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| ▲ This photo provided by Genie TV and ENA shows the main cast and director of their new Monday-Tuesday Kdrama series, "My Troublesome Star." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, Aug. 13 (Yonhap) -- "While ‘Wonderful Nightmare’ is a fantasy film, ‘My Troublesome Star’ is a drama that sticks closely to real life and feels much more poignant," actor Uhm Jung-hwa said on Tuesday at a press conference for Genie TV and ENA’s new Monday-Tuesday drama "My Troublesome Star."
"My Troublesome Star" is a romantic comedy about South Korea’s biggest top star who suddenly becomes an ordinary middle-aged woman. Uhm plays Bong Cheong-ja — whose stage name 25 years ago was Lim Se-ra — a former top star trying to make a comeback, with the help of police officer Dok Go-cheol, played by Song Seung-heon. Lee El appears as top actor Go Hee-young, and Oh Dae-hwan plays Kang Doo-won, head of a global entertainment company.
"Having worked in the entertainment industry for so long, some parts felt especially interesting to me," Uhm said. "I started acting with the question of what it would be like if I suddenly became someone no one recognizes."
She added, "I thought a lot about how to portray Cheong-ja years later. I deliberately checked my appearance to look less glamorous — puffing up my hair to cover my face and eating comfortably during filming."
Uhm said she also worked hard to create a seamless connection with actor Jang Da-ah, who plays Cheong-ja’s younger self. "We both have moles on our noses, but hers is more centered while mine is slightly to the side, so I erased mine and redrew it. We also created shared habits, like the way we flip our hair," she said.
The drama has drawn attention as Uhm and Song’s first project together in 10 years, following the 2015 film "Wonderful Nightmare."
"Time really flies," Song said. "‘Wonderful nightmare’ was a two-hour film, so just when it felt like we were in sync, filming ended. This time it’s 12 episodes with so many stories and twists, so we could work together as much as we wanted."
Some have raised concerns that the plot — with Uhm’s character undergoing a sudden change — overlaps with "Wonderful nightmare."
"I was worried too because of the similarity, but once I read the script, it was full of richer stories, so I had no hesitation in choosing it," Song said. "People might think it’s just a romantic comedy, but once it airs, they’ll see there are many mysterious incidents as well as moments of comfort and healing."
Song also expressed confidence the series could surpass ENA’s hit "Extraordinary Attorney Woo." "Just doing a fun project with Uhm Jung-hwa was a joy. The script itself was so entertaining that filming couldn’t help but be enjoyable," he said. "Among ourselves, we’ve even wondered if this could be ENA’s biggest hit since its founding."
"My Troublesome Star" premieres at 10 p.m. on upcoming Monday.
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