An interview in a one-question-one-answer format with director Jang Tae-yu, which will answer viewers' questions about "Bon Appetit, Your Majesty," has been released.
As the tvN weekend drama "Bon Appetit, Your Majesty" (directed by Jang Tae-yu, written by fGRD, planned by Studio Dragon, produced by Filmgrida, Jung Universe) concluded amid worldwide popularity and continues to resonate through various events, director Jang Tae-yu, who directed the series, expressed his gratitude to the fans who offered explosive support. The one-question-one-answer interview, which contains everything about Jang Tae-yu's direction of tvN's "Bon Appetit, Your Majesty," including affectionate praise for the actors who created the work together, directing techniques and behind-the-scenes stories, draws attention.
1. Before the first broadcast, "Bon Appetit, Your Majesty," which attracted much attention, has finally concluded. How do you feel about achieving a successful finish?
I feel nothing but grateful. I started this drama with the idea of making a Korean full-fledged culinary historical drama—a drama where a chef's carefully made food changes people (the king)—and I am so happy and fulfilled that it received so much love until the end. I am also glad it's being compared to Dae Jang Geum.
2. From the romance between the chef and the tyrant to various mouthwatering dishes and palace power struggles, the drama received passionate love for many reasons. Why do you think "Bon Appetit, Your Majesty" was loved so much? Were you expecting this kind of reaction?
We prepared it thinking it was a story with popular appeal, but we did not expect such intense love. Maybe because it was a familiar, comforting-tasting drama? Especially since we carefully filmed the cooking and eating scenes, viewers seemed to give attention and affection as if watching a mukbang. Court intrigue is inherently a popular subject. Although familiar, the court power struggles in "Bon Appetit, Your Majesty," expressed from a new perspective, were adapted in a way that made them easy to follow even for young people or those not familiar with history, so it seems to have gained popularity with the public.
3. The reaction overseas was also explosive. Not only did it become the first tvN drama to rank No. 1 on Netflix's Non-English TV show chart for two consecutive weeks, but foreign media paid attention to it as a drama that once again spotlighted K-food since Dae Jang Geum. What do you think captivated overseas viewers, and were there any particularly memorable reactions from viewers?
Food is a universal subject that people can easily empathize with regardless of language or culture, so overseas viewers could relatively easily immerse themselves. Following the position of Jeong Yi-yeong (played by Im Yoon-ah), the French chef who won a cooking competition, viewers naturally found it interesting to see a chef armed with modern culinary knowledge travel to the past and create new dishes by mixing French cuisine with court cuisine. I remember SNS posts from overseas viewers recreating the dishes from the drama. I'm glad that the entry barrier to K-food seems to have lowered further through "Bon Appetit, Your Majesty."
4. Before the first broadcast you said you hoped viewers would feel hungry while watching the drama. During the broadcast many viewers indeed said the featured menus made them hungry. Were there any directing points you paid special attention to in food or cooking competition scenes to stimulate viewers' late-night cravings?
I kept worrying about at what moment, what food, and how to eat it so it would look most delicious. The gochujang butter bibimbap in episode 1 is the humblest, most ordinary dish in the drama: the protagonist Jeong Yi-yeong meets Lee Heon (played by Lee Chae-min) shortly after time-slipping and, after enduring many hardships, they gather in a messy state and share this meal. Since it's a dish viewers know well, we carefully filmed scenes showing how ingredients are obtained in the past to arouse curiosity, and we used special filming for moments like mixing in the gochujang and butter or making and breaking a soft-boiled egg to stimulate appetite from familiar tastes.
For the cooking competition scenes, we paid a lot of attention to the cooking methods and final plating. Jeong Yi-yeong uses a technique called "flambé" often; in episode 4 she presents it alone, and in episode 8 she showcases it as if competing with Ming dynasty royal cook Abi-su (played by Moon Seung-yu). Those are scenes to raise expectation for the completed dish along with eye candy.
I thought Jeong Yi-yeong's cooking should be like a protagonist's superpower in a hero story. It had to be dishes that looked beautiful at a glance and appetizing, so we completed Jeong Yi-yeong's signature move through numerous meetings and demonstrations with consulting chefs until the final plating was achieved. The plating of the royal cooks who compete with Jeong Yi-yeong was also important, so the royal dishes appearing in episode 4, such as eomandu and yeonpotang, stand out for their varied colors and unusual arrangements. Also, Ming dynasty cooks' plating points were "ingredient carving." They added splendor to dishes with decorations like the cucumber-carved flower on gungbogyejeong and the radish-carved dragon floating on buldojang.
5. Besides the cooking scenes, unique CG effects after eating and cheerful background music provoked laughter from viewers. Some viewers even said they watched for the CG and cited it as a distinctive viewing point of "Bon Appetit, Your Majesty." How were these CG ideas devised, and could you share any filming set anecdotes?
