The cast of SBS’s new Monday-Tuesday drama Gourmet chose Gangwon-do’s Vivaldi Park for their press conference on May 29, which included a display of some knife skills and cooking talents of two of the series’ leads, Kim Rae Won and Kwon Oh Joong.
In the drama, Nam Sang Mi plays a foodie columnist who becomes Kim Rae Won’s love interest, a role that was reportedly dangerous to her figure, given the many eating scenes filmed late at night. On top of that, Kim Rae Won’s reputed cooking skills weren’t exaggerated (”His food was delicious,” Nam Sang Mi says) and she ate more than usual.
The 24-episode drama also stars Kim So Yeon and Won Ki Joon and starts on June 16, after the short drama Tokyo Shower.
Let’s choose to look at this positively and not as a sign of trouble, shall we?
MBC’s long-awaited When Night Comes may have been garnering buzz for its lead stars Kim Sun Ah and Lee Dong Gun, but it’s had far less luck hanging on to its supporting actors. First, Lee Soo Kyung dropped out abruptly after filming had already commenced in Japan to headline the cast of her own drama, the upcoming Lawyers of Korea. Slated to play the third leg of the love triangle, she traded up from a supporting role in Night to a leading one in Lawyers.
Then, model-singer-actress Park Jiyoon was brought in to fill her spot, but almost as quickly as her role was announced, she suddenly pulled out of the project.
Now they’ve cast Kim Jung Hwa to mix up the budding romance between the two leads; her character is described as an overtly sexy woman who manages to also convey a cute and lovable appeal. Frankly, I think her image is a better fit for the description than Lee Soo Kyung as a “sexy fox” type seductress — Lee’s past roles have been more cute and cheery — although Park Jiyoon’s image also works.
With only about two weeks left till the series airs (June 16 premiere), hopefully this is the drama’s final cast shakeup.
With the ceremony still to go, photos have been released for actor and new father Jang Hyuk’s upcoming June wedding to longtime girlfriend Kim Yeo Jin (34). The photos are being released now because the wedding itself will remain closed to the public, out of respect to his bride’s family and the couple’s friends, who are non-celebrities.
Jang Hyuk expressed excitement about the nuptials, if a little abashment: “I’m a little embarrassed to be marrying after already having a baby, but I think that gives the wedding that much more meaning to me.”
The wedding will take place in Kangnam in Seoul on June 2.
Shinhwa’s Andy joins the campaign promoting the adoption of handicapped children (also promoted by Kim Rae Won and other stars). He poses with 10-month-old girl Miso (”Smile”).
SBS’s drama series My Sweet City held its press conference on May 27, and despite the project being described as a “premium drama,” it’s starting to sound kind of morose.
My Sweet City stars Choi Kang Hee as a 31-year-old everyday working woman whose love interest is played by Lee Seon Kyun in a “normal” and “realistic” story of love and career. Based on the novel by Jung Lee Hyun, the drama is directed by Park Heung Shik (I Wish I Had a Wife) and written by Song Hye Jin. When asked about the atmosphere on set, Choi Kang Hee answered honestly, “We’re not that close.” That took aback reporters, who are used to hearing answers about how well everybody gets along with everyone else; normally a cast of young actors results in lots of chatting and interaction. When a surprised reporter asked Choi Kang Hee if her wording was perhaps misleading, she answered straightforwardly, “No, we’re really not that close… Everyone’s introspective and not that talkative.” That extended to the press conference itself, which is described as being unusually quiet compared to other such events.
Furthermore, work on set is described as having a sort of “natural awkwardness”; reporters asked which cast member sets the mood and lightens the atmosphere on set, to which Lee Seon Kyun answered, “Nobody does.” He explained that it was a good thing — since the cast is composed of quiet personalities, there’s nobody forcing a mood or keeping chatter going: “It’s comfortable and natural, which is why I like it.”
It may be comfortable for the actors, but it sure doesn’t make My Sweet City sound very exciting. We’ll see how that translates in on-screen chemistry when the show premieres on June 6.
