JTBC ‘Shin Seong-han, Divorce’ first broadcast on March 4th
Jaehoon Lee “There is a new relationship that is different from the original webtoon”
Seungwoo Cho, character from a pianist background, said, “Playing the piano is like a double.”
Hyejin Han "I've always been a poor character, but this time I'm rich."
Jaehoon Lee “There is a new relationship that is different from the original webtoon”
Seungwoo Cho, character from a pianist background, said, “Playing the piano is like a double.”
Hyejin Han "I've always been a poor character, but this time I'm rich."
Instead of a ‘sacred marriage’, a ‘sacred divorce’ takes place. The divorce lawyer is actor Cho Seung-woo. It's in JTBC's new Saturday-Sunday drama 'Sacred, Divorce'. The actors and production team were confident that although the subject matter could be provocative, one would be able to feel humanity and healing.
On the 2nd, an online production presentation for JTBC's new Saturday-Sunday drama 'Sacred, Divorce' was held. Director Lee Jae-hoon and actors Cho Seung-woo, Han Hye-jin, Kim Sung-gyun, and Jeong Moon-seong attended.
'Divorce Shin' is a delightful human drama that depicts divorce requests beyond imagination faced by Shin Seong-han, an artist-turned-divorce lawyer, and the heartwarming chemistry between three friends who are perfect friends.
Director Lee Jae-hoon said, "10:30 p.m. is late, but I tried to make a drama that will help you catch up on sleep. I will make your weekend fun." This drama is based on a webtoon of the same name. Director Lee Jae-hoon said, "As a reader who enjoys webtoons, it is meaningful to be in charge of directing this work. While watching the webtoon, I was impressed by the comments. There were much more vivid comments. Comments that told their own stories, such as 'I have been married for three years.' “There were a lot of these. I also found many things I sympathized with while working on the film. I think it is a work with a story that is as explicit and powerful as it is,” he said. He continued, "We received that powerful story. Isn't it difficult for webtoon's cartoon style to be carried over to a drama? The actors themselves are the drawing style for us. We tried to express it in our own drawing style expressed through the actors' movements and voices. “There are characters in common with webtoons and new relationships,” he explained.
How did you balance the story of the couple's divorce and the friends' friendship? Lee Jae-hoon said, "I thought that in order to connect well organically, the characters' relationships had to be well connected. The three people have been best friends since middle school. Office manager Hyeon-geun is separated from his wife, and real estate agent Jo Jeong-sik is involved in the issue of property division (for the divorcing couple). “Those things were well taken care of at the script stage and I paid attention to them,” he said.
Cho Seung-woo played the role of Shin Seong, who lived as a pianist and music professor before taking the bar exam and becoming a divorce lawyer. Cho Seung-woo made people laugh with a witty greeting, saying, "I'm overwhelmed with emotions because there are two days left until the broadcast, and I also have a cold. I'm excited to meet everyone."
Regarding the character who was an artist, Seungwoo Cho said, "I asked the writer for that setting. Unlike the way prosecutor Hwang Si-mok ('Forest of Secrets') approached the case when he took charge of it, he was a former pianist and professor at a music school, so he didn't want to file a lawsuit. “When taking on the case, I suggested that I approach the process musically, as if I were playing music or interpreting sheet music,” he said. “Shin Seong-han has deep wounds, but he has deep humanity and respect for people. He is a warm person,” he said. “He has the charm of being a person who knows how to be considerate and respect others even when he is in charge of a case.”
Since Cho Seung-woo was a pianist in the play, how did he prepare for the piano performance scene? Cho Seung-woo said, "There is no specific reference. The setting itself is not that of a genius pianist. I like music and the piano, and I was wealthy when I was young, so I studied abroad for more than 20 years, but after an incident, I gave up music, returned to Korea, and entered the legal profession. This is the setting that came in. I stay away from the piano, but at some point, when I get emotional, I start playing the piano. Of course, a stunt double played the piano. I'm a hands-on person. The teacher said that if I really wanted to learn, I wouldn't be able to act because I would think about it. “He told me to focus more on my emotions. I watched the stunt double and only focused on the way my hands moved and the emotions. Honestly, I was acting emotionally in the scene where I was playing the piano,” he explained. He continued, "Of course, I looked up a lot of videos. Aren't there a lot of excellent people such as Seong-jin Cho and Teacher Yun-chang Lim? I watched the videos, but I couldn't follow them. So I created my own. I created some habits and caught some points while watching the stunt doubles. Music. “I heard it a lot,” he said.
