The lively story of three women, 'Let's go to the moon,' is unveiled.
On the 16th at MBC in Sangam, Mapo-gu, Seoul, MBC's new Friday-Saturday drama 'Let's go to the moon' held a production presentation. The event was attended by actors Lee Seon-bin, Ra Mi-ran, Jo A-ram, Kim Young-dae, and PD Oh Da-young.
The new MBC Friday-Saturday drama 'Let's go to the moon,' which premieres on the 19th (written by Na Yoon-chae, directed by Oh Da-young and Jung Hoon), depicts a hyperrealistic survival story of three women with "dirt spoon" backgrounds who, unable to survive on wages alone, jump into cryptocurrency investment.
On the day, PD Oh Da-young said, "These days young people say that living on a salary alone isn't enough. The lives of office workers shown by the three characters are set as non-recruited employees; it's not open recruitment, but they rely on each other. In companies there might be colleagues who help each other, but without that, they wondered what to do and realized a salary wouldn't be enough. Thinking they needed a bit more economic foundation, they turned to crypto. So the story is set in 2017 and 2018, when crypto wasn't as mainstream as it is now. It's material to explore whether they might find happiness through crypto as contemporary working women, not a theme about striking it rich with crypto. Many might associate it with gambling, but it's not that at all. It's just one material; it's not the main theme," she explained.
While the original work is a novel of the same name, she also spoke about the adaptation. PD Oh said, "When I read it after publication, I felt it captured the empathy of female office workers well. The events are not big. It's not a time slip or a historical drama, so I wondered how to make this small story, but I tried to preserve the characters' original voices from the source. I didn't change many settings. By diversifying the age groups, I tried to weave into the work the various concerns female office workers have. Also, Dr. Ham appears in almost one or two lines. But I thought the story needed to be rich for a series, and if the characters are female office workers, they can't be uninterested in romance. I wanted to imagine and expand on Dr. Ham as a model. Personally, I'm satisfied with the adaptation. With singing added, the drama becomes richer," she said.
She also spoke about casting the three actresses. PD Oh said, "I saw on YouTube a comment saying, 'They are just likable actors.' I think I considered that when casting. To elicit empathy, I wanted actors with a likable image as a base, so I cast likable actors. Especially actor Kim Young-dae is likable because he's handsome. So we tried to bring in likable people," she joked.
Lee Seon-bin plays Jung Da-hae, a non-recruited employee in Maron Bakery's marketing team. She said, "I felt a strange charm in the script. I know nothing about stocks, but the stories inside moved in a direction I really like. The friendship among three different people. The most attractive thing is that each of the three has different worries and different ways of solving them, and that charm is woven in. With the seniors, the director, and the cast, it felt like a combination I couldn't refuse," explaining her reason for choosing the project.
She added, "My shooting schedule was very tight. Being human, there were times when my stamina fell. I sometimes only slept two to three hours, but when I met our 'ordinary ones,' it wasn't Lee Seon-bin acting as a character; it was Lee Seon-bin living. They were like tonics. I wondered if I'd ever relied on others like that. The sense of camaraderie grew so much that I loved them," boasting unexpected chemistry.
In the drama, Ra Mi-ran plays Kang Eun-sang, a non-recruited employee in Maron Bakery's management support team. Eun-sang is a character who has suffered many failures, from stock investment to various start-ups. She said, "I think I missed the bustle of women together. It's not that I haven't worked with many actors before. When I heard Seon-bin and A-ram would join, I thought the synergy would work well. I know almost nothing about workplaces or crypto, I just wanted to hang out with them. I missed that kind of set. While shooting I felt fulfilled, and with this combination there was no reason not to do it. It will definitely come out well and be fun. Seon-bin has good flow, so I thought I'd ride that a bit. I think it was a very good choice," she joked.
When asked whether she actually owns crypto, Ra Mi-ran said with a laugh, "I have 500,000 won worth of Ethereum. I put it in four or five years ago; it went to 600,000, then 400,000. But I don't know how to withdraw it, so it's just sitting. We're all clumsy with it." She laughed and added, "It was a bit difficult. What's a J-curve? Mine isn't going up! I had to explain that kind of jargon and crypto stuff, but I didn't know. I thought about studying it, but if I did it halfheartedly it might cause me big trouble, so I stopped. Still, I'll hold on until that 500,000 won becomes 500 million won."
The chemistry among the three actresses was also visible. She said, "I've filmed many projects featuring women together, including variety shows. Now I want to film something with a male actor. I think I work well with women; it's fun, but I'd like to try working with a man," she added, prompting laughter.
Jo A-ram delivers a spirited performance as Kim Ji-song, an MZ-generation office worker with a bright, innocent charm. Jo A-ram said, "I remember reading the first script quickly. The three characters from different generations not only build friendship but also comfort each other and make memories, and that was so well depicted in the script that I thought many people would enjoy it," explaining her reason for choosing the work.
She also said, "Part of my reason for choosing the work was that while the three characters could have no common ground, I was drawn to how they comfort each other and forge close friendships in a harsh society. I'm usually shy and reserved, but the character is high-energy and very lively. I worried whether I could sustain that high tension from the start, but as soon as I arrived on set, the staff and the two senior actresses led so well that at some point I became the character herself," she said, describing the warm shooting atmosphere.
Kim Young-dae plays Ham Ji-woo, a former singer and director of the big data task force team. He said about preparing for the role, "Ham Ji-woo is the youngest director in his current position. His previous job was a failed indie singer. He was a friend who played the music he liked, so when I took the role, I thought he could handle instruments. I picked up the guitar again, and a scene required him to play drums. So I practiced drums separately and went to record. I'm not particularly outstanding as a singer," he said modestly.
Asked about the shooting atmosphere with the three actresses, Kim Young-dae said, "Their chemistry was so good and matched my expectations. It was the same before and after acting started. I wondered if I could fit in, but I learned a lot from the production. Personally, Dr. Ham was an attractive character. The role was realistic yet close to fantasy, and how he navigates it was appealing, so I really wanted to try it," adding, "They drained a lot of my energy. These three had embodied their roles even before acting started, so it never felt like acting. I didn't even notice the camera; I just had to keep my head straight. Their chemistry was that good," drawing attention.
Finally, Lee Seon-bin said, "I think it's a drama with a variety of things to watch. There are of course entertaining episodes, and the romance is enjoyable. The chemistry among the three women, their friendship, and points of empathy for everyone working hard in real life will be there," citing viewing points.
[Photo] OSEN DB
[OSEN]