Actress Lee Bo-young takes on her first office drama. He is satisfied that he felt catharsis while playing a character who swears and speaks harshly, raising expectations for Lee Bo-young's transformation in acting.
On the 5th, the production presentation for JTBC's new Saturday-Sunday drama 'Agency' was broadcast live online. Actors Lee Bo-young, Jo Seong-ha, Son Na-eun, Han Jun-woo, Jeon Hye-jin and director Lee Chang-min attended the event.
'Agency' is an elegantly gruesome battle drama between advertising people that depicts Go Ah-in (played by Lee Bo-young), the first female executive at a VC group, to build her career beyond the first and reach the top position.
When Lee Bo-young, who watched the highlight video, said, "I think she came out nicer than I thought," director Lee Chang-min made people laugh by saying, "I think they say (Lee Bo-young) looks nice because she has strong self-love, but that's not necessarily true."
Director Lee said, "I've directed office films a few times, and the chemistry between the actors was much better than other office films. By the end of the program, I thought they were people who work here." He added, "The writer is someone who has worked in this industry, so I followed the details written. “As I went along, I think a good piece came out,” he said.
Go Ah-in, played by Lee Bo-young, is a successful person who joined the company as a copywriter at a VC group and became the first female executive. Lee Bo-young said, "He is a goal-oriented person. In order to win, he only looks at the results and runs, and winning is the best. He is a person without blood or tears, and he has the mindset that he is the only one who is good, so he is a person who does not say anything wrong, but he is a character who does not say anything wrong. Drugs and alcohol He described the character by saying, "I'm addicted to smoking and smoking," and said, "It was so much fun to play a character who is faithful to his own desires."
He continued, "I felt a lot of catharsis while filming. Go Ah-in spits out without filtering the parts that he can only think about but cannot say. Although the things he says directly are harsh, I thought that I would try it at other times than this. I can shout well. I can express my feelings. "There are scenes that are expressed in a dimensional way. Even though I am mentally weak and lacking, I screamed, cursed, and said rude things as if I had never done anything before. I did it to my heart's content," he added.
Lee Bo-young, who attempted her first office drama, said, "It's been a very long time since I filmed a work with a lot of action. When I read the script, my character was interesting, but it was refreshing to me that promotion in a company is influenced by calculations, personal connections, and lines. “It came to me. I was very interested in the fact that I could collaborate with many actors to create something. There were many times when I ran away alone,” he said, laughing.
Jo Seong-ha plays the role of Choi Chang-soo, the head of the VC planning planning division who has walked the elite course with a solid path. He was confident about Choi Chang-soo, "He is a person who has lived his life without missing the first place since he was born. Because his abilities are so good, you may think that he lacks humanity, but because he is a person who takes good care of his juniors, you will feel that the viewership ratings are secured because of Choi Chang-soo."
When asked about what he was concerned about, Jo Seong-ha said, "I worried a lot about the tone of my voice because it was a character I had never played before. Also, I'm not good at getting angry at women. I had to throw a piece of paper, but I didn't know where to throw it. The director told me to throw it on the floor, so I solved it well. “It’s done,” he said.
Son Na-eun plays Kang Han-na, the youngest daughter of a VC group and the head of the VC planning SNS division. Son Na-eun asked for attention, saying, "She is a person with excellent intuition. I think it will be a lot of fun with Hanna appearing in every episode."
He continued, "It's the most unique character I've played so far. I was a third-generation chaebol and a SNS influencer, so I had a lot of styling advice, and I even brought props and accessories myself. Because I was a straightforward and honest person, I screamed a lot and got angry a lot, so I hated it. “I tried to make it look attractive and not hateful,” he explained.
When asked about her feelings about working with Lee Bo-young, Son Na-eun said, "When senior Lee Bo-young said she would play the role of Go Ah-in, I thought she would suit her very well. The energy of Go Ah-in was truly that of Go Ah-in. I was very nervous at the beginning of the set, but she talked to me a lot and was good to me so I quickly got used to it. He expressed his gratitude, saying, “I adapted and filmed. It was really fun to work together.”
In response, Lee Bo-young said, "The director is really persistent. Every morning, when he comes to the set, the kids (Son Na-eun, Han Jun-woo, Jeon Hye-jin) are full of spirit. That's why I always check, 'Are you happy?'" and made people laugh.
Han Jun-woo plays Park Young-woo, Kang Han-na's secretary. He introduced himself as "a person like the shadow of Managing Director Kang Han-na, who is thorough in self-management, sincere and professional in everything he does." Jeon Hye-jin played the role of Jo Eun-jeong, a working mother with a five-year-old son and a copywriter of 10 years. Jeon Hye-jin said, "I have an orphaned managing director as my wannabe. She plays the role of an atmosphere maker with her witty remarks within a company with a lot of work. She is a character who boasts a huge amount of food. People who watch it will be able to enjoy it happily in between." He said.
Jeon Hye-jin, who married actress Lee Cheon-hee in 2011 and has a daughter, said, "I feel sad because I am a working mother, but I wanted to portray this character in an attractive way. I wanted to make her look like a realistic office worker."
For Jo Eun-jeong, success means holding on. Jeon Hye-jin explained, "I try not to cause trouble while maintaining work and family. If the strategy is to survive each day and go to work, that is a strategy."
Director Lee was confident, “I want to show that this is a drama that is not outdated.”
‘Agency’ will premiere on January 7th at 10:30 PM.
Taeyuna, Ten Asia Reporter youyou@tenasia.co.kr