Idol-turned-actors deliver nuanced performances in current dramas, showcasing the rhythm and expressiveness honed on stage.

The Netflix series K-Pop Demon Hunters has sparked renewed global interest in K-pop, and idol-born actors are making noticeable impacts in domestic television as well. The on-screen storytelling benefits from the stage-honed rhythm and expressiveness that translate naturally into acting, helping to craft nuanced emotional lines and distinctive characters. In the currently airing works, Lee Junho, D.O., and Kim Sejeong are making their presence felt in their own ways.

Lee Junho, who debuted in 2008 as part of 2PM, has long captivated audiences with powerful performances. In the tvN Saturday–Sunday drama Taepoong Sansa, his on-screen dancing and singing feel seamless. After roles in the films Twenty and the dramas Chief Kim and Confession, and with 이후 works like The Red Sleeve and King the Land, the label idol-turned-actor no longer fits him. In Taepoong Sansa, he delicately navigates the realities of youths in IMF-era hardship and romance. That ability to translate stage charisma into screen emotion is what makes Junho stand out today.

Across the Disney+ series Fragments City, D.O. appears as a chilling villain opposite Ji Chang-wook. Debuting in 2012 as EXO’s D.O., he has built a solid vocal presence and a strong, imposing screen presence. He demonstrated acting potential early in It’s Okay, That’s Love (2014). Since then, through films such as Along With the Gods, Swing Kids, The Moon, and dramas like Hundred Days Husband and Jingeomseungbu, he has shown a broad range. In this project, he renders a restrained madness beneath a calm exterior, and his controlled performance heightens tension in tense confrontations, reaffirming him as a dependable actor.

Kim Sejeong, formerly of I.O.I and Gugudan, plays Park Dal-yi in MBC’s new Fri–Sat drama Moon That Flows in Lee Kang. In her first foray into sageuk, she portrays a character who loses memory, delivering a convincing performance with a witty dialect and grounded everyday acting. As the plot unfolds, her true identity as the crown princess Gang Yeon-wol is revealed, and she will navigate a shift between two identities alongside Lee Kang. Having debuted on Produce 101 with I.O.I and later performing with Gugudan, the immersion and expressiveness she honed on stage continue to translate into her acting, underscoring Kim Sejeong’s growing versatility.