You’re missing a lot in your K-Drama life if you haven’t tuned in yet to So I Married The Anti-Fan!
Top-billed by Girl’s Generation member Choi Soo Young and actor Choi Tae Joon, So I Married The Anti-Fan is a drama adaptation of the original film of the same name released in 2018.
Embodying the popular catchphrase ‘opposites attract’, stars collide when a top celebrity is cast in a reality show with his most outspoken anti-fan, who previously worked as a TV reporter.
The drama explores the laughter and tear-filled relationship between this unlikely pair as they are forced to get to know each other and work through their frustrations and misunderstandings. The show also features 2PM member Hwang Chan Sung.
In an exclusive interview with iQiyi, Sooyoung candidly and insightfully relayed thoughts about her latest drama, So I Married The Anti-Fan. Find out also who she wanted to spend 24 hours with and who she misses the most!
On Playing The Role of Geun-young
Describing Geun-young as the most ordinary character she has ever played, she detailed that she has an average appearance and doesn’t have much presence or any special talents. Her thoughtfulness hidden within her humor is what makes her shine.
“Because of this, I understand what her strengths are. Actually, I’m also used to using humor to defuse any discomfort and awkwardness that may arise when I show care or kindness to others,” she said.
In preparing for the role, Sooyoung confessed that she’s not familiar with the idol fans’ culture. She has never crazily fangirled over any celebrities, nor has she ever imagined that she would become an anti-fan.
Playing the role of Geun-young who was forced to make a choice to resolve her pressing concern, she explained how she cleared the misunderstanding and fell in love in the process.
“My focus was on a natural delivery of emotions, and I also put a lot of effort into considering how to carry out the comedic elements.”
Picking Her Favorite Scene in the Series
Revealing the scene that left a deep impression on her, Sooyoung shared it to be the “angry heel” scene in the first episode. Aside from taking two days to film the nightclub scene, it was also the drama moment that triggers the conflicts and misunderstandings between her and Hoo-joon.
“The scene was very challenging in various aspects, but come to think of it now, it was very fun.”
Featured as a reporter who became a top star anti-fan, Sooyoung honestly hoped there were more scenes of her working as a Wonder Woman magazine reporter.
She said, “I learned a lot from freelance reporters whom I have a good relationship with and from people I’m close to in our company. I’ve also heard of many stories of people just like Geun-young, who suffer miserably from trying to manage their relationships with their superiors at work.”
On Working On A Drama Set In The World, She Is Familiar With
Having K-Pop industry as the background of the series, Sooyoung responded how working with actors of the same age in a romantic comedy material is the reason why she ventured into the drama. She added, “Many people around the world love the original work of this drama. I also really like the director’s previous works, so I thought this was a very good opportunity.”
Relaying her happy and comfortable time while filming, she disclosed how a lot of her suggestions were considered during the filming process.
“Because this is a romantic comedy, the coordination of the actors’ lines and the delivery of emotions in our lines are very important. Many interesting things happened as we improved our chemistry. We had a lot of fun discussing and deciding on things together. Therefore, the atmosphere on set was very cheerful. I also really enjoyed myself.”
When asked if nostalgic moments of her youth days when she first debuted hit her while filming, she expressed resonating with Geun-young a lot. That is after she suffered from the manipulative editing, reaching a realization that her words and actions affect a lot of things after being broadcast on TV
“This all reminded me of myself when I first debuted. At the beginning, I also didn’t understand much. Some of my words and actions led to misunderstandings, and I also felt hurt because of that. Not to mention that Geun-young is not even an artist, so I can absolutely imagine how scared and hurt she would be at that moment.”
On Missing Her Supporters + Her Thoughts About Anti-Fan
Genuinely missing her supporters, Sooyoung reckoned some of the best moments she shared with them.
“The way our fans lit up the arenas with our light sticks during our tour concerts and the warm encouragement and looks my fans gave me at Beaming Effect’s charity bazaar left a deep impression on me. Lately, I really miss the opportunities of interacting with our fans, like during our stage performances.”
Shedding light to the disheartening side about words from anti-fans, the singer-actress asserts her stand on being responsible on the words we leave online.
“Recently, Korea has suspended the comment feature on web portals, so their influence may not be as obvious compared to before. However, you’re still able to see hateful comments on social media platforms. I think they also know that it’s wrong to hide behind the Internet and vent their anger at other people. I think everyone should stop making accusations that don’t aim to point out the actual problems.”
When asked to share her personal experience in dealing with anti-fans, she admits replying to a netizen’s comment on her social media account. Her goal was to clear a misunderstanding so she provided an explanation. Honestly confiding how she used to think that people are just attacking her for no reason and that her explanation won’t matter since anti-fans do not listen, she has since changed that outlook.
“Later on, I realized that misunderstandings should be cleared up. That’s why I decided to train myself to form a good habit of clarifying misunderstandings through communication.”
On Working With Choi Tae Joon
Choi Sooyoung is in the same college graduating class with her male lead Choi Tae Joon. Replying to her thoughts about their collaboration, she has only genuine answers.
“Before filming started, I was a bit worried whether Tae-joon and I would be able to film the romance scenes. He is like a little brother who is very close to me. We’ve been seeing each other often ever since college. He is a very funny person, so I can’t help but laugh every time I see his face. But he actually fits Hoo-joon’s character very well, so I was able to get into character very well.”
Expounding more on how they film the bickering scenes, Sooyoung mentioned how joking with each other is natural between them. Thus, shooting the quarreling scenes was very easy. She also thanks Tae-joon for being a jokester, so teasing is a piece of cake for them.
Going candid before the end of the interview, Sooyoung answered the question: If you had to spend 24 hours with one person, who would you pick?
I would choose the members of Girls’ Generation. I would probably eat, chat, and play with them all day.
Lastly, she cites the reason why So I Married the Anti-Fan is not to be missed. “Both romance and K-pop elements are incorporated into this drama, so of course, you shouldn’t miss out on this show,” she concluded.
Catch up on the latest episodes of So I Married The Anti-Fan on IQIYI app or iQ.com!
KDRAMADIARY extends gratitude to iQiyi for the email interview transcript.
All photos provided by iQiyi.
