Actors IU and Byeon Woo-seok expressed confidence that Perfect Crown will rewrite the Goong myth.
On the afternoon of the 6th, at the Chosun Palace Seoul hotel in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, an MBC new Friday-Saturday drama Perfect Crown press conference was held. Present were the leading actors IU, Byeon Woo-seok, Noh Sang Hyun, Gong Seung-yeon and Yu Su-bin, Lee Yeon, and director Park Joon-hwa. Under the moderation of broadcaster Park Kyung-rim, they discussed the work.
Perfect Crown is a drama that depicts a destiny-breaking, status-defying romance about a woman who has everything as a chaebol but is annoyingly of commoner status in a 21st-century constitutional monarchy, and a sad man who is the son of the king but can have nothing. IU plays chaebol but commoner Seong Hee-ju, and Byeon Woo-seok plays the prince who can have nothing, Prince Ian Daegun Lee Wan. In addition, Noh Sang Hyun plays Prime Minister Min Jeong-woo from a family that has held the prime ministership for generations, and Gong Seung-yeon plays the perfect queen Yoon I-rang, completing the ensemble.
In particular, Perfect Crown is Byeon Woo-seok's first drama since the tvN drama Lovely Runner, which gained syndrome-level popularity. Also starring is IU, who has been praised as both a singer and an actor through tvN's My Mister, Hotel Del Luna, and Netflix's When Life Gives You Tangerines, taking the title role. Noh Sang Hyun, acclaimed for Apple TV+ series Pachinko and the film Love in the Big City, and Gong Seung-yeon, consistently recognized for steady acting in SBS's Heard It Through the Grapevine and The First Responders, are expected to each deliver tension.
Also, Yu Su-bin plays Prince Ian Daegun's chief of staff Choi Hyun, and Lee Yeon plays Seong Hee-ju's chief secretary Do Hye-jung, easing the drama's tension. In addition, veteran actors Cho Seung-yeon, Lee Jae Won, Jo Jae-yoon, Park Joon Myun, Kim Soo-jin, and Lee Chae-kyung fill the screen as supporting flavors. Under the direction of Park Joon-hwa, who is beloved for a variety of genre dramas including the Marry Me, Mary! series, the Let's Eat series, What's Wrong with Secretary Kim, and the Tale of Gumiho series, Perfect Crown is completed.
Director Park Joon-hwa said, "Our drama begins with a constitutional monarchy setting. When you watch this drama, I think you will feel a unique flutter of excitement compared with other dramas you have seen. You will be able to enjoy a flow that is not boring throughout."
How did you try to harmonize tradition and modernity naturally within the 21st-century constitutional monarchy setting? Director Park Joon-hwa said, "The setting is one thing but reality is different, isn't it. I wanted viewers to feel that a monarchy still exists within reality. I thought about what kinds of costumes and spaces the royal family members realistically might occupy. When the royal family remains, what clothes, what food, and in what spaces would they have — I considered what parts could actually feel comfortable in the palace. I thought the queen dowager is the eldest in the palace and would retain some tradition, while the prince would have a compromise-style costume contrary to the queen dowager; Hee-ju is extremely connected to modern people, so I interpreted spaces and costumes differently through differences in location and character positions. We considered ways viewers could more comfortably feel that this could plausibly exist."
Furthermore, on comparisons with Goong, he laughed and said, "This is my first drama at MBC, so I must do well. I worked very hard," adding, "The biggest attraction is our actors. At first, especially seeing Hee-ju and Wan, I thought these two look like they could be king and queen — they gave a very high-class impression. It was fun to monitor their acting and visuals throughout the shoot."
He added, "I think viewers will feel different fluttering points between these two people in each episode. Goong is such a great drama that it cannot be compared. We worked so that our drama can remain as good as that, so please watch it a lot," and he emphasized, "Also, the story gets more interesting from episode 1 to 4. The acting too. I think it will be a drama with nothing lacking. You can look forward to it."
Above all, Perfect Crown has been unusually hot in pre-release buzz because of the meeting of Byeon Woo-seok and IU. In response, Byeon Woo-seok said, "I did my best," speaking like Prince Ian Daegun, and added, "If the results come out well after doing my best, I will be grateful, so please give us a lot of interest and support."
