Headlined by Kim Young Dae, Park Ju Hyun, and Kim Woo Seok, The Forbidden Marriage is slated for its premiere tonight.
Based on a novel of the same, The Forbidden Marriage is set in a historical era wherein marriage is banned by Joseon King Lee Heon (Kim Young Dae) when he lost the crown princess seven years ago.
Appearing in front of him is So Rang (Park Ju Hyun), a marriage swindler who claims to be able to possess the deceased Crown Princess’ spirit.
Taking MBC’s Friday-Saturday slot, The Forbidden Marriage promises another delightful series for the audience.
Ahead of its anticipated launch, the drama’s production team and its lead casts held a press conference at the CGV Yongsan I’Park Mall.
Director Park Sang Woo and the novel’s original author Cheon Ji Hye revealed the inspiration behind the drama and its initial premise.
“It started from the imagination of ‘What if marriage was banned in Joseon for seven years?’ It is a story of the characters King Lee Heon, his best friend Lee Shin Won, and the con artist Sorang blossoming together.”
Well-rounded casts
Kim Young Dae plays the role of King of Joseon, Lee Heon. Unable to forget the deceased Crown Princess, he issued a decree banning marriage throughout the entire country. He unintentionally introduces So Rang into the palace and gets caught up in the effect of his royal order.
Venturing on his first-ever historical drama role, Kim Young Dae expressed:
“It’s a project that I worked hard on. I’ve always wanted to try historical dramas. Also, there are many elements that you’ll find interesting.”
Regarding the reason for casting Kim Young Dae, PD Park indicated:
“I thought of it right after seeing the original webtoon. The decision for casting him was quickly done unanimously.”
Through a lot of auditionees, PD Park revealed that he finally discovered Kim Woo Seok. In the drama, the actor plays Lee Shin Won, an official who works in the government’s judiciary organ. He is a character with a warm persona and outstanding martial arts skills who is perfect in everything.
Far from the roles he played before, the actor conveyed that he wanted to show a different charm through this work.
“As we filmed, we experienced the cold and heat more clearly than of shooting a modern drama. Still, as we struggled and had good moments together, the difficulties were lessened since there are way more fun times.”
His co-star Park Ju Hyun even gave an approval thumbs up to Kim Woo Seok saying:
“He’s like a ray of sunshine. He’s as warm as Lee Shin Won’s character. Because we filmed a lot of scenes, there are times when I get tired and sick. But he comforts me by telling me, “It’s hard right, let’s cheer up!” Personally, I gained so much strength.”
Park Ju Hyun plays So Rang, the hostess of the tea house and a con artist who provides relationship advice and secretly connects couples.
Expressing her fear of challenging a different kind of genre, the actress admitted:
“Working on a traditional drama requires memorizing a huge amount of lines. I heard from other senior actors that historical dramas are difficult, so I started scared. Just as I thought, it was tiring.”
Recounting the times while they were filming, Park Ju Hyun commented:
“I ask myself, ‘Shouldn’t we shoot outdoors whether it’s hot or cold?’ Still, the atmosphere on the set was very bright. We had fun and got along well with each other.”
On to the question of will their new drama be able to take over the success of MBC’s Friday-Saturday historical drama The Red Sleeve, the actress admitted:
“I didn’t feel any pressure because The Red Sleeve did well. The colors we have are so different. There may be overlapping parts within the genre of historical drama that we have, but I think it will look different because the plots and characters are distinct.”
Responding to the same question, PD Park emphasized:
“The difference between our work is freedom. Since it is a work that started with a unique imagination rather than an authentic historical drama, you will be able to feel a different charm.”
The actors asked the viewers for a lot of interest and anticipation ahead of its first broadcast. Then, Park Ju Hyun hinted:
“You will certainly laugh a lot in this drama. Since we had a lot of fun filming it, I think you will also enjoy it.”
Raising the audience’s expectations, PD Park affirmed:
“We will show you the result.”
Meanwhile, MBC’s new Friday-Saturday drama The Forbidden Marriage premieres on December 9 at 9:50 PM KST.
Source | Photos: iMBC
