SBS ‘Brave New World’
A ‘magnetic third-generation chaebol’ who had everyone hooked at once.
Actor Heo Nam-jun flawlessly pulled off ‘romantic comedy’ with a uniquely commanding energy.
The SBS Friday-Saturday drama ‘Brave New World’ (directed by Han Tae-seop, written by Kang Hyun-joo, produced by Studio S·Gil Pictures), which unveiled its first episode just yesterday (the 8th), is a romance-comedy like a hair-trigger war between the unknown actor Shin Seori (played by Lim Ji-yeon), who turns ‘vicious’ after being possessed by the soul of a notorious Joseon-era villainess, and the ruthless chaebol Cha Segye (played by Heo Nam-jun), called a monster born of capitalism.
First appearing in a perfectly tailored suit, Segye attended a business meeting at a high-end restaurant about acquiring a company and overwhelmed the opposing owner. He revealed a cold-blooded side, using secrets as leverage to coerce changes to parts of the acquisition terms to suit his taste. Pushing to force through the dismissal of employees at that company, Segye recited the tradition that since its founding the firm had not had a single layoff. He then declared, “So go ahead and try to persuade me. Why should I, who could just sell it off and tear it to shreds, have to preserve that damned tradition?”, turning the atmosphere deadly.
Before long, Segye’s unexpectedly bumbling ‘clumsy’ charm delivered big laughs. He blocked the front of a car and caught Seori as she tried to flee, but when he was slapped out of nowhere, he froze in bewilderment. In addition, the scene in which Seori, charging at him for treating her like a money fiend, pummeled him in a ‘bouquet beating’ and Segye answered in kind, was a highlight. The all-out physical scuffle, with no holding back, drove the fun of the episode to a peak.
In this way, Heo Nam-jun proved without reserve the craft he has built up from the very first episode of ‘Brave New World’. Following the weight he showed in ‘Sweet Home’ Seasons 2&3 and ‘Your Honor’ and the delicate emotional acting he delivered in ‘A Hundred Memories’, he has now conquered romantic comedy with this project as well, demonstrating in person that he is an ‘all-rounder’ actor.
Above all, even though this is his first attempt at a lead role in a romantic comedy since debut, Heo Nam-jun displayed skillful control of tempo and tone. Having successfully fired the opening signal for the series, expectations are mounting for how he will continue to perform in ‘Brave New World’, as he moves freely between prickliness and comedy.
Meanwhile, ‘Brave New World’, featuring Heo Nam-jun, airs every Friday and Saturday at 9:50 p.m. on SBS.
