Challenging a period drama for the first time, the actors breathe life into key historical figures in Wongyeong.
Wongyeong chronicles the story of a “kingmaker” who dreamed of a new world in the early Joseon Dynasty and made her husband, Lee Bang-won the third king of Joseon.
It is a work depicting the fiery life journey of Queen Wongyeong, the co-founder of the royal throne. Correspondingly, it explores the story of Queen Wongyeong, who was recorded in historical records as Taejong’s wife, or ‘Mrs. Min’, without her real name, lived an independent life without losing herself despite a terrible betrayal and harsh reality.
In addition, Wongyeong and Lee Bang-won are political partners who joined hands to change the world. Their passionate love and fierce conflicts will recreate the marital relationship and her life from a new perspective.
Playing the titular role of Wongyeong is Cha Joo Young (The Glory, Again My Life). She was born as the daughter of King Min, a prominent family who is part of a clan that can marry into the royal family.
Wongyeong is an intelligent and self-conscious woman with a dream of changing the world. So, the person she chose was her husband Lee Bang-won. Wongyeong makes him the king of Joseon and together they create a regime. However, even though Lee Bang-won destroys her father’s family and constantly takes other women, Wongyeong never compromises or breaks even in the midst of such betrayal and conflict.
Cha Joo Young, who engraved her strong presence and acting skills in the minds of viewers through The Glory, shares her thoughts about her latest project.
“It is a work that I really wanted to do. There is a good burden of playing a glorious role, but I am a person who has lived a hotter life than anyone else. Like Wongyeong I will prepare intensely and come back with a great work.”
Lee Hyun Wook characterizes King Taejong Lee Bang-won, Wongyeong’s husband and the third king of Joseon. Lee Bang-won is a man with a complex sense of inferiority: a country boy, a husband who took a better woman than himself as his wife, and a king who was not recognized by his father.
He is also the embodiment of the desire to overcome an inferiority complex and be recognized. He bears the responsibility for killing so many people, and the desire to become a great king in order to justify the revolution.
Therefore, he also has the twisted idea that he can check and destroy even his wife, who was the only woman he loved and his political companion if she becomes an obstacle.
Lee Hyun Wook, who makes his first appearance in a historical drama shares insights about his new acting endeavor.
“I never thought I would do a historical drama. This is a character that has been dealt with so many times in existing works, but I found out that there was a new story like this, so I was even more attracted to it. I prepared hard.“
Lee Hyun Wook has shown three-dimensional acting skills, going back and forth between good and evil, from a psychopathic killer to a romantic male lead, in various works regardless of genre, such as Strangers From Hell, Search, Mine and She Would Never Know.
The production team said, “Although it is Cha Joo Young and Lee Hyun Wook’s first attempt at a historical drama, they are fully demonstrating solid skills they have accumulated through various works. Above all, they perfectly understand the intention of the new approach of the work by focusing on the special marital relationship between the two characters.
“You will be able to see a new story that you haven’t seen before, different from the dramas of Wongyeong and Lee Bang-won, which have been covered many times.”
Wongyeong is a collaboration between director Kim Sang-ho of Hwajung and Arang and the Magistrate fame and writer Lee Young-mi, whom he worked with in Money Game.
Wongyeong is scheduled to be released on tvN and TVING in 2024.
Source: joynews24
