Actors Kang Tae-oh and Kim Se-jeong continue MBC's undefeated streak with historical dramas with Moon River following The Red Sleeve.
MBC held a press conference for its new Friday-Saturday drama Moon River (written by Jo Seung-hee, directed by Lee Dong-hyun, abbreviated as "Moon River") at its headquarters in Sangam-dong, Mapo District, Seoul on the morning of the 30th. Attending the event were lead actors Kang Tae-oh, Kim Se-jeong, Lee Shin-young, Hong Soo-ju, Jin Goo and director Lee Dong-hyun, who discussed the program under the moderation of broadcaster Park Kyung-rim.
Moon River is a historical romance fantasy about a crown prince who has lost his laughter and a peddler who has lost her memory who swap souls in an empathic reversal. It is Kang Tae-oh's first terrestrial network project chosen after his praised military service following the drama Extraordinary Attorney Woo, and it raises expectations because of his chemistry with Kim Se-jeong. Kang Tae-oh and Kim Se-jeong play Crown Prince Lee Gang and peddler Park Dal respectively, portraying a romance fantasy in which their souls are swapped and promising unique chemistry.
In addition, Lee Shin-young, praised for Crash Landing on You and Dr. Romantic 3, joins as the ill-fated deposed prince Lee Un as a supporting male lead, Hong Soo-ju joins as Kim Woo-hee, a woman who lives for her family, and Jin Goo raises the tension as the ambitious villain Kim Han-cheol, known as the "one who sits above the monarch."
In particular, Kang Tae-oh returns to a historical drama for the first time in six years since the 2019 drama Mr. Queen - Nokdujeon (abbreviated as Nokdujeon). In Nokdujeon he delivered a powerful villain performance, and now he plays the crown prince. Kang Tae-oh said, "There are many parts in which the character Gang's personal color is mentioned. By continually emphasizing that, many lines say 'I should wear this, you should wear that.' There are styles suitable for each season, and you will see them when you watch the broadcast. Returning to a historical drama after six years made me worry because it had been so long. I rewatched Nokdujeon to reexamine the tone and prepare."
He added that in preparing for the soul swap with Kim Se-jeong he observed her a lot, saying, "I really watched a lot. During rehearsals we shared many thoughts and inevitably gave each other advice about outward expressions, telling each other to suddenly smile and catching habits or unconscious things that show up to weave them into the work." He emphasized, "She has an 'energy bar' kind of presence, and that energy is fully embodied in Dali, so I tried to carry that into the character when the body and soul change."
Meanwhile, will a line or character surpass the beloved 'Seopseop-i' that Kang Tae-oh played in Extraordinary Attorney Woo? Kang Tae-oh said, "Actually 'I'm a little sad' wasn't made with that expectation. I think every single line is precious. I did my best when delivering them. This work has many memorable lines as well." He continued, "I didn't honestly deliver any lines with expectations. I wasn't conscious of that. The line that comes to mind now is something like 'What's this?'" referring playfully to Lee Gang with Dali's soul in him.
Kim Se-jeong, challenging her first historical drama, said, "Once I started, I realized there was so much Park Dal had to do. I had to study the body change and the dialect. Actually, there are fewer scenes than I expected where Dali uses a historical speech pattern, so I was much more anxious about how to study the character Park Dal to make it interesting. Instead, I tried to pay attention to the elegant hanbok silhouettes required for a historical drama and to preserve Korea's culture."
Lee Seo said, "Fortunately my chemistry with the older actor is similar. We helped each other similarly in appearance and shared many of the same gazes. I asked senior Ha Ji-won, who did a dual-role drama (Secret Garden), what it was like when she filmed it. She told me that exchanging a lot with the co-star is most important, so I spent a lot of time reading the script together. As my co-star said, even expressions, actions, and involuntary behaviors were shared," building anticipation for the soul swap with Kang Tae-oh.
Director Lee Dong-hyun also revealed casting behind-the-scenes. He said, "I thought there would be no better people to fit the script characters than Kang Tae-oh and Kim Se-jeong. As Se-jeong also mentioned, the two actors' sensibilities are close and their facial compatibility seemed good. As for acting, both of them are undoubtedly very talented," he emphasized.
