Kim Ok-bin challenges comic action and even comic dance

Kim Ok-bin, who has shown strong characters such as a vampire and a murder weapon through 'The Bat' and 'The Villain', took on the challenge of 'Love Battle', a pleasant and soft romantic comedy genre. Kim Ok-bin, who said she was tired of playing characters, said she wanted to take on a new challenge.

On the 7th, a production presentation for the Netflix series 'Love Battle' was held at CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall in Hangang-ro-dong, Seoul. Director Kim Jeong-kwon and actors Kim Ok-bin, Yoo Teo, and Kim Ji-hoon attended.

'Love Battle' is a romantic comedy about a woman who pathologically hates losing to a man and a man who is pathologically suspicious of women, and are healed through a war-like love.

Director Kim Jeong-kwon revealed the process of creating this series. He said, "My debut film was the fantasy romance film 'Donggam' (2000). The films I did after that also happened to be melodrama. My debut drama film 'Lies of Lies' was also a romance. The romance and melodrama genres are harder than they look. Various loves “This is because people who share love think, ‘What is that?’ even if the way they love is different from their own.” He continued, "'Love Battle' is a crossover between other genres. In particular, there will be questions about the action genre and how action and romance will be mixed. I thought it would be good for the action itself to become a romance, which is not seen in other films such as noir. “We paid attention to the process by which men and women communicate and become empathetic through action,” he emphasized.

When asked what differentiates it from other romantic comedies, director Kim Jeong-kwon said, "I think it is a romantic comedy that can represent 2023," and added, "It is not a story about different men and women fighting. They understand, respect, and consider each other that they did not know before. It is not a drama that makes you feel bad after watching it. “It’s a drama that can be enjoyed while understanding each other,” he said.

Director Kim Jeong-kwon revealed the background of casting the three people. Regarding Kim Ok-bin, he said, "I remember the intensity she showed in the works she has done so far, and speaking of greed from a prison perspective, I thought that the transformation of an actor like that could bring joy to the viewers. You can look forward to Kim Ok-bin's destruction." Regarding Yoo Tae-oh, he praised him, saying, "He is handsome. He is the top actor in the play, so he had to be handsome first. He is the most handsome on the planet. I hired him because he is like an actor among actors."

He continued, “You will see many attractive aspects of Yoo Teo through this work,” and added, “He has a boyish charm and a pure soul.” Regarding Kim Ji-hoon, he said, "He improves differently every day. I saw him working hard. I've always wanted to work with him when I get the chance, so I'm happy and happy to be working on this project together."

Kim Ok-bin played the role of bold lawyer Yeo Mi-ran. Kim Ok-bin introduced the character, saying, "She pathologically hates men and doesn't want to be protected, so she's good at all sports, including martial arts, biking, and racing. However, she's a unique character who thinks dating is play, so she falls in love."

Kim Ok-bin said, "I was sick and tired of the roles I had played so far. I was thinking about trying something different, so I read this script. It was the first time I read it with a smile, without worrying and stressing from beginning to end. I tried a different genre. "I wanted to do this, but I came across this work at the right time, and I thought it would be a challenge since I had never done it before. I also thought it would be the brightest character in my filmography, so I decided to do this work," he said, explaining the reason for his appearance. Kim Ok-bin said that she wondered if the writer had referenced her for the character that resembled her.

Regarding her acting transformation, Kim Ok-bin said, "At first, I was worried that I might be buried. I wondered if this would suit me well enough. They say that people die when they suddenly change, so I wondered what would happen if people saw my suddenly changed appearance and caused an uproar. That's how much I changed. “I put myself down and opened up,” he said, sharing his concerns. He continued, "As time passed, I felt like I fit in. I guess there's a part of me that only my friends and family know. I think I've fulfilled my desire to show a different side of myself through this work."

Kim Ok-bin, who started the comic action style, said, "I had to learn action anew. I needed exaggerated action and a cheerful editing style. Even if comic action is sloppy, it is important to maintain a cheerful sense. On set, I was amazed and wondered, 'Can I direct it like that?'" He said. He continued, "When doing action scenes such as 'The Villainess', I had to make a difficult and frowning expression. That habit remained, and every time I did an action, I would make an expression that looked like I was going to kill someone. The director and martial arts director said, 'You should do it with an open face.' I had to do it again. “It was difficult,” he said with a laugh.

Kim Ok-bin, who filmed the comical dance scene at the company new ceremony in the play, said, "I practiced a lot. The day before, I told my younger brother to 'film it'. I had to practice alone and think about the timing of expressing my true feelings. I thought I danced well." boasted. Kim Ok-bin performed an impromptu comic dance and received applause. Kim Ji-hoon praised, "I saw it in person and she did an incomparably better job than this. You won't be able to escape Kim Ok-bin's charm." Teo Yoo also added, “You did 100 times better than this.” Kim Ok-bin revealed the behind-the-scenes story, saying, "It's done at the company's new ceremony, so I'm determined to step on everyone. I also put a lot of thought into choreographing it."

