'모자무싸' Aims for JTBC's Highest Ratings Amidst Fierce Competition

'모자무싸' has set its sights on achieving the highest ratings in JTBC's history. Director Cha Young-hoon expressed his desire to surpass the competition, including the MBC drama '21st Century Grand Lady' starring IU and Byun Woo-seok, stating, "All the works are good and fun, but we have the ambition to be number one."

On the 17th, a press conference for JTBC's new weekend drama 'Everyone is Fighting Their Own Worthlessness' (hereafter '모자무싸') was held at the Stanford Hotel in Sangam, Mapo-gu, Seoul. The event was attended by director Cha Young-hoon and actors Koo Kyo-hwan, Go Yoon-jung, Oh Jung-se, Kang Mal-geum, Park Hae-joon, and Han Sun-hwa.

'모자무싸' follows the journey of a person driven mad by jealousy and envy among successful friends, seeking peace. It is a collaboration between director Cha Young-hoon of 'When the Camellia Blooms' and writer Park Hae-young of 'My Mister' and 'My Liberation Diary'.

Director Cha Young-hoon described '모자무싸' as "not a story about a film director who makes a grand debut with a blockbuster. It's a work that offers small comfort to viewers, saying, 'You're not the only one facing today's frustrations, failures, and shame. Everyone lives like that. Don't take it too hard, and there will be days to smile.'"

He continued, "Everyone strives to be valuable, special, and important, but often desires to be more valuable and special than others. This work centers on Hwang Dong-man, who has lived with jealousy and envy for 20 years. All his close friends have succeeded, and he lives engulfed in feelings of worthlessness, shame, and inferiority. Then, Eun-ah appears, telling him, 'You have value just by existing.' Encouraged by this, he overcomes his worthlessness, and those around him embrace Dong-man, overcoming their own worthlessness."

Regarding his collaboration with writer Park Hae-young, director Cha said, "I wanted to do really well. I didn't want to miss a single line or direction in the script. I wanted to express it beyond what I felt when I read it," adding, "The actors probably felt the same. When delivering lines, the tone can change with their breath or feeling, but the actors tried to bring the script to life, word for word, action for action. We tried to express it faithfully, but I'm not sure if we succeeded."

Koo Kyo-hwan plays Hwang Dong-man, a film director aspirant for 20 years. He said, "When I first read the script, I felt 'I really want to do this.' It was special to have the opportunity to meet such a character."

Taking on his first TV lead role with '모자무싸', Koo Kyo-hwan shared, "For over 12 hours of running time, I delved deeply into a character, showing the narrative at a vlog level. It still feels like I'm filming. It's hard to let go of Dong-man." Regarding his character's similarity to himself, he said, "My attitude towards movies is similar, but my relationships with friends are entirely different. I wondered if the character was like me, but he's completely different. Dong-man is more fun, lovable, and someone I want to embrace."

Go Yoon-jung plays Byun Eun-ah, a film company PD known as 'Axe' for her sharp script reviews. She described her character, "She has a symptom of nosebleeds whenever anxiety or fear manifests due to childhood trauma. She accepts these symptoms and meets Dong-man, who becomes a source of comfort and growth."

When asked about her chemistry with Koo Kyo-hwan, she said, "There are many scenes where we work together, so the burden naturally disappeared. Koo Kyo-hwan has a lot of lines and scenes, while my character has more space. I worked hard to fill that space without it being boring, but he made it easy with his diverse reactions, making every cut feel natural."

Koo Kyo-hwan added, "I deliver many lines and sentences unilaterally. Go Yoon-jung acts with her eyes," adding, "I had many lines, but it felt like I heard a lot from her. She's an actor who knows how to create an atmosphere, and I benefited greatly."

Oh Jung-se plays Park Kyung-se, a successful director with five films. He described Park Kyung-se as "someone who might be envied by others but is constantly struggling to succeed," adding, "I thought I was similar to Park Kyung-se, but the struggling aspect is far from me."

Kang Mal-geum plays Go Hye-jin, Park Kyung-se's wife and the head of the film production company GoBak Film. She said her character's similarity to herself is over 50%, but added, "I don't understand why she loves Park Kyung-se," eliciting laughter.

Park Hae-joon plays Hwang Jin-man, Dong-man's brother and a former poet turned welder. During the photo time, he lost his balance, causing laughter. In a group interview afterward, he said, "I saw the photos that came up. I looked like a gorilla," showing embarrassment.

Regarding his character, he said, "It's similar to my current situation. He's a character fighting against self-deprecation, digging his own grave and suffering," causing laughter.

When asked about the similarity, he said, "I'm worried my earlier appearance might harm the character, so I'll distance myself from him. He's a really different person from me. This character is charming and cool, worthy of following Yang Gwan-sik from 'You Were Fooled'."

Director Cha Young-hoon shared his thoughts on competing with other weekend dramas like '21st Century Grand Lady' and 'God and Law Office'. He said, "It feels like my heart is on a hot plate. I feel like I've done everything wrong and want to go back to the first shoot last October," adding, "It would be great if the objective ratings and buzz were high, but I don't think this anxiety will disappear. All the works airing together are really good and fun. I don't have the confidence to say I want to be number one, but I have the ambition. Each work has its own style, so I hope viewers support and enjoy the style they want. I hope '모자무싸' becomes one of the works being talked about."

Park Hae-joon added, "It's my pride, but JTBC's highest rating is 'The World of the Married' (28.4%). I dream of surpassing JTBC's highest ratings with this work."

The 12-episode '모자무싸' premieres on the 18th at 10:40 PM.

Tae Yuna, Ten Asia Reporter youyou@tenasia.co.kr