What do we love about our k-favourite actors/actresses in dramas and movies? Is it their visuals, onscreen chemistry, ability to interpret any role perfectly, how they transform into a different character every time, their wit, or because they are just too good?

Away from this, there are categories of actors who have successfully done a “money heist” and have cracked the acting code so well that they are able to pull off completely double roles in the same dramas without breaking a sweat. It could be an evil twin, a doppelganger from another universe, or a multiple-personality thing, but like they say, the more, the merrier, the more fun the drama.

Here is a list of actors who acted double roles you should totally check out:

Ji Sung – Kill Me, Heal Me

Ji Sung cracked the multiverse acting algorithm in this series by portraying six distinct and separate characters. In Kill Me, Heal Me, he doesn’t just play a character; he plays an entire cast. 

There he played Cha Do Hyun, your typical handsome Chaebol heir with both mummy and daddy issues except he comes with a side dish of six extra personalities courtesy of a traumatic childhood served hot. He meets Oh Ri Jin, a psychiatric resident doctor, and unravels his past, trauma, and falls in love.

Imagine being in a love hexagon with the same person. From Shin Se Gi; your average bad boy in leather armed with dark eyeliner and a nasty attitude, Ferry Park; a lovable ahjussi with an obsession for owning his own boat, Ahn Yo-seob; an intelligent high-school teenager with serious suicidal tendencies, Ahn Yo-na; Yo-seob's twin sister who also doubles as an annoying teenager with a huge crush on Ri-jin’s brother, Na-na; a timid 7-year old girl who loves teddy bears and Mr X; a magician and Nana’s dad.

Ji-sung takes us through a journey with each character, and I believe the writer of Kill Me, Heal Me will make a huge fortune with a mini-series on each character. Who is the Drama? He is the drama, Literally!

Shin Hye Sun – Dear Hyeri

This is not the first drama where Shin Hye Sun plays a dual character, but it definitely stands out. Her first take on the double role genre was in Mr Queen, where she played a timid Joseon queen and the soul of a mischievous playboy chef stuck in the past. In Dear Hyeri, she played Joo Eun-ho, a talented, meticulous announcer looking for her big break who develops dissociative identity disorder after drum roll please – a traumatic experience. This leads to the emergence of another personality called, Joo Hyeri, a fun-loving lady; bold, carefree, and the polar opposite of Eun-ho. In this drama, both characters battle finding happiness, love, co-existing, and overcome her traumatic past.

Shin Hye Sun's award-winning acting made both characters believable and kept us rooting for their separate stories.

Song Joong Ki- Arthdal Chronicles

Our happy daddy of two, Song Joong Ki created a whole new fan club in this historical fiction, The Arthdal Chronicles. The plot takes place during the Bronze Age period in the land of Arth and Wahan; the battle between the peaceful but strong purple-blooded Neanderthals and smaller, plundering red-blooded humans led to the extinction of an entire human species.

Enter Eun Seom, Song Joong Ki, an Igutu (human-Neanderthal hybrid with supernatural blue blood) who’s been adopted by the nature-loving Wahan clan, become their resident superhero, and fallen in love Tan Ya (Kim Ji Won), the priestess-in-training and aka designated damsel in distress. Living on the other side of the world is his twin brother, Sa Ya, who was raided by a ruthless father figure and hero of the Neanderthal genocide, Ta Gon, and his cunning and ambitious mistress, Taealha who would kill anyone and anything to get her way.

Unlike Eun Seom who is playful, warm, and physically alert, Sa Ya is manipulative, vengeful, and frail. It’s a race against time for both characters as Eun Seom tries to save his girl and people while Sa Ya would do anything to keep them apart after falling in love with her.

It’s a thriller that keeps thrilling till the very end, and you can’t help but root for Eun Seom and absolutely despise Sa Ya. I absolutely forgot these were characters played by the same person. However, Joong Ki was replaced in Season two by Lee Jong Gi, but it’s still a drama I would re-watch anytime.

Woo Do Hwan - The King Eternal Monarch

Although he was not the main character in the Kdrama, he was definitely giving main character vibes with the flawless execution of his dual role. Woo Do Hwan delivers a masterclass performance with his portrayal of Jo Yeong, the strict and always professional Captain of the Royal Guard of the Kingdom of Corea, and Jo Eun-sup, his funny and carefree parallel world doppelganger, who is observing his mandatory military service as a guard in the National Police Agency of the Republic of Korea.

Woo Do Hwan’s ability to switch between these characters is honestly mind-blowing. On one hand, you’ve got the serious, no-nonsense Jo Yeong who will lay down his life for Lee Gon, and on the other, you’ve got the clumsy goofy, lovable Jo Eun-sup who’s just trying to survive his military service while secretly crushing on his friend. It’s like watching two completely different characters, played by the same actor, each bringing their unique charm and personality to the table. 

If this show had an MVP for “Best Use of Double Roles,” it would be Woo Do Hwan, no questions asked.

Hyun Bin - Hyde Jekyll Me

Who can overshadow Hyun-Bin in a K-drama? Another Hyun Bin! How about Hyun Bin playing two wildly different characters in the same drama series? Well, that drama would be “Hyde Jekyll Me” named after the popular fictional western characters with the same name.

Say hello to Seo Jin, an average CEO with a theme park empire and an attitude the size of a roller coaster drop. Underneath his cold façade and micromanaging hobby is a little secret called Robin. Robin is a youthful, playful guy who just wants to make your day a little better. Imagine if perfect sunshine and serotonin met, fell in love, and had a baby; well, Robin would be their child, and Seo Jin would be the villain of that story.

Hyun Bin takes us through a whirlpool of emotions, secrets, and identity discovery. It reminds me of the age-long wisdom that says once you go Hyun Bin, you can never go back.

These actors have really upped our standard with their acting and delivery, showing that it is possible for them to act multiple characters while perfectly reeling us in and taking us through all sorts of emotions, and we won’t have it any other way.

Which of the dramas referenced above have you seen and which one of them was your favorite? Let us know in the comments!