SBS's new drama 'Flower Scholar's Love Story' premieres on March 20th
Shin Ye-eun, “It’s my first attempt at a historical drama, I’m practicing by recording my lines”
“There are a lot of similarities with the character”
'Experience in historical dramas' Kang Hoon "I can do it cross-legged this time"
Han Chae-ah "I have dependents after marriage, I need to earn money for my family."
Shin Ye-eun, “It’s my first attempt at a historical drama, I’m practicing by recording my lines”
“There are a lot of similarities with the character”
'Experience in historical dramas' Kang Hoon "I can do it cross-legged this time"
Han Chae-ah "I have dependents after marriage, I need to earn money for my family."
Actress Shin Ye-eun, who left an impressive performance as the villain Park Yeon-jin in 'The Glory', meets viewers in the youth romance historical drama 'Flower Scholar's Love Story'. This is Shin Ye-eun's first attempt at a historical drama. He emphasized that he was a lovely person.
On the 15th, an online production presentation for SBS' new Monday-Tuesday drama 'Flower Scholar's Lover' was held. Director Kim Jung-min and actors Shin Ye-eun, Ryeowoon, Kang Hoon, Jeong Geon-ju, Oh Man-seok, and Han Chae-ah attended.
'Flower Scholar's Love Story' is a romantic fusion historical drama created by four youths, Yoon Dan-oh, the owner of Ewhawon, a boarding house that breaks stereotypes, and the trio of boarders, Kkot Scholars, who harbor secrets.
Director Kim introduced, “This is a drama in which young boarders, each with their own secrets and goals, gather in a secret space called the Summer Palace and end up in a relationship that risks their lives.”
This drama has two story axes: the excitement created by four youths and the mystery of the disappeared Lee Seol. Director Kim said, "If you look at the title, it seems like a lively and youth story, but it also goes into a heavy and powerful story. I thought the two stories could go together. I think it would be more advantageous in terms of viewership if it goes to the end. Internally, shouldn't we focus more on the romance side?" There were also opinions. I hope it's a drama that people of all ages and classes can enjoy. My son is in 4th grade, and I think 4th graders can watch it too. I hope it's a drama that even babies can watch. I try not to direct anything that's too provocative. “He explained.
When asked why he cast the main characters as newcomers, Director Kim replied, "Shin Ye-eun has already been proven by starring in several mini-series. She suited the role of Dan-o well while actually doing it." He continued, "Kang Hoon's role as Si-yeol is a difficult role. Basically, it has to be comical. I auditioned, but I didn't have a good friend. The reason I didn't think of Kang Hoon was because he was successful in the historical drama 'Red Sleeves'. Then he became Yeon. “I know they are in the same company as Shin Ye-eun. They accepted this script and Si-yeol’s character very well, and when I heard that Kang-hoon would play Si-yeol, I thought, ‘This drama will do well.’ Well done,” he praised. Also, "It would be a spoiler to talk about Ryeo-un and Geon-ju. The three male characters are two-faced. If he had been a simple warrior, I wouldn't have thought of Ryeo-un. There is a side to him other than a warrior. Jeong Geon-ju also plays a soft scholar, but he is a weak character. “You probably didn’t think of Jeong Geon-ju,” he said.
Director Kim, who has experience directing historical dramas such as 'Secret Royal Inspector: Joseon Secret Investigation Team', 'Selection - Women's War', 'Joseon Gunman', and 'The Princess' Man', said, "The special point of 'Flower Scholar's Love Story' is ' “It is different from my previous works in that it is a lively story about young people, which comes from the word ‘flower scholar.’ Another thing is that the mystery goes on until Part 8, but I don’t think there is any work that has progressed the mystery to that level,” he said.
This drama is based on a web novel of the same name. Director Kim said, "We took the basic framework of the original work. The original work was called 'The Love Story of a Flower Scholar' and focused on the story of scholars, but as we went up to Part 18, the surrounding stories such as kings, eunuchs, and secretaries were strengthened. There were many detailed scenes. It's different. It's a spoiler to say that it's going to be the same as the original or that it's going to be different," he said, sparing his words.
