Viewers and fans are eagerly awaiting the premiere episode of the Korean revenge drama “Wonderful World” starring actress Kim Nam-joo and K-pop idol-actor Cha Eun-woo.
“Wonderful World (원더풀 월드),” which also stars Kim Kang-woo and Im Se-mi, will be released on Disney+ on March 1.
"Wonderful World" with Kim Nam-joo and Cha Eun-woo (Disney+, MBC)'
This is Kim Nam-joo’s comeback drama in six years after starring in “Misty” in 2018.
The drama is Cha Eun-woo’s second drama in less than two months after the finale “A Good Day to be a Dog” aired in January, and his second consecutive drama project on Korean TV network MBC.
In “Wonderful World,” Kim Nam-joo, who is best known for the hit series “Queen of Housewives,” plays the role of Eun Soohyun, a successful professor suffering from depression following the death of her son;
Cha Eun-woo, star of “True Beauty,” plays the role of Gwon Seonyul, a medical school dropout who bonds with Soohyun over their similar traumas.
“Wonderful World” tells the story of Soohyun who will go to extraordinary lengths to exact revenge for the death of her son.
After her successful career, Soohyun faces a painful event with the death of her son in the hands of others. Driven into a spiraling depression, Soohyun becomes consumed by one thought – revenge.
During a press conference for the drama on Feb. 29, the four stars discussed their chemistry and roles in “Wonderful World.”
Kim Kang-woo is Kang Soo-ho, who is Soohyun's husband, while Im Se-mi is like a sister to Soohyun.
About his character, Cha Eun-woo said “he goes on an emotional roller coaster ride. If you can look at the emotional evolution, he has a lot of inner scars. As time goes by, you’ll get to find out some secrets about him and what those were all about.”
About Eun Soohyun, Kim Nam-joo said “she has a strong motherly love for her son and her life turns upside down in just one day. She has that big scar inside of her and she tries to heal that scar in the show and we have a very tightly knit storyline.”
Director Lee Seungyoung was asked why he decided to cast Kim Nam-joo and Cha Eun-woo in a ‘Wonderful World.”
“I don’t think I need a reason because it’s just a perfect cast. If you look at the roles in the show, you will find that the two are cut out for the roles. Nam-joo was just perfect for the role and I knew that performance would be wonderful,” he said.
About casting Cha Eun-woo, the director said, “And Eun-woo, even before we cast him, we were writing the script, the art director gave us some sketches and the sketch of Seonyul just looked like him. So I sent the picture to Eun-woo after I cast him. He just looks like Seonyul in the art director’s sketch. He was just cut out for the role and I think it was destiny that I found him.”
The press conference for the "Wonderful World" drama on Feb. 29 (MBC)
Kim Nam-joo said, “The whole process was really enjoyable. I loved all the cast, staff, director. I think it was a great collaboration.”
She said she chose “Wonderful World” as her comeback drama project because “what was important for me was the motherly love. That was what persuaded me. When Eun Soohyun loses her son unjustly, I thought I wanted to be her to represent how these bereaved families feel.”
Chemistry
About the unexpected pairing in the drama due to the age gap of 26 years between Kim Nam-joo, 52, and Cha Eun-woo, 26, the latter said their chemistry was great.
“First of all, the chemistry with Nam-joo was 100 points out of 100 points. It was perfect,” said Chae Eun-woo.
He added, “Right after the table read, we had a meal together. She was just a nice person. And she would just come to me, talk about things so when I talk with her, I thought we would get along really well.”
“On set when I had scenes together with her, it was so enjoyable. And whenever I was unsure of something, she would really give me nice advice. She was just a big help to me. It was ushc an enjoyable experience for me and I loved being on the set,” added Cha Eun-woo.
To portray the role of Seonyul who lives a rugged life, Cha Eun-woo said, “I tried to work out a little bit more. And as for the hairstyle, it couldn’t be too polished. And I tried to really put my shoes into the character in terms of outer appearance as well where how would he be like if he had gone through these events.”
Kim Nam-joo replied, “I’m gonna go with 110 [points out of 100]. The chemistry between Eun-woo and I, that’s something that I really think was unexpected. And I think it was an honor. On set, Eun-woo is someone who is really flexible as an actor, who has an open mind.”
“Honestly, in the beginning, it was a little bit overwhelming because he looked like a prince who had come to earth from a different planet. But as the days went by, he was like a little brother. And we had a lot of fun,” said Kim Nam-joo.
“Wonderful World” will premiere on Disney+ on March 1.
The press conference for the "Wonderful World" drama on Feb. 29 (MBC)