IU, Park Bo-gum on portraying seasons of life in ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines’

IU and Park Bo-gum in a promotional photo for “When Life Gives You Tangerines.” Image: Courtesy of Netflix Korea

For IU and Park Bo-gum, bringing the love story of Ae-sun and Gwan-sik to life in “When Life Gives You Tangerines” allowed them to look back at their lives from a third-person point of view.

“When Life Gives You Tangerines” tells the love story of Oh Ae-sun (IU and Moon So-ri) and Yang Gwan-sik (Park Bo-gum and Park Hae-joon) through four different seasons — the blooming of spring, the heat of summer, the shifting of temperatures in autumn, and the bittersweet tinge of winter. It also covers the complexities of growing up and how a person’s life can be considered as well-lived.

Portraying their respective characters was, admittedly, a time of reflection for IU and Bo-gum. “I thought about that,” the singer-actress said during a roundtable interview. “I’ve been working in the industry since my teenage years. I think the changes and growth I’ve gone through are more obvious because you have it on record, right?”

IU was only 15 when she debuted with “Lost Child” in 2008. Since then, she has gone through different stages of life while dealing with negative comments and the pressures of the entertainment industry.

“I literally have a record of how I changed through the years. I think compared to my teenage years, I have grown to become more relaxed,” the now 31-year-old said. “My view of the world has [changed into something] filled with joy. When I was younger, I was more aloof in terms of how I viewed the world. Now that I’m in my 30s, I think I’m more at ease.”

IU and Park Bo-gum during the press conference of “When Life Gives You Tangerines.” Image: Courtesy of Netflix Korea

Meanwhile, Bo-gum initially wanted to be a singer-songwriter. He eventually changed his career path and started acting at 18. “When I think about the time that passed since my teenage years and through my acting career, studies, and serving in the military, I think I was given the chance to meet more people and experience a lot more things,” he recalled.

Meeting different people and going through different experiences allowed the actor to contemplate the seasons of his life. “It allowed me to have a wider view of the world, and it also allowed me to be more introspective and look at what I’ve gone through. In that way, I think I matured a lot.”

Different lives

While the love story of Ae-sun and Gwan-sik is one of the highlights of the series, “When Life Gives You Tangerines” also covers the lives of their three children, particularly their eldest daughter Geum-myeong (IU), and the people around them.

“You know the saying, it takes a village to raise a child? What is very similar to that in our drama series, toward the latter episode, is that it takes a village to save one life. I think that’s one of the very important messages it conveys,” IU said, touching on the importance of community among other people.

“While the lives of everyone are important, it’s just as important as the solidarity and the way we care [for each other], and to be the nightguards in everyone’s lives,” she continued. “I think that gives way to a richer humanity. It’s not just about the love story of Ae-sun and Gwan-sik, but it’s about heart-to-heart relationships and solidarity.”

The slice-of-life drama also makes it a point to show Gwan-sik’s undying devotion to Ae-sun. He doesn’t express love through flowery words or extravagant gestures — except the time he jumped off the boat to reunite with her. Instead, he assures her that his love remains constant throughout their marriage.

“[I also want to note] the way Gwan-sik looks at Ae-sun with such an undying love for her and on top of that, the diligence that you see as part of the nature of that love, and the agape love that he expresses to Ae-sun and those around him,” Bo-gum said of his character. “Watching my character, I really think he’s such an admirable man.”

While Bo-gum has experience in the slice-of-life genre, one of the reasons why he accepted the role of Gwan-sik is that he wanted to do a project that would make him proud to show to his family someday.

“I would [also] say the story of life between Ae-sun and Gwan-sik is so adorable and lovable. I think that it’s one of the reasons why I was so drawn to the story,” he added.

(From left) Park Hae-joon, Moon So-ri, IU and Park Bo-gum during the press conference of “When Life Gives You Tangerines.” Image: Courtesy of Netflix Korea

On the other hand, IU said she is touched by the leads’ love story, which covers its span from beginning to end. “The fact that this love story stretches from when they were young kids to their later years in life, I feel that it’s already special because of that,” she explained. “It’s the first time for me as an actor to portray something like that, so it made me want to be a part of it even more.”

When asked about their messages to their younger selves, IU and Bo-gum took a moment before reflecting on how much they’ve grown.

“To my younger self, I would like to say try it. If it doesn’t work, just go back. You have a lot of opportunities and time ahead of you. If something doesn’t feel right, just get out of it,” said the singer-actress.

For his part, the actor hoped that his younger self would be aware that he is “doing very well.”

“To myself as a student, I would like to say whatever you’re doing now is enough. You’re doing very well and you will continue to do very well,” he said.

While “When Life Gives You Tangerines” is IU and Bo-gum’s first drama as an onscreen pairing, they first worked together in an instant noodle commercial in 2012. They appeared in the variety show “Hyori’s Homestay” in 2015, and the actor also made a guest appearance in “The Producers” (which starred the “Good Day” singer) in the same year.