The drama "Red Pearl," depicting the desires and solidarity of actors Big Jin Hee and Nam Sang Ji, unveils its curtain.
On the morning of the 23rd, KBS2's new daily drama "Red Pearl" held an online production presentation that was broadcast live. Director Kim Sung Geun and actors Park Jin Hee, Nam Sang Ji, Choi Jae Sung, Kim Hee-jeong, Kim Kyung Bo, Kang Da Bin, and Chun Hee Ju attended the production presentation and spoke.
"Red Pearl" is a revenge chronicle drama that depicts two women who return under false identities and reveal the sins and truth hidden in the Adel household. Director Kim Sung Geun explained, "'Red Pearl' mainly centers on the process of revenge by two women living under someone else's identity for revenge. Beyond a simple tale of good triumphing over evil, it is a work that details how the two people come to support each other and reclaim their selves in the process. I think it is a drama that conveys the message that there is no revenge worth pursuing to the point of losing oneself. It doesn't end with simple revenge; we paid attention to conveying the message of those two people being reborn as a new family and that kind of salvation."
Park Jin Hee plays Kim Dan Hee, who decides to take revenge after witnessing her sister's death in the past and lives under the name of her twin sister "Kim Myung Hee," leading the story. Returning to the small screen for the first time in four years through this work, Park Jin Hee said, "The role itself is a character with an enormous narrative. I had a strong desire to try acting out such a big narrative. When I heard it was a revenge drama, I thought it might be a clichéd revenge story you see in daily dramas. But as I read it, the details, the mutual suspicion, and the process of trying to uncover what the truth is felt almost like a thriller, making viewers constantly curious about the next episode and anxious to see how the truth will be revealed until the end. I wanted to participate, so I chose it," explaining why she took the role.
When asked about the charms of the dual roles Kim Myung Hee and Kim Dan Hee, she said, "They are similar but very different characters. I thought a lot about how to change intonation, speech, and facial expression because they have different appearances. Like the phrase 'a complete transformation,' as if the bones change. That would make them appear as different people, but figuring out how to express that was a very difficult beginning to my 고민. On the other hand, it was fun and thrilling. Recently I went to the editing room because I was so curious how it was portrayed. I watched it and thought it was better than I expected; it came out well, and I was happy that the 고민 I had paid off," expressing satisfaction.
Nam Sang Ji plays Baek Jin Ju, who loses her father and becomes global brand consultant "Chloe Lee" to enter the Adel Group and weave a revenge chronicle with Park Jin Hee. Nam Sang Ji said, "If something like Jin Ju's situation actually happened to me, I imagine I would value the rest of my life more. But I think Jin Ju places family honor and justice above her own life. Understanding that difference and getting closer to that character required a lot of physical time to empathize with her. Also, as with me, these days individual life and personal happiness are emphasized, and regardless of right or wrong, I hope this work can pose a meaningful question about what we might be losing in this era," she said.
On playing both Baek Jin Ju and Chloe Lee, she said, "You could see it that way, but I personally thought of it as if I were playing three roles. I approached it by separating Jin Ju's true self, her college-era past, and Chloe as the mask of the true self into three. As Jin Ju returns for revenge and plays Chloe, clashes and gaps with an ego that nevertheless refuses to be discarded continuously emerge. I find that very attractive as an actor, and for Jin Ju, that dissonance is the most human aspect. I am 고민ing to express those moments as delicately as possible," she said, sharing the difficulty.
Choi Jae Sung plays Park Tae Ho, chairman of the Adel Group, portraying a ruthless villain who would even use his family for his purposes. He said, "I've played villains several times, but I've long thought I don't want to act as if there's a sign on my forehead that says 'villain.' This time was no different. Still, there are times when the script demands a clashing situation, and sometimes it suits the character better to be shown simply as evil. In those moments you have to establish an important main tone. I'm doing that now and will repeat it until the final shoot, but strengthening the middle tone seems like something I need to study. Drama has a leading function, doesn't it? Thinking like that helps me organize my thoughts and gives me more enthusiasm. I'm trying to keep at it, but I'm not sure," he said, adding anticipation by describing his efforts to portray the character.
Kim Hee-jeong, who plays Oh Jung Ran, Park Tae Ho's wife and director of the Adel Gallery, also hinted at delivering an 'all-time great villain' performance in opposition to Park Jin Hee. She said, "It's been a long time since I've played a villain, and maybe it's a chance for a change in my acting, so I chose it. Visually, I need to look mean and glamorous, so I paid attention to creating a style different from Kim Hee-jeong's usual image. Up close, I even put a beauty mark. It didn't look unkind, so I thought, 'Let's at least try a beauty mark.' There are many physical scenes, so I'm exercising harder than usual," adding, "In this work I'm the lawful wife. The mistress is sitting over there (Park Jin Hee). Everyone says I look like the mistress, like an adulteress. This time I want to earn the epithet 'the respectable wife' rather than 'the wife of humble origins,'" she said, drawing laughter.