Shin Ye-eun was the youngest daughter of a wealthy noble family, but after becoming the head of the household, she played the role of Yoon Dan-oh, who runs the Summer Palace, a guesthouse that provides rented rooms to scholars from all over to prepare for the civil service examination. Shin Ye-eun said, "When I first encountered the work, I watched up to Part 4. There were a lot of episodes that happened after Part 4, and there was a lot to unravel, and the fact that not only me but all the characters were three-dimensional and alive was attractive. I also think Dan-o will be loved by many people. “I started with the mindset of ‘let’s get some love,’” he said, explaining the reason for his appearance.
Shin Ye-eun has recently been attracting attention by playing the school days of school violence perpetrator Park Yeon-jin in Netflix's 'The Glory'. Shin Ye-eun, who is in her first historical drama, said, "It was my first time acting in a historical drama, so I approached it carefully and cautiously. I think my mindset has changed from my previous works. Before, I felt burdened, fearful, and calculated, but now I have a little more freedom." “I started thinking a lot about how to make Dano. I started thinking more about how to make Dano rather than myself,” he said.
Shin Ye-eun said, "I was very hesitant about taking on the challenge of a historical drama. I thought it was right to take on the challenge once I had the skills to do so. But this work was fun and I thought there was nothing I couldn't do if there were a director and seniors who have done historical dramas. What I will gain if I do well in this work is I thought there would be a lot. I have a solid grasp of the basics of a historical drama. I recorded all my lines and listened to them. Because it's bound to be awkward at first. I was nearing the end of filming, and when I looked at the audio recordings, I saw that they were all there from Part 1. Things like that. “It was helpful to me. If there were any difficult parts of speaking in a historical drama, I tried changing it to modern language. I received a lot of help from my seniors on set.”
Shin Ye-eun said, "Out of all the works I've done so far, I think Dan-o is the one who resembles me the most. Dan-o is so lovely that I don't even know if I want to be like her. She adapts well to any environment and her loveliness seems to be somewhere between 'I resemble' and 'I want to be like her.' "He said embarrassedly. He continued with satisfaction, saying, “I think this is the only space where I can be loved by everyone no matter what I do.”
Shin Ye-eun said about Kang Hoon, the eldest of the three, "His smile is pretty and lovely. There were many times when my heart skipped a beat because I thought this was acting." He continued, "Ryeowoon is kind to me, but it makes my heart flutter when he shows affection to me. I especially fell in love with him when he was practicing martial arts. He used his body well." Regarding Jeong Geon-ju, he said, "He is consistent. I think you could say he is a good groom. I can see the consistency, warmth, and stable attitude that can capture everyone's hearts."
When asked, 'If you had to choose one of the three,' Shin Ye-eun pondered and answered, "I would choose Si-yeol for love and Yu-hwa for marriage." Kang San's role was not mentioned in the answer, which made people laugh.
Ryeowoon played the role of Kang San, a martial arts student who hides a subtle kindness behind his harsh appearance. Ryeoun joked, “I did it in collaboration with the martial arts director. I thought, ‘Do you have some talent?’” He continued, “Kangsan mainly uses a sword. His swordsmanship has improved.”
Ryeo-woon said, “It’s my first time doing a historical drama, so I looked into things like vocalization and tone, and since I’m a warrior, I also paid attention to martial arts acting.” Regarding the character, he said, "There are many similarities to me. He is serious and talks little. The difference is that he is a 'tsundere', but I am not good at that because I am soft on the inside."
Kang Hoon played Kim Si-yeol, a liberal arts student with a typical Korean style who likes to play. Kang Hoon laughed, saying, "When I watched up to episode 4, I was curious about the back story and liked a certain line, but I can't reveal it now. And I wanted to portray the character Siyeol well. I coveted the role, the work, and the director."
Kang Hoon, who has experience appearing in historical dramas such as 'Red Sleeves' and 'Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryeong', said, "In both works, I was inside the palace, but this was the first time I came out of the palace. I was a little more free and less concerned about etiquette in the palace. "he said. He then joked, "It's hard to kneel in the palace. It's not normal. It's nice to be able to do it cross-legged now."