While preparing a cooking drama, I realized that the act of eating is as important as the act of cooking. I wondered how to convey the impressions of 500-year-old characters, including Lee Heon, experiencing the shocking textures of Jeong Yi-yeong's modern fine-dining dishes for the first time, and decided to add amusing CG effects.
At the filming site, for the first time Lee Heon eats a sous-vide dish, and I thought it would be good to portray his astonishment at the MSG taste as a fireworks-like burst of joy. We placed him in a moving carriage, moved the camera back and forth with him, and drastically changed the lighting to give the illusion of moving into another space. That scene was one of the most carefully crafted.
Also, when Lee Heon first tastes oat cuisine's "venison viande," we filmed a scene where he is transported to a prairie, laughs uproariously as he watches deer running across the field, and that was actually shot in a field in Jeollanam-do. The point was a giant deer. To give a surreal feeling, we introduced a deer as large as an elephant—bigger than in reality. It signified how overwhelming the taste shock was.
6. Romance scenes between Jeong Yi-yeong and Lee Heon received praise for their beautiful cinematography. In particular, the confession scene at Unyungjeong was much loved. Since their first kiss there confirmed their feelings, were there any directing considerations to maximize the romantic tension between Jeong Yi-yeong and Lee Heon?
Jeong Yi-yeong, who had been searching for the Mangwoonrok to return to the modern era, realizes her feelings for the first time and kisses Lee Heon at Unyungjeong, the same setting as the drunken kiss at the end of episode 4. By setting it in the same place, I thought we could better show the change that the weight and depth of the emotions have matured. And because this kiss was a perfect one realized by mutual feelings, cherry blossoms flutter as if the whole world blesses them. It creates a festive atmosphere.
7. Interest in actors Im Yoon-ah and Lee Chae-min, who carried the center of the story, is intense. Do you have any words you want to say to the two actors who created this gourmet fantasy romantic comedy together?
It would have been overwhelming to handle either cooking or a historical drama alone, yet from cold winter to hot summer they followed through admirably without neglecting cooking, historical drama elements, comedy, or romance. Now I cannot imagine Jeong Yi-yeong and Lee Heon without Im Yoon-ah and Lee Chae-min. I want to tell them thank you and that I'm very grateful for how well they did.
8. Besides Im Yoon-ah and Lee Chae-min, there were many responses that the royal kitchen cooks, Lee Heon's people, and rivals with strong presence shone in their acting chemistry. How was the chemistry with these actors?
Since the royal kitchen is Jeong Yi-yeong's main space, from the planning stage we deliberated the roles and personalities of the royal cooks and how to show the chemistry between Jeong Yi-yeong and the cooks. Given the nature of historical dramas, most filming was on location, and cooking contests often took more than a week to shoot once. As a result, the close bonds that formed among the actors seemed to come through in the evolving relationship between Jeong Yi-yeong and the royal kitchen cooks.
Su-hyeok (played by Park Young-woon), Chang-seon (played by Jang Gwang), and Chief Sanggung (played by Park Joon Myun) are people who quietly stay by the tyrant Lee Heon's side. Even with no lines, each expression as they look at Lee Heon carries a lot of emotion. In particular, Chief Sanggung's reactions to Jeong Yi-yeong's cooking are very comic yet create a warm, family-like atmosphere. I'm glad viewers recognized that feeling.
Jesan Daegun (played by Choi Gwi-hwa) pretends to be a fool for a long time but in the latter part of the drama reveals his desire to become king, while Kang Mok-ju (played by Kang Han-na) ultimately does not betray Jesan Daegun and meets a tragic end. The schnitzel scene in episode 5 and the latter part where a coup begins have very different tones, and Choi Gwi-hwa as Jesan Daegun and Kang Han-na as Kang Mok-ju balanced those tones very well.
9. What kind of drama will "Bon Appetit, Your Majesty" remain for you as a director, and how do you hope viewers will remember it?
Although it was my fifth historical drama, it was grueling and difficult as if it were my first. I think food dramas are a completely new genre apart from historical or modern dramas. I'm sufficiently satisfied with the notoriety and ratings achieved through this new challenge, but as a director it was also a drama that made me reflect a lot on parts that were lacking and things I regretted.
I thank the viewers once again for loving our drama, which opened with a strong first bite featuring gochujang butter bibimbap. Although the drama has ended, I hope that when a scene from "Bon Appetit, Your Majesty" suddenly comes to mind it will bring a smile and remain a pleasant aftertaste for a long time.
10. Lastly, please give a message to those who watched "Bon Appetit, Your Majesty."
We made the drama with the intention of serving a royal table each episode. Thanks to viewers who enjoyed the drama deliciously today as well, I spend my days happily. Once again, I bow deeply in gratitude, and I hope you take good care of your late-night meal tonight as well.
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