Lesser-Known Talents who deserve MORE recognition. ASAP!

I never create “Favourite or Best Actors/Actresses” lists because choosing between artists has always felt deeply subjective to me. I admire so many of them for such different reasons that ranking their work would feel almost dehumanizing — as if I were reducing their craft, their effort, and their humanity to a simple hierarchy.
I prefer to appreciate each performer for the unique light they bring to the screen. I’d rather celebrate their diversity than compare them.

But here's something a little different:

This is a personal list of lesser-known (in my books) Asian actors/actresses who, not only impressed but, moved me with their incredible -seemingly natural- acting skills and where (drama/film title) "I discovered/saw" them for the first time. They deserve a LEAD role. Or definitely MORE recognition. ASAP!

Note: this list has NO particular order.

Ariane Oct 23, 2024

27 People 4 Report

Sort By: Author's Order

Jang Eui Soo

South Korean

Discovered in the BL Kdrama "Where Your Eyes Linger" (South Korea, 2020).
Kim Yoon Woo

South Korean

Discovered in the Kdrama "My Dearest" (South Korea, 2023).
Kim Hyeong Won

South Korean

Discovered in the short BL Kdrama "A First Love Story" (South Korea, 2020).
Kim Woo Seok

South Korean

Discovered in the drama "The Forbidden Marriage" (South Korea, 2022).
Victor Ma

Chinese

Discovered in the Cdrama "Hidden Love" (China, 2023).
Lee Jung Ha

South Korean

Discovered in the Kdrama "Moving" (South Korea, 2023).
Shi Peng Yuan

Chinese

Discovered in "Meet Yourself" (China 2023).
Joo Min Kyung

South Korean

Discovered in the Kdrama "One Spring Night" (South Korea, 2019)
Tian Jia Rui

Chinese

Discovered in the drama "My Journey to You" (China, 2023).
Benjamin Tsang

Hong Konger

Discovered in the Tdrama "The On1y One" (Taïwan, 2024).
Lee Sun

South Korean

Discovered in the Kdrama "Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo" (South Korea, 2024).
Kobayashi Toranosuke

Japanese

Discovered in the Jdrama "Hidamari ga Kikoeru" (Japan, 2024).
Bae Hyun Sung

South Korean

First discovered in the marvelous "Our Blues" (South Korea, 2022) and "Family By Choice" Kdramas (South Korea, 2024).
Han Hyun Jun

South Korean

First discovered in a small student role in "Tell Me That You Love Me" Kdrama (2023) & then in the simple but cute BL "Please Tell Me So" short film (South Korea, 2021).
Jin Yun

Taiwanese

Discovered in the BL Tdrama "See Your Love" (Taïwan, 2024).
Fuaiz Thanawat Shinawatra

Thai

Discovered in the bizarre BL THdrama "4Minutes" (Thailand, 2024).
Kim Hwan Hee

South Korean

Discovered in the "When The Weather is Nice" drama (South Korea, 2020)
Hu Yi Chen

Chinese

Discovered in the Chinese BL "Secrets Happened on the Litchi Island' drama (China/Hong Kong, 2025).
Liu Duan Duan

Chinese

First discovered in "Joy of Life" (China, 2019) in a support role but watched him shine in "The Prisoner of Beauty" (China, 2025).
Hsiao Hung

Taiwanese

Discovered in the BL drama "You Are Mine" (Taiwan 2023).
New Chayapak Tunprayoon

Thai

Discovered in the BL "Gelboys" (Thaïland 2025) as one of the MLs.
Daniel Zhou

Chinese

Discovered in "Sniper Butterfly" (China 2025) as the ML. His dual timeline role was impressive but his subtle and always on point micro-expressions sold me completely.
Cho Jun Young

South Korean

Discovered as a ML in "Spirit Fingers" (South Korea 2025) where he often stole the scene with his impeccable comedic timing and charm. A real rom-com natural !
Kang Eun Bin

South Korean

Discovered in "Blueming" (South Korea 2022).
Fourth Nattawat Jirochtikul

Thai

Discovered in "Moonlight Chicken" (Thaïland 2023) as Li Ming.
I was so impressed how natural he was. He outshined his other (more experienced and older) castmates.
Zhou Jun Wei

Chinese

Disovered in "Gemini" (China 2025).
Liu Run Nan

Chinese

First discovered him in "Arsenal Military Academy" but really SAW him as the SML Cheng Kai Ran in "Deep Affection Eyes" (2025).