IU also said, "I've never lost the industry No. 1 title. Our Perfect Crown team will also aim to be industry No. 1," joking as her character, then added, "These days we are promoting a lot and, as many people are looking forward to it, filming is finished and the director is working hard on postproduction. The actors are putting all their effort into promotion as if their lives depend on it."
IU, speaking about taking the title role, said, "Seong Hee-ju has everything but does not have status, so she is an annoyingly placed woman in a constitutional monarchy society. The keyword 'annoying' appears in the character introduction because when you watch the drama you'll notice she is annoying and hot-tempered, but also somewhat cute and a three-dimensional character. Reading the script, she came across as an even more three-dimensional character, so I joined Perfect Crown without hesitation."
Byeon Woo-seok said, "Prince Ian Daegun is the royal whom the public loves most in the story. But he is the second son of the royal family who must not make a sound or shine. The main reason I chose this role was that when I read the script, it was easy to imagine scenes, which I value most, and I empathized with Ian Daegun's narrative. I saw the character and wanted to act him well."
When asked whether he felt pressure by choosing Perfect Crown as his next project after Lovely Runner, Byeon Woo-seok said, "I am grateful for the much interest and love. I hope people will love it more than feel burdened. As much as people continue to show interest and love, I plan to improve and do my best. Honestly, I like the attention. I really, really like it. There's some pressure, of course. Still, as people show interest, I think I must express the character well. I see it as a mindset that someone who is an actor should have when acting, rather than a burden."
He also spoke about his chemistry with IU: "We actually worked together twice before. It was amazing that the 10 years of chemistry since then continued into this work, so it was very enjoyable. On set, IU made things comfortable and was a great help, so I am very thankful."
IU said, "This time he came with the determination to wipe out past mistakes and with a very cool character. Ten years ago in Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, he played my best friend's boyfriend who cheated. Exactly 10 years later, we have an opportunity to work together at length in a drama. It felt like someone who had prepared for 10 years — there were almost no awkward moments. Although we didn't interact much over the 10 years, there was some comfort. Personally, because we worked together in the 10th year, I feel we matched so well that I'd like to work together again 10 years from now. A 10-year cycle would show growth and be nice," she laughed.
Noh Sang Hyun said, "Min Jeong-woo holds the heavy position of the country's head, the 'prime minister.' With such a weighty post, he has a strong sense of responsibility and duty, control, and restraint, and a clear separation between public and private life — a cool-headed rationality. As the plot progresses he experiences various incidents and emotional changes, and going through those processes and changing seems to make this character three-dimensional, which is why I was attracted to the role."
Gong Seung-yeon said, "I-rang values the royal family and a sense of duty. She thinks first about how the royal family should exist rather than individual emotions. So she may appear cold outwardly but works ceaselessly to maintain her position. Rather than being blind, she protects the royal family out of affection. I found the 21st-century constitutional monarchy setting interesting, and I was very curious about how to portray it and how the actors would depict it — imagining it was enjoyable."
Yu Su-bin said, "Choi Hyun is Prince Ian Daegun's chief of staff and a character who thinks only about the prince's safety. Director Park Joon-hwa, who shows the essence of romantic comedy, is directing, and working with such hot senior actors left no reason not to do it, so I did it with a praying heart. Byeon Woo-seok is so cool and I love him. Fighting," she joked.
Lee Yeon said, "I play Do Hye-jung, the competent secretary who makes Castle Beauty CEO Seong Hee-ju's salary worth it. This is my first romantic-comedy drama, and I wanted to try it. I thought it might help my growth. When I heard such great actors would appear in the drama, I immediately said I would do it."
Actors' concerns about the background of a 21st-century constitutional monarchy were deep. Byeon Woo-seok said, "I thought a lot about Prince Ian Daegun's style. Because of the unusual background of a constitutional monarchy, it was actually clearer to go in a defined way. I often thought about what would be good, and refined that with the stylist chief and team. I hoped to convey a subtle solidity and the appearance of rank. Not only clothes but hair and makeup involved many discussions to create Lee Wan inside the royal family."
Noh Sang Hyun joked, "I wasn't in the palace all the time, but I had to come in when important matters occurred. I happened to remember being on the MBC variety show Dofop Jarak Hwinallimyeo, so I was familiar with the traditional robe."
