Why Kim Nam-joo chose tragic drama with Cha Eun-woo after 6-year hiatus

Unlike many K-drama fixtures, we don’t really see Kim Nam-joo accepting role after role like there’s no tomorrow. But there’s good reason why she is considered a legend is her field of expertise—she always delivers.

In fact, the 52-year-old former Miss Korea contestant won four consecutive Daesangs (grand prizes) for the projects she has agreed to take on since 2010’s “Queen of Housewives,” where she portrays the struggling wife of a once-promising office employee.

Thereafter, Nam-joo also clinched Daesangs for playing a woman torn between her career and motherhood (in 2010’s “Queen of Reversals”), a TV producer/director with an ax to grind against her in-laws (2012’s “My Husband Got a Family”), and a seasoned anchorwoman who becomes the prime suspect in a murder case (2018’s “Misty”). How prolific can you get?

So the hullabaloo surrounding the announcement over Nam-joo’s decision to act opposite dreamy heartthrob Cha Eun-woo is understandable.

For his part, the dashing 26-year-old K-pop star (Astro), known for his roles in “Gangnam Beauty,” “True Beauty” and “A Good Day to Be a Dog,” endeared himself even more to his Pinoy fans after calling the Philippines his “second home” (he recalls studying English for six months here with so much fondness).

In the MBC drama series “Wonderful World,” which began streaming on Disney+ last Friday, Nam-joo takes on the role of psychology professor and award-winning book author Eun Soo-hyun whose picture-perfect life crumbles after her only son, 6-year-old Gunwoo, dies in a hit-and-run traffic accident.

But Soo-hyun takes matters into her own hands when Ji-woong, the remorseless driver with strong links to a corrupt congressman, inexplicably gets off with a suspended two-year sentence! The heart-crushing tale takes a compelling turn when Soo-hyun crosses paths with Kwon Seon-yeul (Eun-woo), who has his own demons to purge.

Helping Soo-hyun keep her wits about her is her similarly grieving husband, investigative reporter Kang Su-ho (Kim Kang-woo of “The Missing”), and best friend Han Yu-ri (Im Se-mi of “The Worst of Evil”).

“I play an established writer whose life is turned upside down when she loses her son,” said Nam-joo when asked about her decision to accept the role at the press con last week. “She’s driven by strong motherly love, by the guilt [that holds her back], the big scar brought about by Gun-woo’s death, and the healing process that seems to evade her.”

Weave into characters

The actress did say she had butterflies in her stomach when she was offered the project because the last time she acted in a series was in 2018 (for “Misty”).

“It’s been six years! With MBC, it’s my 13th year,” she explained. “What was important for me was feeling Soo-hyun’s motherly love … that’s what persuaded me [to accept this]. I wanted to be her to represent how bereaved families feel.

“I am also a mother of two kids—that’s where everything started. As a mom myself, I can represent how all the mothers in the world feel. And if I can do that well, this could end up being a very successful show, even if the narrative has a tragic or gloomy tone.

“You know, it has been about 30 years since I debuted as an actress and I wanted to make sure that while Soo-hyun and Nam-joo are distinctly different from each other, my experience has kind of taught me to weave myself into the characters I bring to life.”

Was it a conscious decision for Nam-joo to accept another drama that feels tonally similar to “Misty”?

“My approach was actually different from how it’s described,” she pointed out. “In the past six years, I actually distanced myself from work. Instead, I spent quality time with my children. And during that time, rather than thinking about what project I wanted to do next, I thought about choosing roles that I’m drawn to, so it’s not really about the genre.

“When I read a script, it has to speak to me. If I go, ‘I feel like I can do this,’ that’s how I tend to choose my roles. My characters in ‘Misty’ and ‘Wonderful World’ are completely different. The tone may be slightly similar, but ‘Wonderful World’ has a more humanistic approach.

“Also, I’ve spent a lot of time with my kids, but they no longer need me, if I may be so blunt (laughs). I’ve also grown over that period of time. Since my kids don’t need me as much, I thought it was time for me to get back to work.”