Han Hye-jin takes on the role of Lee Seo-jin, a weathercaster-turned-radio DJ and goes through a tumultuous divorce. In the play, Lee Seo-jin, who was emotionally abused by her husband, is asked for a divorce and cannot give up her son, so she visits a lawyer named Shin Seong.
Han Hye-jin said, "It may be a cliché story, but I was so immersed that I read four volumes of the script in one sitting. And when I looked at my character, I thought it wouldn't be easy. I looked to see who else had been cast and these people did it. I wondered when I would meet them. “Isn’t it an honor? And when I saw the director and writer, I felt confident.”
Han Hye-jin confessed, “Because it is a character with a guilty conscience, I was worried about how to make it acceptable to viewers.” He then laughed, saying, "As a radio DJ, I was more concerned about things like speaking and styling than in previous works. Among the roles I've played so far, I was the richest. I was always poor and oppressed. I was able to prepare styling in a more fun way than in previous works." He also confessed, “The scene that was difficult was the court scene, but when I was dealing with the child with a sense of guilt, all the scenes where I was dealing with the child were difficult.”
Kim Sung-gyun played Jang Hyeon-geun, Shin Shin's friend since middle school and the office manager of Shin Seong's lawyer's office. When asked if he had any premonitions that this drama would be a hit, Kim Sung-gyun said, "While filming a drama, if you laugh a lot on set, chat a lot with your co-stars, and feel like you're doing it in a cheerful way, it does well. It was the same on this set. It was even better than the drama that did well at the time. “I’m in good spirits. I’m so energized that I wonder if I can take pictures like this,” he said confidently. When I told her that she seemed to have a good skin tone, she said, “I’ve been to a dermatologist these days,” making her laugh.
Kim Sung-gyun said that he added a child-like feeling to the expression of the three friends' best friend chemistry, saying, "Even if you are older, don't you become like children when you meet friends?"
The actors were asked which of the other characters they would like to play. Kim Sung-kyun said, "I wonder what it would be like to play the role of Lee Seo-jin, a radio DJ who can express my honey vocal cords," and made people laugh by imitating a radio DJ.
Moon-seong Jeong appears as Jo Jeong-sik, the president of Jo Jeong-sik Real Estate and a friend of Shin Seong-sik and Hyun-geun Jang. Regarding the styling point, Jeong Moon-seong explained, "First of all, I am a free person and that has to be expressed. It wasn't overly unsophisticated and easy. I slicked my hair back, but I tried to make it pretty and not weird. I combed my hair." He continued, "Not everyone can wear clothes, but I chose what I could handle out of the excess and wore them. Isn't it unnatural to wear shoes that are too new? But I wore shoes that were in really clean condition. All my shoes were like that." He also said, “It was possible because the director opened everything up without imposing any restrictions.”
Jeong Moon-seong shared the behind-the-scenes moments of filming with Jo Seung-woo, who is full of fun. Jeong Moon-seong said, "Seung-woo kept telling me to pull up my pants before filming. So I put them on. It was a serious and unscripted scene, but he said, 'Please pull down your pants.' I was wearing them just fine, but he was trying to say that (to pull them up). “I did it,” he said. Jo Seung-woo laughed, saying, "No. I told you to put it up because you were wearing it down. When you put it up, it felt strange and embarrassing. That's why I told you to take it down."
Director Lee Jae-hoon said, "As it is a drama about divorce, all kinds of extreme elements can appear, such as adultery, infidelity, conflict between parents, secrets of birth, etc. It may seem provocative. However, it will leave a warm impression based on the good performances of the actors and the dedication of the staff. “We have created a drama that is fun and enjoyable and doesn’t feel like it’s too much, so please look forward to it and watch it.” Cho Seung-woo said, "The writer said this not long ago. Usually, the word 'sacred' is put in front of marriage, but in our work, it is put in front of divorce. Seong-han is human and has human dignity, respect, and consideration. Divorce “He said that the character was like a person who solves problems by focusing on whether someone should be hurt the least, and that touched my heart. Please see that kind of humanity.”
Han Hye-jin confidently said, "In life, there are not many things to laugh about. If you watch our drama, you will laugh, heal, and warm your heart. Also, our drama is a masterpiece of acting." Jeong Moon-seong said, “If you look at it comfortably, you will be happy.” Seung-woo Cho added, "I apologize in advance that the sacred character is a bit different (from the original). However, I created it in my own way. I am confident that it will become more and more interesting."
‘Sacred, Divorce’ will premiere on the 4th at 10:30 p.m.
Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr