Kim Tae-ho PD said the starting point of "Manitto Club" was Blackpink member Jennie.
Kim Tae-ho PD, in an interview about the MBC entertainment program "Manitto Club" held at TEO Studio in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul at 2 p.m. on the 20th, talked about the reason for planning the program and casting the cast.
The MBC entertainment program "Manitto Club," which began its first broadcast on the 1st, is a gathering of people who know how to split one into two when they receive one, an undercover gift-giving variety. Kim Tae-ho PD directed, and broadcaster Ro Hong-chul, Choo Sung Hoon, Dex, comedian Lee Suji and singer Jennie appeared as first-generation members, drawing attention.
Kim Tae-ho PD first said about the reason for planning this program, "The first time we started discussing it was last summer. Jennie suggested, 'How about doing something this winter that could be a gift to viewers?'"
He continued, "I remembered from childhood that Hollywood stars used to have fun events ahead of new seasons at the end of the year. Many people said they wanted to participate if there was a good planning intention. We considered making it to match the planning direction these people had in mind, and because of the word gift we ended up at manitto." Kim Tae-ho PD and Jennie previously worked together on the 2024 "My name is Gabriel."
Kim Tae-ho PD said, "It concluded with the idea of hiding our influence as much as possible and doing it in a heartfelt way, so we talked about manitto. I understand manitto is still often done at places like schools or companies at the end or beginning of the year. Even if you don't call it manitto, it's implemented under various names like secret Santa. We wanted to make a warm-feeling program with the idea of 'a small gift arrives in daily life, and it turns out to be my favorite star.' Many people responded, so we were able to do it."
Jennie teamed up again with Kim Tae-ho PD after "My name is Gabriel," and Ro Hong-chul, who has worked with him since "Infinite Challenge," and Choo Sung Hoon, Dex and Lee Suji, who are rising stars in variety shows these days, also joined. In the second generation, broadcaster Park Myung Soo and Hong Jin Kyung, actors Jung Haein, Go Youn-jung and Kim Do-hoon will appear.
Kim Tae-ho PD said about recruiting Jennie, "Her ability to deeply contemplate a concept given to her and carry it through to action was very strong. The trust that Jennie and I shot good content in Italy during 'Gabriel' also led to the offer."
On the composition of the cast for each term, he added, "The most important thing we considered while setting it up was who would be the secret manitto to give gifts to. In fact, some people were very close privately but kept it secret and met on site, and there were people who had a chance to get to know each other more deeply this time. We cast while thinking about relationships and chemistry."
He also mentioned the unexpected situation involving Choo Sung Hoon that became a hot topic in the first season of "Manitto Club." Kim Tae-ho PD said, "Choo Sung Hoon is one of the most active people in variety shows these days, so there were many parts we relied on and expected at the start. Because Choo Sung Hoon might not know Ro Hong-chul, that aspect seemed good. It was refreshing that some people didn't know him," and said, "Up to the trip that continued the next day. Considering Choo Sung Hoon's position, he was someone who didn't even know by lunch; after learning about and thinking about what kind of person this is, the intention was to give YouTube content as a gift by immediately taking an early morning flight to Japan the next day."
"Manitto Club" airs every Sunday at 6:05 p.m.
[Photo] Provided by MBC.
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