Jaehwa Bernardo

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Why Lee Jae-wook, Jo Bo-ah chose to star in K-drama ‘Dear Hongrang’

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1747718135267Dear Hongrang_Unit_101_EUN03286.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Jo Bo-ah, left, and Lee Jae-wook in a scene from &#x27;Dear Hongrang.&#x27; <em>Photos courtesy of Netflix</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — South Korean actors Lee Jae-wook and Jo Bo-ah are no strangers to period dramas.</p><p>Jae-wook gained widespread recognition through “Alchemy of Souls,” a fantasy series that evokes the charm of dynastic Korea, despite its fictional setting. Bo-ah, meanwhile, has explored historical settings through roles in series like “Tale of the Nine Tailed” and “Destined With You.”</p><p>“I think there’s a definite, very clear charm that a period drama has. I think compared to contemporary dramas, [period dramas] really draw you in, whether you’re part of the audience or you’re the person creating it,” Bo-ah said via an interpreter in a recent roundtable interview with select Filipino press.</p><p>For the first time, the two are teaming up, donning the traditional hanbok to transport audiences to Korea’s Joseon dynasty in Netflix’s mystery melodrama, “Dear Hongrang,” which premiered May 16 on the streaming platform. </p><p>“Dear Hongrang” begins with the mysterious disappearance of Hongrang, son of the family leading Joseon’s largest and most influential merchant guild. Over a decade later, a man claiming to be Hongrang (Jae-wook) reappears in the family’s household, insisting he has no memory of his past.</p><p>But Hongrang’s half-sister, Jae-yi (Bo-ah) is suspicious of the man, accusing him of being an impostor, which sparks tensions between the two.</p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/T-am5ihb31E?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><p>During the roundtable, Bo-ah told ABS-CBN News that “Dear Hongrang” appealed to her because of its exploration of sibling love. Her character, Jae-yi, deeply longed for the half-brother she had been separated from as a child.</p><p>“For me, when I first read the script, I enjoyed the story so much that I thought I really wanted to be a part of the project, no matter what the role may be,” the actress said.</p><p>“This story really explores sibling love and that&#x27;s one of the reasons I was really drawn to the project as well,” she said.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1747718225027Dear Hongrang_Unit_107_EUN05088.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Jo Bo-ah</span></span></span></div><p>Jae-wook, on the other hand, was drawn to the series’ focus on the merchant family, as well as how the story intricately ties in art and mystery.</p><p>“For me I was really drawn to one of the subject matters and the backdrop being the Min family’s guild because this is a subject matter that hasn’t been dealt with in a lot of different dramas,” he said.</p><p>“And the fact that it has to do with the element of the arts was also what I was very drawn to. And all of the mysterious circumstances and emotions—it also has to do with the fact that it is something that happens within a family guild, so I think that was one of the reasons why I was really drawn to it,” he explained.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>Preparations</strong></div><p>Jae-yi required a lot of emotional depth from Bo-ah, as the character goes through a great deal throughout the story, from the desperation of searching for her long-lost sibling to navigating life in a household where she often feels unwelcome by certain family members.</p><p>“My character, Jae-yi, is someone who has a lot of rich emotions,” Bo-ah said. “However, she is someone who’s expressions and emotions are still always oppressed. So I tried to focus on that aspect.”</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1747718236628Dear Hongrang_Unit_108_EUN06625.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Lee Jae-wook</span></span></span></div><p>For his part, Jae-wook underwent extensive physical preparations, which he mentioned also helped him effectively convey his character’s emotions.</p><p>“The character, Hongrang, is someone who is very sensitive and on edge. To prepare for the character and because there were scenes where I had to take my clothes off, I was on a strict diet. And being on a strict diet made me very sensitive and be on edge,” he recalled.</p><p>The actor also spent “many hours” preparing for the action scenes, which involved him engaging in sword fighting and wielding a bow and arrow.</p><p>“They were very hard to pull off. While there were wires and everything, it was still a very challenging sequence,” Jae-wook said.</p><p>“I remember going through many hours of training and rehearsals, and I&#x27;m very happy to say that I think all of our efforts did pay off because I&#x27;m very happy to see how the final result turned out,” he added.</p>

<p>South Korean actors Lee Jae-wook and Jo Bo-ah reveal what drew them to the period melodrama 'Dear Hongrang' and reflect on their experience working together.</p>

South Korean actors Lee Jae-wook and Jo Bo-ah reveal what drew them to the period melodrama 'Dear Hongrang' and reflect on their experience working together.