Actress IU has gone from "You're the Best, Lee Soon Shin" to "Pretty Man."

IU took the lead role in both works, but the audience ratings have bombed. Some are saying that her acting skills are to blame.

KBS 2TV's "Pretty Man" was one of the most anticipated dramas of the season, but is struggling to meet 2%. There's no sign of the preceding work "Secret" and the popularity that it brought to the channel. The pilot episode, which aired on November 20th, recorded a 6.3% rating. Unfortunately that was the show's highest rating to date. The December 11th broadcast recorded that it's fallen to 2.9%.

As a comic adaptation, the drama "Pretty Man" has a familiar story line that has become too predictable and the characters are too cliché for the audience. The story has an obvious ending, and has become boring.

Even IU, who is showing the same acting for this character, is partly to blame. IU decided to start this work just 3 months after finishing "You're the Best, Lee Soon Shin." She didn't take time off to reflect on herself or improve her skills. She dove right into "Pretty Man." She chose a similar role of a woman in her 20s who is bright and cheerful. It seems as if she chose to maintain her status quo instead of pursuing a transformation or even advancement in her acting.

Maintaining that status quo has become boring for the viewers. If both the characters and actors are offering something boring, it will inevitably lead to the viewers changing the channel. Instead of taking the time to reflect on her acting and think about how she should approach the viewers, IU decided to pursue the same kind of role. She no doubt had the intention to approach the audience with her comic and friendly character, but the audience's expectations were not met with her efforts. Viewers are not that easy to please.

In 2011 IU debuted as an actress in "Dream High," and then moved on to take the lead role in "You're the Best, Lee Soon Shin" and "Pretty Man." As an actress with only 2 years of experience under her belt, this is a great feat. But the question is whether or not IU has the acting skills and star potential to take on these leading roles.

IU had the task of starring in 50 episodes as the title role for "You're the Best, Lee Soon Shin." That's not an easy task for a rookie actress. She was criticized for her awkward facial expressions and unnatural speaking scenes, and was swept up in an acting controversy. However, by the strong support of the more seasoned actors such as Lee Mi Sook, Go Do Shim, and Jung Dong Hwan, IU made it through.

Even still, as a budding actress IU lacked the presence necessary to engage the viewers. She wasn't very charismatic, nor did she show a strong presence, as is imperative for someone with a lead role. As a result, the numbers are falling. "You're the Best, Lee Soon Shin," was expected to follow in the footsteps of the previous works on KBS, which recorded ratings of 40% and above. However, the last episode of "You're the Best, Lee Soon Shin" was at a mere 30%, just barely enough to save face.

This isn't to say that IU isn't trying her best. She takes her acting seriously. As an idol singer turned actress she does deserve praise for her talent. However, she could do more, and she could do better. So far she's only done 3 works, and it's probably just the beginning. Our hope is that IU will take some time off for self-reflection, and that she will continue to improve and grow into an actress that is worthy of starring in lead roles.