He added, "Lee Shin-young joined last of all, and the character Lee Un has dual aspects. We were looking for an actor who could express the hidden sadness, complex feelings and the bright, cheerful yet wounded person who makes others see them as brighter and more cheerful, and we found Lee Shin-young."
Director Lee Dong-hyun added, "There was a line for Hong Soo-ju's character saying she is 'the most beautiful in Joseon.' We tried hard to find someone who fit that. In the process we met and had a meeting, and her voice tone was very attractive. I was captivated by her unique voice tone, so we cast her for the role."
He went on, "Senior Jin Goo's character also has a 'secret.' It wasn't a simple villain seen in typical historical dramas; we were convinced he would fit the character Kim Han-cheol, who expresses hidden backstories and complex tones, so we brought him on board."
Director Lee Dong-hyun spoke about the lineage of MBC historical dramas, which have repeatedly recorded ratings in the 10% range and received praise, such as The Red Sleeve, Lovers, Contract Marriage of Yeolnyeo Bakssi, and Knight Flower, saying, "Moon River is not a pure historical drama. As Park Kyung-rim introduced, it feels like a variety gift set: our work has fantasy, romance, comedy, political conflict, and intense melodrama. It will be a historical drama somewhat different from existing MBC works. Some episodes will be light, while some scenes will be sad, making it a richly colored historical drama," he said proudly.
He added, "Honestly, the pressure is crushing. Articles always raise expectations for 'MBC historical dramas,' and every time I read them I hope it goes well. I worked my butt off on this project. I caused a lot of hardship for those here and for the staff on site. I worked while causing them much hardship. I hope to shake off the burden and see good results," he confessed.
The actors showed confidence in the work. Lee Shin-young described the viewing points as "a journey of awakening, if I had to pick a keyword. Or the awakening of the self comes to mind. I don't think each character's narrative is a simple change. The bodies swap for Gang and Dali, and Woo-hee and Un, who love each other deeply, are forced apart for numerous reasons; all of this is encompassed in 14 episodes. There is chaos and adaptation, and choices and responsibilities follow. So to me the awakening of the self came to mind," eliciting admiration.
Jin Goo, who plays the villain, said, "The difference in playing a villain in a historical drama is clear: you wear hanbok, put on a long beard, and use speech patterns and tones the director emphasized. I wandered for two months until the director guided me. There are external differences, and internally the writer wrote entertainingly so the character's tragic ties are hidden in the drama. How this character became a villain or turned dark is revealed. I have confidence that viewers who watch the drama won't call me just a villain. I think it's a synergy with tragic protagonists," he said proudly, raising expectations.
Kang Se-jeong brightly said about the attention following the Netflix film K-pop Demon Hunters (abbreviated KDH) and the actor Ahn Hyo-seop voicing Jin-woo appearing in Business Proposal, "I'm still grateful that many fans have supported even Business Proposal. When the KDH storm hit, I secretly wished our drama could come out a little sooner. Seeing many people overseas take an interest in the elegance of Korean culture and the flavor of Korean romantic comedies, I wanted to show how stylish Korean culture is and how fun Korean rom-coms can be through our drama."
With these expectations, can Moon River continue MBC historical dramas' undefeated myth? Director Lee Dong-hyun joked, "Honestly, the pressure makes me want to die," and said, "Ratings depend not only on making a good work but also on whether viewers like it and whether the social atmosphere and timing align. I poured everything I could into this. We're deep in postproduction and are pouring everything into it. Once the project ends, we hope to have a proper company dinner since we've been too busy to do one properly," he said.
He also said, "I expect ratings to reach double digits. I don't know if it's meaningful as a pledge, but I'll buy 100 cups of coffee at MBC's main gate. With my own money," surprising attendees. Kang Tae-oh, Kim Se-jeong, Lee Shin-young and Hong Soo-ju volunteered to wear hanbok and hand them out together. Jin Goo added, "I might not be there, but I'll personally buy 300 cups. I won't be present. I won't make promises I can't keep. Help us reach double digits so coffee can flow at MBC's main gate," earning applause. Attention is focused on Moon River's performance. Moon River is scheduled to premiere Friday, Nov. 7 at 9:50 p.m.
[Photo] OSEN reporter Min Kyung-hoon.
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