthdal Chronicles”

Once upon a time in the Bronze Age, the mythical land of Arth and Wahan, the indigenous clan, face a gruesome fate. They are oppressed and trafficked by the powerful ruling tribe who lay siege to their resources and arrest their people. Eun Seom (Song Joong Ki) is an Igutu (born from the union between a human and Neanthal, supernatural blue blooded beings), who has been raised by the Wahan clan and has now become one of them. Eun Seom has extraordinary strength and is also a hunter par excellence. He is in love with Tan Ya (Kim Ji Won), a descendent of the high priestess of Wahan. When the tribe is attacked and Tan Ya is taken prisoner, Eun Seom decides to put himself in the forefront to free his people. Little does he know that in the palatial corridors of the very oppressors is his own lookalike, his long-lost twin brother, Sa Ya. Sa Ya had been raised by the ambitious Ta Gon (Jang Dong Gun) and has had a lonesome upbringing. He is a complexed and cold-hearted young man, who is also using Ta Gon as much as the other is using him. The two find themselves in a violent battle for power, which comes with mysticism and fantasy aplenty.

Song Joong Ki showcases the duality of the two characters with ease as both the raw and rugged Eun Seom and the stunning yet unsympathetic Sa Ya. “Arthdal Chronicles” is a visually appealing show and comes with romance aplenty and good performances to keep you riveted.

“The Crowned Clown”

King Lee Heon (Yeo Jin Goo) has unleashed a wave of terror amongst his own people. Described as deranged and temperamental, his substance induced and inebriated state have wrecked havoc for all in the palace. Lee Heon is an insecure young man and lives constantly in fear due to the many assassination attempts and intrigues that have been set up against him. His situation saddens his loyal advisor Lee Kyu (Kim Sang Kyung). Lee Kyu one day spots a clown named Ha Seon, who mocks the King, and is surprised to notice the striking resemblance between the clown and the king. When Lee Heon is taken ill, Lee Kyu finds the perfect foil and gets Ha Seon in place of Lee Heon. As Ha Seon starts fooling everyone in making them believe he is King, what he had not anticipated was falling in love with the Queen, Yoo So Woon (Lee Se Young). With his newfound power, Ha Seon wants to make the country a better place and improve the kingdom. But what happens when the real and the fake come face to face in a battle for power and love?

A witty narrative, “The Crowned Clown” is an engaging and suspenseful drama. Fast-paced, with plenty of drama, action, and surprises, it never dips in its momentum. Yeo Jin Goo is pitch perfect and gives a nuanced performance as he brings forth the paranoia and craziness of Lee Heon, matching it with the vulnerability and sincerity of the clown, Ha Seon.

“Hyde, Jekyll, Me”

What’s better than one Hyun Bin? Two Hyun Bins in one drama! Seo Jin (Hyun Bin) is a rich, good-looking, and extremely arrogant CEO of a theme park. He’s a control freak who micromanages everything and lives life as per his terms. But not many know that it’s all a cover up! Seo Jin suffers from a dissociative personality disorder. Robin, who is a part of his fragmented personality, is an endearing personality. He is youthful with a playful streak. Ha Na (Han Ji Min), the new manager of the circus which performs at the amusement park, has an unpleasant encounter with Seo Jin on her first day at the job. But things get complicated when she meets the charming Robin, who is the polar opposite of the uptight Seo Jin. As Robin sweeps Ha Na off her feet, his mysterious disappearance makes her realize that Robin is Seo Jin, and the latter needs immediate help to deal with his trauma.

“Hyde, Jekyll, Me” blends in suspense and romance with a psychological twist. Hyun Bin showcases the diverse personalities of the glowering Seo Jin and the adorable Robin with ease. He delights you with both avatars, and besides, there can never be too much of Hyun Bin right?

