Kang Tae-oh of Moon River raised expectations for memorable lines he will deliver again after "Seopseop-i."
MBC held a press conference for the new Friday-Saturday drama Moon River (written by Jo Seung-hee, directed by Lee Dong-hyun, abbreviated as "Igangdal") at its headquarters in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 30th. The event was attended by the drama's leads Kang Tae-oh, Kim Se-jeong, Lee Shin-young, Hong Soo-ju, Jin Goo and director Lee Dong-hyun, and under the moderation of broadcaster Park Kyung-rim they discussed the program.
Moon River is a historical fantasy romance about an exchange of souls, a case of role reversal (易地四肢) between a crown prince who has lost his smile and a government official who has lost his memories. Kang Tae-oh returns to terrestrial broadcasting with this series after completing his military service following praise for the drama Extraordinary Attorney Woo, drawing attention as his first terrestrial project since then.
In particular, Kang Tae-oh is challenging a historical drama for the first time in six years since the 2019 drama Joseon Rom-Com: Nokdujeon (abbreviated Nokdujeon). Having delivered a powerful villainous performance in Nokdujeon, he now plays the crown prince. Kang Tae-oh said, "There are many lines in which Kangi's personal color is mentioned. By constantly emphasizing that, there are many moments when he says, 'I should wear this, you should wear that.' There are styles for each season, and I think you'll see those when you watch the broadcast. Returning to a historical drama after six years, I worried a lot because it had been so long. I reviewed my performance in Nokdujeon and reassessed the tone while preparing," he said.
He also said about his observations for the soul exchange with Kim Se-jeong, "I really watched a lot. During rehearsals we shared many thoughts and, inevitably with regard to outward impressions, we asked for advice and told each other to try smiling right away, catching and incorporating into the work the smiles, unique habits and unconscious actions that appear. "He added, "She has a very 'energy bar'-like quality, and that energy is fully embodied in Dali, so I tried to carry that over even when the body and soul changed."
So will there be lines and a character that surpass 'Seopseop-i' from Extraordinary Attorney Woo? Kang Tae-oh said, "Actually, 'I'm a bit disappointed' was not intended to live up to that kind of expectation. I consider every line precious. I did my best when delivering them. This work also has many memorable lines." He added, "There was no line I honestly delivered with expectation. I wasn't conscious of that. The line that comes to mind now is something like 'What is this?'" he joked, referring to Dali's soul being inside Igang.
Moon River is scheduled to premiere on Friday, Nov. 7, at 9:50 p.m.
[Photo] OSEN reporter Min Kyung-hoon.
[OSEN]