The political world's "The World of the Married"–style series "First Lady" sheds its veil.
On the afternoon of the 24th at The Link Seoul in Guro District, Seoul, MBN's new Wednesday-Thursday drama First Lady held a production press conference. Actors Eugene, Ji Hyun-woo, Lee Min-young and director Lee Ho-hyun attended the production conference and spoke.
First Lady is a drama that tells the story that unfolds when an unprecedented incident occurs in which a husband elected president demands a divorce from his wife who is about to become first lady.
Director Lee Ho-hyun said, "When I first received the script it was so fun that I asked the writer, 'What genre is this?' I worried whether someone who doesn't know politics could do a political drama. The writer told me what I had felt from the script. 'Director, this is a melodrama,' he said. I thought then that we could do it very enjoyably, so I worked happily and with fun. Of course there is the melodrama and fighting between the couple, but I actually focused on the two people's emotions and situations. In addition, because these people's jobs are a president-elect and the president-elect's wife, stories about their professions were mixed in so interestingly and pushed the story forward. I think viewers will be able to see a variety of characters," he explained.
In the drama Eugene plays Cha Soo-yeon, a kingmaker who becomes first lady by getting an unknown activist elected president. She said, "I didn't shoot thinking of it as a melodrama. Since it's the story of the two spouses, it could naturally be called a melodrama, but Cha Soo-yeon is a woman with great ambition who charges toward her dreams. I filmed her like a fighter. It was a character I couldn't portray any other way. There were times the acting was difficult, and as it was a character I played for the first time it was fun and I struggled alone in my own way while enjoying the shoot. It's only been a short time since it ended and I'm about 2% unable to get over it. She is a woman who, in pursuit of her dream, moves forward without regard for what is behind or ahead and can seem cold and frightening in some ways. Please look forward to it," she asked.
When asked why he chose First Lady as his comeback work after four years, he said, "First, the story was interesting. The story starting with 'let's get a divorce' was so intriguing, and Cha Soo-yeon was a character I had never tried before, so I was tempted. I have played strong characters before, but this is completely different. If my previous work had a strong situation, now the role itself of Cha Soo-yeon is very strong and confident and, in some ways, can appear bad in her pursuit of ambition, which made her attractive. It also felt like my first political-background drama. I'm not someone particularly interested in politics, but the story came to me interestingly so I chose it," he explained.
Earlier, Eugene's previous work, the SBS Penthouse series, was a huge hit, recording up to 29.2%. When asked whether that created pressure in choosing her next project, Eugene said, "There was pressure. That's why I left a four-year gap. It wasn't intentional. Of course there was pressure. Especially since the previous work had many prominent people besides me, the burden felt smaller, but compared to that, our drama has fewer characters and parts that I had to carry, so I was very surprised at how difficult it was when we started filming. Realizing the character was harder to realize than expected. I wondered if I should have prepared more, and with anxious feelings I actually began filming," she confessed.
Still, she said, "As I got more accustomed during filming I had confidence and belief. The director and the actors gave me confidence and helped me a lot. It's true that I'm still nervous and trembling now. I naturally worry, 'Will the Cha Soo-yeon I portrayed have persuasive power?' 'Might it feel like she is wearing clothes that don't suit her?' I'm more worried than ever before ahead of the first broadcast. I think that also means I took on a new challenge. Although it's a burden, I worked hard, so I'm here with confidence."
Ji Hyun-woo plays Hyun Min-chul, a president-elect who grew up in an orphanage and worked as a factory laborer. He said, "When I was first offered the role the script flowed well. Unlike works I've done before, there are many characters, and the distribution was such that it didn't feel like supporting roles versus leads; it felt like all leads. I thought trying this kind of work would be fun. If Soo-yeon spares no means for her dream, Min-chul goes honestly for his dream. In some ways he can be a somewhat frustrating character. His convictions are strong, and even if Soo-yeon says 'This would be advantageous,' he won't bend his will. He values each person, so he can be serious, composed and slow, which can be frustrating. But I think he is the kind of president people want."
Returning to a miniseries after about five years having worked recently on long-form weekend dramas, he said, "A lot of the script was available from the start so I could prepare a lot. Another interesting thing about our work is that scenes are long. Individual scenes are two to three times longer than in other dramas. There's much more dialogue. Because he's the president there are many speech scenes, so I always wondered whether I could deliver them well without becoming tedious. Hyun Min-chul has the slogan 'I will give my whole heart.' I thought that if I sincerely delivered the text in the script, it could work even if it was a bit dull. I actually went to the National Assembly a lot and practiced muttering there alone. It helped a lot during filming," he said.