Teo Yoo played Nam Kang-ho, a top actor representing Korea. Teo Yoo introduced Nam Kang-ho's character as "the god of romance, the master of romance, and a top star actor." She continued, "It's every woman's dream, but because of the trauma she suffered when she was young, she pathologically hates women. There are a lot of misunderstandings. This time, I was cast in an action noir film instead of a melodrama, so I'm trying to bring out the raw action scenes, but I was told by the director that I'm not good at it, so I had to learn from Miran. “It happens. A fun relationship begins,” he explained.

Teo Yoo said, "I am not in the position of making choices, but of being chosen, so I was grateful when the scenario came to me. After reading it, it was fun. Each character was attractive. Each character has their own trauma, and the characters that are not typical and typical are traditional characters. “As I entered the romantic comedy genre and encountered it, I felt a lot of charm from that twist,” he said, explaining his reason for appearing. He continued, “I felt trustworthy after seeing the director during our first meeting.”

Teo Yoo, who also has experience studying abroad in real life as in the play, said, "The Korean New Wave has already started overseas, but even in the OTT market, a lot of content is attracting attention. In the meantime, I thought it would be nice to be able to feel the charm of unique romantic comedies. “It’s difficult to watch even overseas, but it was an attractive scenario without being overlooked. I also had a good time filming it. I’m curious to see how overseas will react,” he said.

Teo Yoo said, "I learned English while acting in my early 20s, and I studied Korean and went to an announcer's academy, went to an acting academy, and still receive coaching. I also received coaching when working on our work. We allocate our time well so we can repeat endlessly. “I think that’s the key,” he said.

Also, "I read and record other people's scripts by myself. While listening to them, I act and memorize the lines. If it's 5 minutes long, I repeat it for an hour. I try to do it at least 100 times. I try to do each scene 100 times by myself. In my mouth. "Once I get it, I go into nuance and intonation from there. Once I fix it, I move on to action. It's done step by step. Because I don't know the reactions of my fellow actors, I practice alone on something like a figure," he confessed.

Teo Yoo also reported the reaction of his wife Nikki. Teo Yoo married photographer Nikki Lee, who is 11 years older than him, in 2006. He said, “Nikiri enjoyed reading it and said he wanted me to do it.”

Kim Ji-hoon played the role of Nam Kang-ho's management representative, Do Won-jun. Regarding his role as Do Won-jun, Kim Ji-hoon said, "Compared to the two characters, he is an ordinary person. He debuted as an actor when he was young, but he had no talent for acting, so he changed his career path and is now the manager of Nam Kang-ho, the best actor in Korea. Nam Kang-ho's trauma with women. “He is a close friend who I know inside and out,” he explained. When he learned that he couldn't act in the play, he said, "Fortunately, I realized it at an early age, and although it can be difficult, I quickly changed my career path," making people laugh.

Kim Ji-hoon said, "I enjoyed the fresh settings that broke the cliches of the existing romantic comedy genre. Usually, in romantic comedies, there are many obvious but interesting female protagonists such as Candy and Cinderella stories, but the character Yeo-mi loves more actively and enterprisingly than anyone else and is stronger than anyone else." He revealed his reason for appearing, saying, “I have stronger fighting power than the main character.” He continued, "These days, increasing women's authority is a concern for people in their 20s and 30s. However, I felt that there were not many dramas that kept up with the times, but I thought 'Love Battle' was a drama that contained a timely theme and featured such protagonists. Many people “I am confident that they will sympathize with this,” he said.

Kim Ji-hoon said about Yoo Teo and Two-Shot, "I wanted to show our chemistry beyond bromance."

The actors unanimously boasted of the friendly atmosphere on set. Kim Ok-bin recalled the time of filming, saying, “The atmosphere on set was the best among the works I’ve filmed so far. I still miss it.” Tae-oh Yoo also said, “We had good chemistry on set,” and added, “We were like a married couple with Do Won-jun in the play. On set, (Kim Ji-hoon) slightly modified my lines so I could have more fun. It was an atmosphere where I could play naturally. Ok-bin was so good. "He's a veteran actor, isn't he? He put in a lot of preparation, even for the dancing scenes. When I saw Okbin like that, I thought, 'He's at the level of putting a spoon on his head.' I felt overwhelmed. I learned a lot from them on set and I was grateful to the director."

Kim Ji-hoon forms a love line with actress Go Won-hee in the play. Go Won-hee played the role of Shin Na-eun, Miran's best friend. Kim Ji-hoon said, "I tried to express realistic and subtle emotions. I hope people sympathize with it. I'm releasing it ahead of Valentine's Day, and I hope to evoke the feeling of 'I want to feel that way, too.'"

The actors boasted the unique charm of 'Love Battle', citing points to watch. Teo Yoo said, "It seems obvious, but it's not obvious. Each character has a unique trauma, which is a point that can cause a lot of misunderstanding in this era. There is a point that resolves that misunderstanding. It's well solved through comedy and romance." Kim Ok-bin said, “Although it is disguised as a romantic comedy, it is a drama about respect and understanding. There are many lines that are highly relatable.” Kim Ji-hoon said, “Action, comedy, and romance are all mixed together so well that once you start the first episode, you will watch it until the end without noticing the passage of time.”

‘Love Battle’ will be released on the 10th.

Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr