The 5th Musical Awards: Xiah Junsu and Kim Junsu, Idol vs. Musical Actor

May 13, 2011

He’s a man with three names: Xiah Junsu of DBSK, Junsu of JYJ, and Kim Junsu the musical actor. Now we’re growing accustomed to his third name too. “Musical Actor” Kim Junsu has been picked as the official PR ambassador for “The Musical Awards,” which gave him the Best New Actor Award last year. Having debuted through the musical “Mozart” in 2010, Kim Junsu starred in “Tears of Heaven” this year and proved his strong ticket power, selling out every single show. But it wasn’t just the ticket power or star appeal that built his reputation as a prominent musical actor—it was the Best New Actor Award at last year’s “4^th Musical Awards” that added major weight to his acting credentials. In fact, he won both the Best New Actor Award and Most Popular Actor Award at the “4^th Musical Awards” and “16^th Korea Musical Awards” respectively.

“I received an honorable gift of the Best New Actor Award at the 4^th Musical Awards. This year I wanted to help out the awards somehow. Unfortunately, I’m already scheduled to have a charity concert for Japan on the day of the awards on June 7^th, so I was looking for a different way to show my appreciation—and that’s why I accepted the PR ambassador position as soon as the offer was made,” Kim Junsu said.

The 5^th Musical Awards might provide another defining moment to Kim Junsu the musical actor because he has been nominated for the Best Actor Award for “Tears of Heaven.” Other nominees are equally famous actors: Ryu Jung Han of “Monte Cristo,” Jung Sung Hwa of “Spamalot,” Jo Seung Woo and Hong Kwang ho of “Jekyll and Hyde.” So when Kim Junsu said he was really shocked to see his name nominated and was surprised again after seeing the other nominees’ names, or when he mentioned “I’m just honored to be considered on the list,” it wasn’t just his way of acting humble. But regardless of the outcome, the fact that he made the nominee list adds great credibility to Kim Junsu’s acting level. The pressure to prove himself to the public who still view him as an idol star might deepen, but Kim Junsu’s wish to be a major part in promoting Korean musicals beyond the local market could become true sooner than expected.

Written by alice@soompi.com; Translated by eugene@soompi.com; Photos by Lee Sang Hee (Studio V; studio_v@naver.com)