Chemistry

While Eun-woo’s character is just as pivotal in the series, it is one that’s initially shrouded in secrecy—even after the second episode is dropped today.

“Yes, Seon-yul is a little mysterious—but there’s good reason for that,” Eun-woo admitted. “Having been raised in a wealthy family, he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. But something happens to him that makes him lead a very rough life. That’s where the air of mystery is coming from.

“I can’t tell you much about my character without spoiling the story for you. Suffice it to say that Seon-yul goes on an emotional roller-coaster ride. He too has a lot of inner scars and, as time goes by, you’ll find out secrets about him that will explain all that mystery.”

Admittedly Eun-woo’s new role is a departure from his character in “A Good Day to Be a Dog,” where he was cast as a romantic lead. Wasn’t he intimidated by Nam-joo’s “celebrated” reputation?

“My chemistry with Nam-joo was 100 points out of 100—it was perfect,” Eun-woo declared, smiling. “In the beginning, when we did the table read, Nam-joo looked a little posh. But right after the table read, we had a meal together and I realized that she was such a nice person!

“On set, she would come to me and talk about things. We got along so well it was so enjoyable. And whenever I was unsure of something, I would ask her for advice.”

“Yes, I was in ‘A Good Day to Be a Dog’ before this, also with MBC. But ‘Wonderful World’ is a totally different show. I wouldn’t really think of it as a big transformation, per se. But playing someone with Seon-yul’s inner scars was something I wanted to sink my teeth into because I love the way he tries to overcome them. So, I just immersed myself into the role and did the best I could to pull it off.”

On the other hand, Kang-woo said he enjoyed basking in the complexity of his role as much as seizing the opportunity to work with Nam-joo, Eun-woo and Se-mi.

“I’m a reporter-turned anchorman here,” he related. “Tragedy befalls my family, so I want to get to the bottom of it. As you saw in the highlight clip, I keep screaming at the top of my lungs. But that’s because of my infinite love for my loved ones.”

Meanwhile, Se-mi said that while she’s been cast as Soo-hyun’s best friend, there’s more to her perpetually sunny character than meets the eye.

She disclosed, “Yu-ri becomes the CEO of a boutique shop, but there are mysterious things about her that are worth exploring. If you look at Yu-ri as a person, she might look bubbly. But that’s just one facet of her personality.

“If you really take a closer look, you’ll see that she’s also gone through a lot of different things. As with everybody who goes through so many things in their lives, Yu-ri is just as multilayered and three-dimensional as a person.”

Beautiful, human

Asked to talk about ‘Wonderful World’ in a nutshell, director Lee Seung-young said, “The series is about all of us who live in a world where we’re consistently losing something. Despite the challenges, however, we want to make the world a better place.

Pressed to explain the upbeat sensibility of the tragic drama’s title, the director intimated, “The backdrop of our story may indeed be anchored on tragedy. But you know, when everything else is very dark, it’s easier to see the characters shining through it even more. They look more beautiful, more human within that backdrop.”

He said he thought of casting Nam-joo and Eun-woo for the two main characters because they’re a snug fit for their respective roles.

“If you watch the show, you’ll immediately notice that it’s been perfectly cast,” he stressed. “Nam-joo and Eun-woo seemed cut out for their characters. Nam-joo just stayed home for six long years, so I’m happy that she’s back on the small screen.

“As for Eun-woo, even before we cast him, when we were still writing the script, the art director sent me character sketches of Seon-yul—who looked just like Eun-woo! So I think it was destiny that I ended up casting him for this character.”

There are a lot of mystery dramas out there, so what makes this show stand out from others?

“When I read the script for the first time, I found it to be a very well-balanced and well-written show,” the director shared. “I’ve always wanted to do a mystery that has an elegant vibe to it, and I thought that the script for this was very deep. And there’s a lot of layers in its mystery.

“With a tight narrative coupled with amazing portrayals, you’ll soon see why it’ll stand out from others in its genre. When I was on set, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing with my own eyes—that’s how great this cast is.”