Gong Seung-yeon said, "The writer wanted I-rang to be the royal family itself, so I worried a lot. I feared she might be too isolated. On set, matching with the actors gradually helped shape the character. I wore many very pretty traditional hanboks, so I'm very thankful to the costume and makeup team. They made me look like the queen dowager even when standing still."
IU, on the chaebol-but-commoner setting, said, "At first I needed time to immerse and discuss with the director before empathizing. But at some point it became fun. Hee-ju is focused as a chaebol with glamorous clothes and jewelry, but she also has the feel of an influencer or a celebrity. Wherever she goes she attracts some attention. She is not the idealized, refined, and demure figure we might imagine; the mix is entertaining."
Regarding the chief of staff setting, Yu Su-bin said, "I met an actual lawmaker's chief of staff. They said you must think alike. I tried to emulate that," and when Park Kyung-rim praised her for resembling Byeon Woo-seok visually, she replied, "If you say that it's a big deal. The room is getting excited," causing the audience to burst into laughter.
About her secretary performance, Lee Yeon said, "I came to understand a manager's mindset. The CEO isn't someone who always listens well, so I thought I must not get angry. I haven't worked in an office, so I drank coffee because it tasted good, but then I realized I needed coffee and started to look into it. I learned how necessary coffee is in office life," eliciting empathy.
Given the delicate character, some doubted whether Byeon Woo-seok, who rose to fame with Lovely Runner, could handle it. In response, Byeon Woo-seok said, "I talked a lot with the director and I also tried to do better, discussing things more than before. For this work, I tried even harder so that people could emotionally empathize with Wan when they see him. I focused solely on Wan's narrative."
Director Park Joon-hwa, who joined after the casting of Byeon Woo-seok and IU, said, "The main reason I decided was these two. They are actors many directors want, and decisively my daughter likes them so much she insisted I cast them. I felt happy working with everyone alongside these two. After filming, I really felt we made the right choice. The buzz is very high and it's overwhelming, but one assistant director who worked with me said they hoped this drama would air sooner than others. I'm looking forward to what kind of enjoyment viewers will feel when it airs."
IU, praised as a reliable pick across many works, said, "When I first read the script, I read through to episode 4. The pacing that moved along without pause was great; the characters were well written, and Wan, Jeong-woo, and I-rang were all charming. So many characters appear, and the mixing and conflict between those inside and outside the palace is handled naturally while keeping comedic elements, which is fun. Also, the line that stuck with me was 'This is how you protect: by attacking while attacking.' It perfectly reveals Hee-ju. That kind of character is cool — not desperately trying to protect but retaliating when attacked; that personality is very attractive."
Therefore expectations for global performance are high. Regarding release on Disney+, Byeon Woo-seok said, "I think the work captures a well of Korean aesthetics. If people watch it, I think they will really like it. And the production team made it so beautifully. I'd appreciate it if people enjoy it for its beauty." Noh Sang Hyun said, "The harmony of modernity and tradition is very well expressed in many ways — in architecture, costumes, and traditional ceremonies. I think it can present Korea as slightly more refined and glamorous, so I'd appreciate global audiences enjoying it."
Gong Seung-yeon said, "I expect the drama will receive more love because people worldwide love Korea," and Yu Su-bin said, "From the moment I read the script I thought Korea is Korea but overseas viewers will really like it. We already have many globally appealing actors in our drama. There's no worry — we've refined the Korean beauty stylishly, so I hope people like that."
Finally, IU said, "You can see from our outfits today that we can show many character traits through costume. Today we donned the poster looks based on Woo-seok's idea. Traditional and modern elements are well combined to match each character. It permeates everywhere, not just costumes. Discovering that will also be a viewing point."
Director Park Joon-hwa also added, "Outwardly the look is largely Korean, but the inner relationships are filled with content that will resonate globally. I hope viewers enjoy it with us without particular prejudices." Whether Perfect Crown will leap beyond pre-broadcast buzz to become the 'industry No. 1' not only domestically but globally after broadcast is drawing attention. It premieres on Friday the 10th at 9:40 p.m.
[Photo] OSEN reporter Min Kyung-hoon.
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