With only three days left until the first broadcast, anticipation is rising for tvN's new Saturday-Sunday drama Typhoon Family (directed by Na Jeong Lee and Dong-hwi Kim, written by Hyun Jang, planned by Studio Dragon, produced by Imaginus, Studio PIC and Tris Studio). Set amid the turbulent era of the IMF, this work, which depicts ordinary people who held hands and endured together, draws viewers' sympathy with its warm perspective and delicate narrative and is expected to stir the strength to live in today's times. The meaning and behind-the-scenes stories in the work, personally conveyed by writer Hyun Jang who wrote it with respect and sincerity for the people of that era, have fueled that anticipation.
Q. I am curious about the background for writing Typhoon Family.
While conceiving a story about salespeople, I remembered when I worked as a salesperson at an IT company and my seniors told me humorous sales tales from the days before cell phones, and I found them very entertaining. I thought I should tell stories from that era, and so through reporting and study while preparing the script, Typhoon Family began.
Q. As someone who lived through 1997, where did you focus to realize "the lives of those people" and what spirit of that time did you want to convey?
I think there are many ways to express period authenticity, and among them I wanted to convey warmth. The warm temperature that existed between people, the concept of jeong. If you didn't have a key, the neighbor upstairs or downstairs who waited until your mother came home, the aunt on the bus who would silently grab your bag, the hand that folded a read newspaper and handed it to you on the subway — the warmth that flowed between those people is the detail I imagined of that era.
To do that, understanding the people who lived through that era was essential. I have my own feelings about each generation. First, I respect those born in the '40s and '50s. Their hard and tenacious lives are moving and I am grateful. I also like those born in the '60s and '70s. I empathize with their youth full of romance, their history of struggle and the era of pain. I tried to infuse the feelings I have for those times into the dialogue. And I believe the fundamental basis that embraces all these generations is familial love. Whether it is family by blood or a family formed socially, the desire to protect someone with whom we shared warmth and hearts, and the courage and love that come from that, are values that transcend eras and generations.
Q. What did you think when you heard about the casting of Junho Lee and Min-ha Kim, and how did you view the performances of the two actors?
I still remember vividly. The night I was told that Junho Lee would play Kang Tae-poong was at 1 a.m., two days after my birthday. I was so happy that night I shouted. It was the best birthday present of my life. When I heard that Min-ha Kim would play Oh Mi-seon, I was surprised and thought, "Why a Hollywood actor?"
Kang Tae-poong is actually not an easy character to portray. He is an Apgujeong playboy who likes flowers, a filial son, and he is kind and handsome. He also needed a certain amount of charm and toughness, so even as I wrote I wondered, "Is this possible?" But Junho Lee pulled off that difficult task. The first day I met him, I jokingly said, "You must become the nation's son, the nation's boyfriend, the nation's boss," and seeing him embody all of that made me feel he was truly amazing. As for Min-ha Kim, when filming started the director kept saying, "Mi-seon's acting is so good." I was very curious, and after seeing the edited footage I told the director, "It's so precious that we have an actor who performs with her whole body like Mi-seon and cries with her whole face."
Q. What message do you want to convey through Typhoon Family?
Sometimes simply enduring is enough to feel that you have lived well. That was true during the IMF. Even if you fell down and were knocked over, if you survived and so are watching this drama now, we should thank you. Your strenuous life made today's Korea. And the youth of today are no different. Even after 30 years, at small and medium-sized companies, in Dongdaemun, in department stores, young people trade time for money and struggle through each day. They are our tomorrow and our hope.
Typhoon Family is a drama set against the background of the IMF. But it is not a drama about despair or sadness. It rather speaks of hope and love. Just as our protagonists find small romances even in tragic moments, I hope Typhoon Family becomes a small respite at the end of viewers' tiring days.
Typhoon Family, a tvN new Saturday-Sunday drama that portrays the struggling coming-of-age story of rookie salesman Kang Tae-poong, who in 1997 during the IMF became the head of a trading company with no employees, no money and nothing to sell, will premiere this Saturday (11th) at 9:10 p.m.
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