Actor Lee Na-eun starring in My Little Chef, which drew attention, continues the popularity of cooking drama.
On the 21st, a production presentation for the short-form drama My Little Chef was held at Starfield Goyang Central Atrium in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province. Director Kim Sang-hoon and actors Choi Bo-min, Lee Na-eun, CIX's Yoon Hyun-seok and P1Harmony's Kim Do-a attended the event.
My Little Chef (hereafter Mari-she) depicts the process of Choi Noma, the heir to the country's largest dining-out group, losing everything overnight and growing into a true leader through an unusual mission of cooking battles, and is a short-form drama that contains a dramatic mix of cooking, competition, love, family and growth. Mari-she, a short-form that contains a narrative in which the power struggles of a chaebol family, the protagonist Noma's growth, and themes of love and betrayal intersect, realizes emotional lines and immersion on par with OTT original dramas and is expected to offer a short but intense drama experience.
Director Kim Sang-hoon said, "This work is based on a game. As the protagonist Noma grows, romance is also woven in. Because the game is cooking-based, it unfolds on the basis of cooking competitions. I'm honored to be able to work with great actors on a meaningful work. It's my first short-form drama, and although there were many things to consider, we overcame them wisely with the actors," and added, "The short-form market mostly proceeds with provocative content such as infidelity and jealous passions, but Mari-she breaks away from that. We made it with the spirit of creating an entertaining story even in the short-form market."
The protagonist Noma was cast with former APRIL member-turned actress Lee Na-eun, and the other lead Tae-woo is played by former Golden Child member Choi Bo-min. CIX's Hyun-seok plays Do-yoon, a classmate from Noah's culinary school, and P1Harmony's Kim Do-a plays Noma's cousin Mi-ri.
Lee Na-eun said, "It's a bright and positive role, but it also has a human side, so I focused on that. It's my first short-form drama, so I approached expressing many emotions in a short time with more responsibility," and added, "While filming, I realized that Noma and I were different in Noma's persistence and the ideas and challenging attitude within the cooking competition — not completely opposite but somewhat different." Director Kim Sang-hoon said, "Because it's based on a game, I wondered how to shape the character, but at the first script reading I felt that Lee Na-eun was Noma. From her first line she captured it well, so I thought the drama could be driven from her perspective."
Appearing at an official event for the first time in about six years, Lee Na-eun said, "It's been a long time since I've had the opportunity to interact with fans and reporters in a public place. I'm nervous but excited. Since it's a production presentation after six years, I was nervous, but I was very happy to be able to show a new side of myself."
Choi Bo-min said, "Meeting the character Tae-woo and reading the script was the most difficult part. In preparing, I talked a lot with the director even during filming. Still, through conversations I found answers on how to express Tae-woo." Director Kim Sang-hoon said of Choi Bo-min, "The character is the most difficult among the cast. He has secrets and calculates everything. Tae-woo's attitude toward Noma changes dramatically, and that flow made it difficult. We talked the most, and the results came from his efforts. He had to carry the mood with his gaze and did it appropriately. He helped a lot in creating tension and romanticism."
Lee Na-eun and Choi Bo-min reunited in one work for the first time in about six years since A-Teen. Lee Na-eun said of working with Choi Bo-min, "We met after six years, and fortunately there was no awkwardness so it felt comfortable. In the drama I call Choi Bo-min oppa; in real life Choi Bo-min is younger than me. That part was awkward, but when you immerse yourself it came out naturally. I focused on practicing that." Choi Bo-min said, "When I read the script, I had never played a chef role or been in a work with cooking elements, so I wanted to take on the challenge, and Lee Na-eun gave me the certainty. Their chemistry showed a fitting relationship, and while filming together I think it was expressed even better than when we met before."
Yoon Hyun-seok said, "The preparation period was short, and if the character's good and evil were clearly divided it would have been easier, but the pure feelings toward Noma are real while the expression is different. It's a character that may make some people uncomfortable, so I prepared with the director and actors thinking about how to express it so it would be conveyed well." Director Kim Sang-hoon said, "I thought Do-yoon would contrast with Tae-woo, and seeing the character Yoon Hyun-seok created, he made it cool and strong while expressing what I intended. I learned a lot in character setting. He suggested good directions, even changing some lines to fit the character. I received help from Yoon Hyun-seok in leading the drama."
Kim Do-a said, "Interpreting or immersing myself in the character wasn't hard, but the variable was that Mi-ri is sensitive and greedy like me, but the vocal tone was different. The voice I imagined was different, so matching that required practice," and Director Kim Sang-hoon said, "She was the character I felt most sorry for. Every time Mi-ri appears in the drama, people get annoyed. As an annoyance role, her voice came out too weak during practice so I was worried, but on set she did so well it was almost irritating even to me. My worries were eased and she greatly contributed to raising the completeness."
My Little Chef draws attention because all the actors are former idols. Yoon Hyun-seok said, "The seniors were so good. Even though I acted annoyed and only got angry at Choi Bo-min, he accepted it well and I liked that. Lee Na-eun got along so well that I could work hard on set." Kim Do-a said, "I thought my area to improve was vocal tone, but watching Choi Bo-min and Lee Na-eun gave me a stable feeling that I wanted to learn from. I wondered how they practiced and I respected them."
Director Kim Sang-hoon explained, "It was strategically advantageous to use well-known actors, so that's why we did it. After practicing and filming, I realized that the prejudice that idols lack acting skill is unfounded. I ultimately think we cast actors who fit the roles perfectly."
Because it has an original work and centers on cooking, it brings to mind tvN's weekend drama Bon Appetit, Your Majesty, which ended last month amid great popularity. Director Kim Sang-hoon said, "I think cooking is not just tasting and filling the stomach but comprehensive. When a chef's personality is added, it becomes communication with the eater, so I tried to put those aspects into the cooking. We tried to differentiate by having five battles."
Regarding cooking, Lee Na-eun said, "I usually like cooking, and except that dishwashing is hard, I like cooking and eating. When the chef role came, because I like cooking and cook well at home, I often set a table and ate by myself, so I focused on taste even if details or visuals weren't well shown. I thought I could enjoy taking on the chef role. I practiced knife skills a lot. I bought a lot of green onions and portioned them, and I approached practice that way." Choi Bo-min said, "Cooking was the most burdensome part. I'm not great, but I like to take on challenges, so when I encounter delicious food I tend to try it," and Yoon Hyun-seok said, "I really like eating, and when delivery food got tiresome I liked pasta so I remember making it a lot. As I did it more, my skills improved and I even made it for members." Kim Do-a said firmly, "I really can't cook," drawing laughter.
On viewing points, Director Kim Sang-hoon said, "It's a comprehensive gift set where you can enjoy various things in a short time. The development that takes advantage of short-form drama strengths will be worth watching." Lee Na-eun said, "Because the drama is based on cooking and continues around that, there will be visual enjoyment. Please cheer for Noma's growth, and within that we'll deliver fun through many genres," and Choi Bo-min said, "There are relationships among the four characters and backstories, and I'd like viewers to see relationship dynamics that suit a cooking drama like dishes." Yoon Hyun-seok pleaded, "The story is fun but the relationships are fun too. Please watch how the characters want things and how they seize them," and Kim Do-a said, "Because each character seizes what they want differently, there will be viewing enjoyment."
Meanwhile, My Little Chef is scheduled to be released in December.
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