 “Kill Me, Heal Me”

The brilliance of Ji Sung comes to the fore in the psychological drama, “Kill Me, Heal Me.” Do Hyun (Ji Sung) is the heir apparent to a vast conglomerate but also seems to be the company’s biggest nemesis given his emotional and mental issues. Do Hyun is being treated for dissociative identity disorder and lives his life with six other personalities, which come to the fore depending on the situation he is in. These personalities are his coping mechanism after his abusive and traumatic childhood, the memories of which have scarred him. Ri Jin (Hwang Jung Eum), a psychiatric resident, encounters one of his many personalities, Shin Se Gi, a brash and reckless rockstar. As Ri Jin gets close to Do Hyun, she encounters the many sides of him, and she could also be the key to the many memories that have been locked in the inner recesses of his mind. There is also Ri Oh (Park Seo Joon), who sets out to investigate Do Hyun and blow his cover and unearth a Pandora’s box of secrets.

Ji Sung pulls off a spectacular performance and is the soul of the drama. He swiftly changes his pitch and expression to suit his many personalities, which range from the hyper cautious Do Hyun to the abrasive Se Gi, the cool Ferry Park, as well as the over-the-top teenage fangirl Ahn Yo Na. The actor seamlessly moves from one character to the other, but it is the loneliness and sadness which seep out of these characters that remains unchanged, and he highlights that aspect beautifully.

“Duel”

Jang Deuk Cheon (Jung Jae Young) is a police officer who is caught in a precarious situation. He needs money to pay off a ransom to the man who has kidnapped his young daughter. The kidnapper manipulates Deuk Cheon, well aware that the man is in a helpless position and would go to any lengths to save his child. Though the prosector puts a tail on the kidnapper, Deuk Cheon is willing to toe the line of the man who has his kid hostage. As he continues to search for his daughter, he runs into Lee Sung Joon (Yang Se Jong), whom he recognizes as the kidnapper. Sung Joon is taken unaware since he has no idea why he has been thrashed, until both he and Deuk Cheon spot a man who looks exactly like Sung Joon smirking at the them. He is the culprit and manages to dodge Deuk Cheon, who later realizes that both Lee Sung Joon, the man he beat up, and Lee Sung Hoon, the man who got away, are a part of a cloning project.

“Duel” is an intense and gripping drama, which comes with high octane action pumped up with plenty of mystery and edge-of-the-seat thrills. Jung Jae Young is incredible as the vulnerable father, and Yang Se Jong does a fantastic job of playing two diametrically opposite characters, the innocent Sung Joon versus the menacing psychopath Sung Hoon. The actor gets the tone and tenor right and puts the good into playing bad.

“Who Are You: School 2015”

Kim So Hyun takes on the role of twins Lee Eun Bi and Lee Eun Byul, who were separated when Eun Byul had been adopted in Seoul. Eun Bi, on the other hand, has had a lonely childhood and has been mercilessly bullied by people in school and drops out. But when Eun Byul mysteriously disappears, Eun Bi steps in to take her place. Han Yi Ahn (Nam Joo Hyuk), the school’s star swimmer who has carried a torch for Eun Byul, mistakes Eun Bi to be her. To make the situation even more complicated, in walks another charming student named Gong Tae Kwang (Yook Sungjae), who takes a liking to Eun Bi. The strange situation that Eun Bi finds herself in not only helps her to find a family and friends she so craved, but it also helps her heal too. But what happens when Eun Byul returns, and what if she doesn’t? Can Eun Bi carry on the charade of her double identity?

A typical high school drama, “Who Are You: School 2015” packs in a lot from mistaken identities to growing pains, hardships of teenage years, friendships, and more, making it an interesting watch. Kim So Hyun endears in her double role, and the two male leads make it difficult for viewers to choose between the two.

“Are You Human Too?”

When Nam Shin (Seo Kang Joon), the wealthy son of an influential family, falls into a coma after an accident, his heartbroken mother creates a robot named Namsin III. The robot looks exactly like him, adopts his human mannerisms, and takes the place of the bedridden Nam Shin. But as the robot Namsin III goes through the motions of his human namesake, things get quirky when he makes friends and falls in love with Kang So Bong (Gong Seung Yeon). Even though Namsin III is a substitute for Nam Shin and is not meant to feel emotions, he becomes a catalyst for the humans around him to look within. In a world driven by greed and power, it seems even Namsin III’s safety is at stake.

With several fun moments packed in, “Are You Human Too?” is not your regular drama. Even though it focuses around a robot and artificial intelligence, the human angle is at the core of the entire story. Seo Kang Joon is brilliant and effortlessly pulls off the character of Nam Shin, both the human and the robot.

source: Soompi