Kang Hoon, who has experience in historical dramas, and Ryeoun, who is new to historical dramas, said they helped each other act. Ryeowoon said, "For male actors, topknots are important. My older brother taught me how to wear a topknot without hurting it and how to wear it prettily. It's cold when I wear a hanbok in the winter, so I told him what to wear underneath." Kang Hoon said, "Like 'How to Survive on a Deserted Island', I taught him 'How to Survive in a Historical Drama'. The reason historical dramas are difficult is because of the season. He taught me how to overcome that. It helped me in terms of acting. “It didn’t work out,” he said, laughing.
Jeong Geon-joo appears as Jeong Yoo-ha, a person with a delicate personality who is sensitive to the feelings of others. Jeong Geon-ju said, “The script was interesting, and historical drama was a genre I wanted to try. The character was attractive.” When asked if there were any historical dramas he referenced, Jeong Geon-ju said, "The director gave me the original novel as a gift. He gave it only to me. I don't know why." In response, Director Kim explained, “I didn’t give it as a gift, but gave it something I was reading,” drawing laughter.
Jeong Geon-ju said, "I was worried because it was my first time watching a historical drama. I looked for a lot of historical dramas, including 'Sungkyunkwan Scandal'." Regarding synchronization with the character, he said, "It was originally wild and direct, but I killed that a bit." Jeong Geon-joo also showed off Jeong Yu-ha's side by delivering friendly lines in the play.
Jang Tae-hwa, played by Oh Man-seok, is a Hanseongbu judge and the actual owner of Buyeonggak, and is tracking down Lee Seol, a descendant of the deceased.
Oh Man-seok laughed, saying, “Before I received the script, I heard the title ‘Flower Scholar’s Love Story’ and thought, ‘I guess I’m not the main character.’” He continued, "The script was fun, and it had been over 10 years since I did a historical drama. I thought it would be good to say that the members were good, and it was good as expected." When asked how he prepared for the character, he said, "Because there are some martial arts scenes, it's not like I prepared anything in particular. I've been taking nutritional supplements from the beginning of the drama until now. I'm eating good food. I'm investing financially as well," making everyone laugh. I brought it up.
Han Chae-ah played the role of Hwaryeong, the guardian of Buyeonggak. Han Chae-ah said, "There is a charm to historical dramas. I like the heaviness of the dialogue and things like that. In it, Hwaryeong's role feels like a 'strong character' in the beginning. As it progresses to the mid to late half, Hwaryeong's secret is revealed, and I thought it would be fun to act." He said. When asked if she still maintains her beauty even in her 40s, Han Chae-ah laughed and said, "Please lose your 40s."
When asked about the process of preparing for the character, Han Chae-ah laughed and said, "I can't be as pretty as a flower, but as time goes by, I worried about how I would look pretty as Hwaryeong. I exercised hard, took good care of myself, and took nutritional supplements."
When asked if anything has changed in terms of acting since before marriage, Han Chae-ah said, "Nothing has changed that much. I always thought the same way when working on each project. I have played the role of Hwaryeong in many historical dramas, but this is my first time playing a character who has a secret and something invisible. . It is also a historical drama after marriage. When I think of it as a mindset, it doesn't immediately come to mind, but what has changed is that I now have a family to support, and I have to earn money for my family."
Shin Ye-eun was confident, “This is a drama that can appeal to the tastes of people of all ages.” Ryeoun asked, “Please watch as four friends from different walks of life gather in one place and grow together.” Kang Hoon pointed out the key point to watch, saying, “It will be fun to track down who Lee Seol is.” Jeong Geon-ju boasted, "Every time a script comes out, there's never been a bad evaluation on set. It's that much fun." Oh Man-seok said, “The four young actors have good chemistry, and the director guided them well. That kind of chemistry will be included.” Han Chae-ah said, "The director made the scene comfortable. We had fun filming with the young actors, learning about their passion, spirit, and hard work. We ask for your interest and love. We hope viewers will also feel the fun we felt."
‘Flower Scholar’s Love Story’ will premiere on the 20th at 10 PM.
Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr