In 'Mary Kills People,' Lee Bo-young and Lee Min-ki demonstrate an 'emergency room encounter' characterized by 180-degree emotional reactions surrounding assisted dying.
The new Friday-Saturday drama 'Mary Kills People,' which will premiere in August, is a suspense drama that deals with the story of a doctor who helps terminally ill patients with dying and a detective who tracks them.
'Mary Kills People' boasts director Park Jun-woo, known for seamlessly blending vividness and emotion in works like 'Taxi Driver' and 'Crash,' as well as writer Lee Soo-ah, who weaves stories of living characters in films like 'The Law of Passion' and 'My Special Brother,' and dramas such as 'Employment Romance.' Talented actors, including Lee Bo-young, Lee Min-ki, Kang Ki-young, Kwon Hae-hyo, Baek Hyun-jin, Kim Tae-woo, and Seo Young-hee, complete the cast, marking it as a highly anticipated production for the second half of 2025.
Lee Bo-young plays the role of Woo So-jung, an emergency medicine doctor assisting in dying at the boundary between life and death, while Lee Min-ki takes on the role of Jo Hyun-woo, a terminal cancer patient for whom no treatment is effective, marking the first time they share the screen together. Expectations rise for the synergy these two actors, who have built unique acting spectrums through various works, will bring in 'Mary Kills People.'
In this context, the scene of Lee Bo-young and Lee Min-ki revealing 180-degree contrasting emotional responses in a 'fateful encounter' adds tension. The scene features Woo So-jung (played by Lee Bo-young) sitting on a hospital bed with an IV needle in her arm and injuries on her face, engaged in conversation with Jo Hyun-woo (played by Lee Min-ki). While Woo So-jung bursts out with emotion, her eyes filled with shock, Jo Hyun-woo gazes at her with a calmness as serene as the calm before a storm. The ominous energy circulating in their gazes raises questions about what circumstances have arisen between the doctor assisting in dying and the patient who has chosen that path.
In particular, Lee Bo-young and Lee Min-ki put in efforts to enhance the quality of their performance before filming the 'emergency room encounter' that stands before them at this fateful moment. They seriously exchanged opinions about the emotional states of Woo So-jung and Jo Hyun-woo, precariously positioned on the edge of life and death, preparing their performances with depth. The two created scenes filled with taut tension through delicate emotional expressions that wholly captured their complex inner worlds. Lee Bo-young and Lee Min-ki achieved a remarkable acting synergy, generating admiration on set with their impeccable delivery of dialogue.
Lee Bo-young expressed her happiness about working with Lee Min-ki, with whom she shared the screen for the first time, saying, 'The chemistry was fantastic.' She also praised Lee Min-ki's exceptional preparation, noting, 'He memorized the script so well that he never brought it on set.'
Lee Min-ki shared, 'I felt at ease because she is like a younger sister to me' about his collaboration with Lee Bo-young. He also revealed, 'I thought, since Lee Bo-young is such a skilled actress, I would have to match her performance, so I worked hard.'
The production team noted, 'This scene where Lee Bo-young and Lee Min-ki confront each other can be viewed as a signal flare for the message that runs through 'Mary Kills People.' They will deliver elevated performances that meticulously unravel the complex emotions surrounding the choice of death, conveying the profound resonance and aftertaste embedded in 'Mary Kills People.'
'Mary Kills People' will premiere on Friday night, August 1, at 10 p.m.
[Photo] Provided by MBC.
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