Cast members of the anticipated series "The Remarried Empress" shared points of expectation.
On the 13th, the Cinderella Ballroom at the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel Conference Center hosted the 2025 Disney+ APAC and global content presentation.
About 400 reporters from around the world attended the event, and a total of 14 countries, including Korea, Japan, the United States, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Australia, Mexico and Brazil, were represented.
The two-day "Disney+ Originals Preview 2025" at the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel is an event where attendees can preview APAC and global original content scheduled for release on Disney+.
In particular, a new lineup of Korean original content was announced at today's event, and Shin Mina, Ju Jihoon and Lee Se-young, the leading actors of "The Remarried Empress," attended.
"The Remarried Empress" is a romantic fantasy epic in which Navier, the perfect empress of the East Dynasty (Shin Mina), is notified of divorce by Emperor Sovieshu (Ju Jihoon), who has fallen for the runaway slave Rasta (Lee Se-young); she accepts the divorce on the condition that she be allowed to remarry the western kingdom's prince Heinley (Lee Jong-seok).
After gaining explosive popularity when the web novel began serialization in 2018 and expanding into a webtoon, it was translated into a total of 10 languages and captivated readers worldwide, and now it is being produced as a series, drawing attention.
In particular, Disney+'s original series "The Remarried Empress," based on the webtoon that led a global craze with approximately 2.6 billion cumulative views (as of Dec. 2024), has confirmed a 2026 release and completed an all-time cast that is igniting passion among global fans.
At the event, Ju Jihoon said, "I was curious about how a webtoon and web novel that received so much love worldwide would be realized. I was curious about how fantasy spreads across East and West. I participated because I was excited to see what meaning it would have if I appeared in it," and Lee Se-young said, "I haven't worked in a fantasy setting before, and it's also a new character. It's a government role. It seemed like it would be fun, and I thought I could learn a lot from the seniors, so I readily decided to participate."
When asked about the differences between the character and herself, Lee Se-young laughed and said, "There were many scenes where I wondered how Rasta could act that way with such an innocent face. I thought the innocence might be similar. Also, Rasta is a character you can't hate. She is greedy, but seems to act that way because she doesn't know better, giving a feeling of pure 'evil.'"
Shin Mina laughed and said, "As a public-facing actor, I am always mindful, thinking and learning, so in that sense it's similar. Navier later goes on to find not only her love but also her identity. That aspect feels similar to what I always think about. The rest are all different," and Ju Jihoon joked, "Since I acted, the physical conditions are the same. Unfortunately, the differences are that I don't have power or wealth."
They also described the warm atmosphere on set. Ju Jihoon joked, "The actors communicated a lot among themselves. Se-young is the maknae, but even the maknae is a veteran actor with a long career. When the set is going well, it's warm and friendly, and when it's not, it gets a bit chilly," and Lee Se-young said, "As the maknae, I think I can give the most sincere answers. The three characters are truly different in real life, which is fun. Mina unni is quiet and dignified like Empress Navier, but she is gentle and laughs a lot. When I tried to tease her, she always welcomed me warmly. So unlike the show, in real life everyone loved Rasta." which elicited laughter.
Lee Se-young continued, "It was my first time playing a role that could be seen as brazen in some ways, so it was fun. I think many actors felt vicarious satisfaction. Wearing uniforms and being in a beautiful palace. Filming in that setting made me, like Rasta, feel 'I really want it' and have desires. The costumes were really different, so it was a fresh and new experience," raising expectations.
Meanwhile, "The Remarried Empress," which will set a new standard for the romance fantasy genre, is currently filming and will be available exclusively on Disney+ in 2026.
[Photo] OSEN DB / provided by each agency
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