On taking on a presidential role for the first time, he said, "When I did my previous work Songgot, the character Lee Su-in was a slightly standout character. He couldn't do exactly as his superiors demanded and when told to fire someone he would say 'That's illegal.' In some ways Min-chul has a similar point. Talking with the writer I imagined, 'What if that kind of character once again became president—what would happen?' From that point I kept practicing seriously and sincerely."
Lee Min-young plays Shin Hae-rin, Min-chul's campaign chief and closest aide. She introduced the role saying, "She wants to keep her convictions and first meets candidate Hyun Min-chul, who shares those convictions. It's a bit hidden at the start, and if I say too much it could be a spoiler. She is a character who loyally and faithfully supports President-elect Hyun Min-chul more than anyone else, serving him uprightly."
She added, "While enjoying the script I wondered why she behaved so suspiciously. Then as I received more scripts I gradually understood, 'So that's why she behaved that way.' When I was preparing the early scenes I studied so much that I wondered if I had ever studied a script this hard before. I consulted with the director and together we found answers and finished filming. Although she loyally supports President-elect Hyun Min-chul uprightly with devotion, even though they started politics together with the same convictions, sometimes her loyalty goes so far that she acts against the president's wishes. To what extent can one act in the name of justice to keep their conviction? I think it's worthwhile to consider that through the Shin Hae-rin character."
Especially, First Lady is MBN's first Wednesday-Thursday drama in a long time. Director Lee Ho-hyun said, "Hearing that a Wednesday-Thursday drama would air on MBN again after three years, I can't say I wasn't burdened. Even now I'm really excited and nervous for tonight. Like the actors, when I first read the script I thought it was so fun that I could do it enjoyably, and if it's fun for me to watch, I was confident viewers would enjoy it too. If the story is interesting and the actors can persuade viewers, I thought they would watch it enjoyably."
On the drama's distinguishing features he said, "Many characters appear, but none are used wastefully. The writer expressed each character's meaning and backstory in a way viewers can understand, and we tried our best on set to capture that with the camera. Although it's called a melodrama, people express love in different ways, but to me it felt like a story of genuine love. Within that, the president and his wife, the conspiracies and secrets in their relationships are revealed one by one, and as it goes on it's a subject you won't find in other dramas, but the way it unfolds is a fresh kind of fun. I don't know what viewers will think, but it's something that didn't exist before."
However, with last year's release of a political film of the same name and parts that touch on the current political situation, concerns about political coloring cannot be ignored. Director Lee Ho-hyun said, "When we started pre-production, (political) issues were unfolding in Korea. I don't know much about politics, and although I probably shouldn't, I'm not that interested, so I don't really know how to avoid leaning toward political issues or one side. I like human dramas. Their professions are just that — professions — and it's not about political colors," he said, adding, "I personally didn't feel that burden, but at the time the production company seemed to have various concerns."
He continued, "I said Hyun Min-chul as a president-elect is fantasy; even if you don't know politics, I hoped for a day in Korea when someone could be elected not once or twice but three times. There are aspects that overlap with political colors or current issues. Some things will come to mind. But the writer and we didn't intend to express those things with intention, and it's easier if you think of it as a story about the characters."
Finally, when asked about viewing points, director Lee Ho-hyun said, "If you empathize with a character and watch the situations and relationships that character encounters with others, you'll want to see what comes next. There are things revealed and tied up one by one, and when you reach the ending there will be events that prompt many thoughts. I wanted to show that carefully and sincerely. I want to say the biggest fun for me is watching the actors."
Eugene said, "I played a character very different from myself and lived as Cha Soo-yeon for four months, and it was fun. It felt like a new experience. A woman who makes choices different from me, thinks differently and takes a different path. I hope viewers can empathize with the character and have a new experience. If you watch with curiosity about the relationship between Hyun Min-chul and Cha Soo-yeon and their emotional lines, you'll experience a much richer feeling when watching the broadcast."
Ji Hyun-woo said, "It makes you think whether you're losing something for the sake of a dream or goal. That you have to get a divorce for a dream, and even in communication with a daughter it feels like you're losing something. Watching the fleeting looks and emotions, I wonder if viewers might feel, 'Am I perhaps living my life letting go of those small, precious things.'" Lee Min-young added, "I hope people watch to see how the various human figures' narratives unfold on the political stage."
Meanwhile, First Lady premieres tonight (the 24th) at 10:20 p.m.
[Photo] OSEN reporter Choi Gyu-han
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