In light of the recent conclusion of the hit tvN drama ‘Lovely Runner‘, director Yoon Jong Ho took part in a roundtable interview to reflect on the work and his time spent with the cast members.
During his interview, director Yoon recalled how he worked closely with lead actors Byun Woo Seok and Kim Hye Yoon to bring the story of ‘Lovely Runner’ to life. He said, “The story called for the actors to use different tones to match their ages. It required a detailed strategy. The high school versions of Sun Jae and Sol spoke in tones slightly higher than Sun Jae and Sol in their twenties and thirties. Both Byun Woo Seok and Kim Hye Yoon worked hard to change their tones. The cast and the production crew worked together to pay attention to even the details that you cannot see with your eyes.”
The director also commented, “Actress Kim Hye Yoon already had a reputation for her quality acting skills. But when it came to the role of Im Sol, not only did her emotions fluctuate rapidly, but the role was not something that one could pull off purely with quality acting. As the female lead of a romantic comedy, the character had to have quality visuals. Because the viewers had to be convinced that Sun Jae fell in love with Sol at first sight. I wanted to bring out the peak of Kim Hye Yoon’s beauty. I frequently scolded her for that. To an actress whose strength is her acting skills, I requested that she work on her visuals.”
He continued, “Kim Hye Yoon heeded my word and began to focus on improving her visuals, like receiving ‘camera massages’. When we first started the project, she felt like a daughter, but by the end, she had a more womanly aura. I was proud of her efforts.”
After seeing the director’s comments, some Korean netizens raised voices of criticism for the director’s “judgmental views”. Some said,
“Kim Hye Yoon was the reason this drama did well. Is he being serious right now?”
“Are we in the right century..?”
“No matter how talented they are, female actresses are only judged based on their looks. But if you’re a male actor, all you have to be is handsome, and all is forgiven.”
“The drama’s success gave the director such a big head that he can’t make the right decisions about what should be said and what should not be said in public.”
“This drama would have tanked if it weren’t for Kim Hye Yoon’s acting, but he says that good acting isn’t enough? Why doesn’t he talk about how Byun Woo Seok could have improved his acting in some scenes?”
“OMG why is this director sh*ting on the drama now when it ended so well?”
“The way he said it seriously pisses me off.”
“It makes me mad to think that talented and hardworking actresses like her have to deal with this nonsense.”
“I’ve never seen a director who talked sh*t about the female lead of a project that brought him so much success.”
“Kim Hye Yoon is literally the definition of ‘lovely’.”
“Instead of scolding Kim Hye Yoon for her looks, he should have scolded the other male cast members for not being able to keep up with her acting.”
Meanwhile, ‘Lovely Runner’ aired its final episode last week on May 28 KST, recording an average viewership rating of 5.8%.