Kim Kyung Bo, who plays Park Min Jun, Kim Dan Hee's nephew and head of Adel Group's first headquarters, described his character: "Min Jun has a dark and melancholic inner side. But when he faces someone he loves, a different side comes out. He smiles and shows a strong side to protect the one he loves. I think that reversal will be appealing later on," he said, pointing out the character's charm.
Kang Da Bin, who plays Park Hyun Joon, Oh Jung Ran's son and head of Adel Group's second headquarters, also introduced his character: "Although I'm introduced as Adel's free spirit, he's actually just a delinquent. I got a role that really doesn't suit me. I'm very diligent in real life, so I struggled with that aspect while acting. The more I acted, the more comfortable I became and since the on-set atmosphere is good, I thought maybe Hyun Joon's delinquent streak exists deep inside me. He may seem light, thoughtless, and free-spirited, but I think he is a character with a heavy inner life and sadness. Also, the director and Sang Ji noona and I worked together on 'Udangtangtang Family,' so the set atmosphere is very enjoyable and happy. Sang Ji played my fellow young man before, but this time I appear as the man who loves her, so we laugh and hold back our laughter while happily working on it," he said, introducing the character.
Chun Hee Ju, who plays Choi Yoo Na, Baek Jin Ju's friend and head of team at Adel Group, said, "Yoo Na thinks and speaks in almost the opposite way to me, so that part was a bit difficult. Yoo Na knows what she wants and acts decisively to get it, which I think is appealing. On the other hand, she is a character who can't see what she has and only sees what others have, so I hope viewers sometimes feel sympathetic and think Yoo Na may be wrong but understandable," she said.
They also talked about the chemistry among the actors. Kim Hee-jeong said of her confrontations with Park Jin Hee in the work, "I have many scenes where we fight physically and roughly. Park Jin Hee looks delicate, but she has strength. Recently there was a scene where water was splashed. We discussed how much to splash. We could only shoot it once, so we had to agree beforehand. Actresses can be cautious about such things, but there was none of that. They told me to splash as much as I want and do whatever I want. It adds dramatic fun, and sometimes a character would do something but be cautious about it, so by opening those options, I'm able to commit to evil acts comfortably. Even when we have scenes where we hit and fight, there's emotion, and people might say, 'Isn't that too much?' I worried about that, but they made it comfortable, so we finished well. We're sorry to each other, but we're working hard for your entertainment," she said.
Park Jin Hee said, "Honestly, having my sister by my side made me feel secure and supported. Although I've done many works and acted for a long time, this is my first time working with my sister. Long ago we were on the same channel but didn't meet there. This time we constantly clash, meet, and develop a rivalry. Watching my sister's acting, she plays with lines so well it feels like she's riding a sharp blade. I learned a lot: that you can act like that, play with lines like that, and perform as if singing. When I work with my sister, I become immersed learning from her," expressing admiration.
About Nam Sang Ji, she said, "There were many sharp scenes in the beginning, so when the tense scenes eased and collaboration or solidarity scenes came out, it felt much more comfortable," and added, "As a revenge drama about two women, there will be 'womance' to show, so I hope there will be more of those scenes," raising anticipation for the duo's chemistry in the latter half.
Nam Sang Ji also described the relationship between Kim Dan Hee and Baek Jin Ju: "Yesterday, wearing a hooded zip-up, I imagined Dan Hee and Jin Ju as having a zipper-like relationship," she said. "If the zipper's head symbolizes the two characters' vengeance, then the open zipper teeth gradually mesh together through their revenge and eventually become fastened. I thought that a relationship solidly united like a zipper would be a good metaphor," she explained, drawing attention.
When asked about the highlights of the work, Park Jin Hee said, "It's the story of multiple characters who keep trying until the end to suspect each other and uncover the truth. It's a different kind of story about women than we've seen so far, and I think you'll find it very rich and also visually appealing in ways you haven't seen before."
Nam Sang Ji said, "When I first received the script, I read it straight through because it was so enjoyable. The development is very fast, so please don't miss a single episode and watch from today; Red Pearl of the year of the red horse will run hard, so please watch and love it until the end," and Choi Jae Sung asked, "The staff and fellow actors have all devoted themselves and worked hard, and they will continue to do so, so please give us a lot of support, interest, and viewership."
Kim Hee-jeong added, "We may sit calmly, but I think everyone is sharpening their knives. Each character in the drama has multiple prisms. As time passes and Jin Ju is born, I wondered how these actors will change and grow and how the drama will flow. I hope you join us as Red Pearl grows and ripens," and Kim Kyung Bo said, "Although it's a revenge drama with catharsis, there are also stories of love and conflicting feelings in between. Viewers will be able to feel that poignant emotion as well."
Kang Da Bin said, "We started filming in late November wearing thin clothes in midwinter and worked hard. I hope our hard work is rewarded with ratings. We worked so hard that there won't be any disappointments. I promise a fast-paced and entertaining drama," and Chun Hee Ju added, "From the first reading I thought all the seniors were great people, so as the youngest I just needed to do well. I also worked hard so as not to disgrace them, so please be sure to watch."
Meanwhile, "Red Pearl" premieres today (the 23rd) at 7:50 p.m.
[Photo] KBS2
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