IU, Park Bo-gum talk about starring in Netflix’s ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines’

K-pop star and actress IU and actor Park Bo-gum are starring in Netflix’s Korean drama series “When Life Gives You Tangerines” that will premiere on March 7. 

“When Life Gives You Tangerines,” a 16-episode series with a reported production budget of 60 billion won (about $41.5 million), also stars actress Moon So-ri and actor Park Hae-joon. 

Also in the cast are Na Moon-hee, Lee Jun-young, Oh Jung-se and Yeom Hye-ran. 

IU and Park Bo-gum in the poster for “When Life Gives You Tangerines” (Netflix) 

IU at the press conference for “When Life Gives You Tangerines” in Seoul on March 5  (Netflix)

Park Bo-gum at the press conference for “When Life Gives You Tangerines” in Seoul on March 5  (Netflix)

IU and Park Bo-gum at the press conference for “When Life Gives You Tangerines” in Seoul on March 5  (Netflix) 

“When Life Gives You Tangerines” follows the adventures of Ae-sun (IU), “the remarkable rebel,” and Gwan-sik (Park Bo-gum), described as an “unyielding iron,” through four vibrant seasons on Jeju Island in South Korea. 

During the press conference for the drama on March 5,  IU said her character, Ae-sun, is "a girl with many tears, laughter, a lot of rebelliousness and many dreams. Although she has nothing, her heart is always full," the Korea Times reported. 

IU and Park Bo-gum are both 31 and this is the first time that they are both starring in a drama. 

"We first met while shooting an advertisement in our teens, briefly met again in our 20s for a special appearance in 'The Producers' and now we've met again in our 30s. It's fascinating that we're same-aged friends and we're acting together as we get older," Park Bo-gum said.

In 2012, IU and Park Bo-gum filmed a commercial for a noodle product. 

They both appeared in the Korean TV show “Hyori's Homestay” starring pop star Lee Hyori and her husband, Lee Sang-soon. They also met in the show “The Producers” in 2015.  

The drama title “When Life Gives You Tangerines” is a variation of the phrase “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” Jeju Island is known for tangerines. 

"Our English title is 'When Life Gives You Tangerines.' It's a drama about making warm tangerine tea from even the sourest tangerines life throws at you. I hope you'll take the time to watch our drama with a calm and peaceful heart," said IU said.

 The drama’s director, Kim Won-suk, said Jeju Island as the setting of the drama is important. 

"This is a place where you want to go to the mainland but can't easily leave. Life within that setting doesn't hold much hope for them. Jeju's unique beauty could amplify their pain. The rough stones, the strong winds and the existence of 'haenyeo' (female divers) are all important elements in the drama. I think Jeju was the optimal choice," he said. 

The first four episodes of the drama will be released on March 7 followed by four episodes every Friday. 

The cat of “When Life Gives You Tangerines” (Netflix)