Song Joong Ki was born in 1985, 1m78 tall, and became a famous star across Asia after the TV "super product" "Destiny of the Sun" in 2016.
The resounding success of The Sun's fate is becoming a huge shadow in Song Joong Ki's career.
Despite his efforts, hard work, and continuous acceptance of projects in both television and film, Song Joong Ki has not been able to break through, and most of his films have not attracted attention when released.
The drama My Youth marks nearly 9 years since Song Joong Ki returned to the romance genre, but his rating has almost hit rock bottom.
According to Nielsen Korea, episode 1 of My Youth opened with a rating of 2.9%, then dropped to 2.8% in episode 2, 2.2% in episode 3 and 2.4% in episode 4. Notably, the episode aired on September 19 only reached 1.9%, marking a disastrous record low.
At the same time of broadcast, competitors such as Go Hyun Jung's "Queen Mantis" or "The reward of tyranny" dominated, almost "sunk" Song Joong Ki's works.
Some audiences use the word "out of date" for Song Joong Ki, when he is not capable of competing with the attraction of a young, beautiful face like Lee Chae Min in "The reward of the bully".
Before My Youth, in early 2025, when participating in promoting the movie Bogota: City of the Lost, Song Joong Ki was choked up when he learned that the movies revenue was gloomy, facing losses.
Song Joong Ki's series of films in recent years have not been highly appreciated. From Vincenzo, The Youngest Son of a Talented Artisan to My Name is Loh Kiwan... Although he has received roles with thorns, fate, and complex psychological developments, Song Joong Kis acting is still at a safe level.
It can be explained why Song Joong Ki was choked up when Bogota: City of the Lost was unsuccessful, the actor himself must have had high expectations for the role of Guk Hee. Guk Hee has a special fate, going through many turning points in her life and becoming a completely different person at the end of the film. Guk Hee is a difficult character, posing many challenges for Song Joong Ki - however, his efforts are not enough. Guk Hee could not become a new mark of Song Joong Ki on screen.
In the new project, the failure of My Youth was predicted even before the film aired. Song Joong Ki is now 40 years old, he does not have the stature at his peak to compete with the appeal of the new "male god" group, born in the late 90s and early 2000s. Choosing a psychological project is Song Joong Ki's way of putting himself in a difficult position.
In addition to his age, Song Joong Ki has long been "cold-shouldered" by the audience for making too many statements about his private life and love for his wife and children - after divorcing Song Hye Kyo.
As a married man, who constantly talks about his love for his wife - Song Joong Ki's roles were criticized for their "blatant" interactions with female co-stars.
The audience does not have faith in the love of the two main male and female characters, in My Youth or a series of previous projects such as Vincenzo, The Youngest Son of a Talented pilot to My Name is Loh Kiwan, Song Joong Ki has almost no chemistry with the female actors.
Up to now, The Sun's fate is still the most successful film of Song Joong Ki's career, because the film helped him have an explosive interaction with co-star Song Hye Kyo.
