(Following interview ③) Actor Lee Chae-min frankly shared her thoughts about the mixed reactions to the ending of Bon Appetit, Your Majesty.
On the morning of the 30th, at a cafe in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, a wrap-up interview with Lee Chae-min, the lead actor of the tvN weekend drama Bon Appetit, Your Majesty, was held.
Based on the popular web novel Yeonsan-gunui Syepeuro Saragnaelgi (Surviving as Yeonsan's Chef), Bon Appetit, Your Majesty is a survival fantasy rom-com about a chef who time-slips to the past at the peak of his career and meets the kingdom's worst tyrant who also has absolute taste. In the show, Lee Chae-min plays Joseon's ruler, Yeonhuigun Leeheon.
Bon Appetit, Your Majesty, which ended on the 28th, concluded with a happy ending in which Leeheon also comes to the present and reunites with Yeon Ji-young (played by Im Yoon-ah). However, some viewers joked it was an evasive ending because the process by which Leeheon came to the present was omitted with a narration that said "it doesn't matter."
Upon hearing this, Lee Chae-min laughed and said, "I thought viewers had a variety of perspectives. I thought it was beautiful. Anyway, he came to the present and met Ji-young, so I just thought it was so beautiful, but I can see how others might view it differently. A variety of perspectives opened up."
He continued, regarding the narration "that isn't important," "There were several versions, and they were all recorded later. When asked 'how did he come back,' there was a version that went, 'a sheet of paper fell and I saw it...' and then faded out, and another version where when someone asked how he took this attire in the modern day, he said, 'I first fell here and there was a benefactor,' and then it faded out. That version didn't involve later recording. There were various versions, and the director used that one," he explained.
About the setting that Leeheon came to the present, Lee Chae-min said, "Since it's fantasy, there are parts you accept to some degree. The actors just thought he came by the power of love and performed as such. It was that intense. From an acting standpoint, it felt natural to us at that moment. We believed that a page falling from Mangunrok became possible through the power of love. From the acting perspective, it was somewhat convincing."
When asked about Shin Su-hyuk (played by Park Young-woon), who reclaimed the palace and waited for Leeheon but was left alone, Lee Chae-min said, embarrassed, "I'm really sorry. I didn't think of that." He added, "Gong Gil-yi (played by Lee Joo-an) was there too, right? Their bromance left a strong impression on me, so I thought the two of them would be best friends like Leeheon and Im Song-jae (played by Oh Eui-sik)."
Regarding Leeheon in the present not recognizing 'Steve Im,' who resembles Im Song-jae, Lee Chae-min said, "I also found it odd when I read the script, but it's a dramatic allowance. I think he saw him as a troublesome customer who was bothering Ji-young and wanted to drive him off. When I first saw it, I asked the director, 'Shouldn't there be a point where he recognizes Song-jae?' But that scene prioritized the reunion with Ji-young, so I think they focused more on that."
Because many backstories were not directly resolved, viewers have been requesting a season format. Lee Chae-min said, "I thought that means people enjoyed it that much. I'm curious what would happen if we did season 2. We talked about that among ourselves. If there were a season 2, would it be Leeheon's adaptation to the modern world? I thought that, but I also thought it might be fitting for Leeheon to end in the historical drama." (Continued in interview ⑤.)
[Photo] Baro Entertainment
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