Kim Tae-ri is embarking on a ‘box office magic’.

Kim Tae-ri, who made box office hits with all of her leading dramas, starting with ‘Mr. Sunshine’ in 2018, ‘Twenty-Five, Twenty-One’, ‘The Demon’, is making a comeback after a year and going after ratings.

The new tvN drama ‘Jeongnyeon’, which will air on the 12th, is set in the 1950s after the Korean War and depicts the growth process of Jeongnyeon, a ‘natural vocal genius’, who challenges herself to become the best national theater actress. Based on a popular webtoon of the same name, Kim Tae-ri plays the role of Yoon Jeong-nyeon.

◯Even her long hair was ‘cut short’… Studying dialect for 3 years

This drama is drawing attention because it is the comeback of Kim Tae-ri, who is on an undefeated streak on the small screen, and because it features gugak (traditional Korean musical) as its subject matter, which has never been covered in a drama before.

Gugak is a type of theater that consists of singing, traditional dance, etc., and what makes it unique is that the cast is made up entirely of women.

Kim Tae-ri attended a production conference held at the Conrad Seoul Hotel in Yeouido, Seoul on the afternoon of the 10th ahead of the first broadcast and said, “When I first heard about the subject matter of women’s gugak, I thought, ‘Why hasn’t such fun and fresh material been made into a drama?’ But I guess it’s because it’s difficult. It was even more difficult once I actually started.”

Like the phrase “a series of new challenges,” Kim Tae-ri prepared and prepared again for this drama for 3 years.

From the moment I first received the offer to appear in 2021, I thought, “This is it”, and I took voice lessons from then on. I also practiced the Jeolla dialect until I was used to speaking it, based on the setting of moving from my hometown Mokpo to Seoul.

“I learned dance, Mokpo dialect, and stage acting while referring to books and documentaries. I gritted my teeth and practiced because it was hard. What‘s interesting is that (national theater) is similar to today’s idol fandom culture, although it‘s a different era. The process of becoming famous through the idol system and having friends who admire national theater actors join as trainees is also very current.”

Kim Tae-ri is quite familiar with the historical drama tone and hanbok costumes that she has shown in the past movies ‘The Handmaiden’ and ‘Mr. Sunshine’. However, this time, she worried a lot, thinking, “What if it doesn’t suit her?”

“I was like that too, and in fact, the director worried a lot about whether the makeup would be okay. According to historical facts, the makeup should be thicker. After going through many ideas and discussions, we decided to soften it and express it with dramatic permission. It might be a little unfamiliar, but I hope you enjoy it as a refreshing and fun story. The way of speaking strangely fit my mouth. Later, I found out that the (original) writer based the character Nam Sook-hee in ‘The Handmaiden’ on it, and I was really grateful.”

◯Shin Ye-eun, Ra Mi-ran and ‘100% chemistry’

Kim Tae-ri will act with Shin Ye-eun, Ra Mi-ran, and Moon So-ri in the drama.

Shin Ye-eun not only boasts solid skills in singing, dancing, and acting, but she also comes from a family background that makes her a so-called ‘seonggol’. It is a character that is the opposite of Kim Tae-ri, who was born with only talent.

Ra Mi-ran plays Kang So-bok, Kim Tae-ri‘s teacher and the head of the national theater troupe. She boasts considerable charisma in the drama.

“I did it because (Kim) Tae-ri was going to appear,” Ra Mi-ran said with a smile. “If you use the genre of women’s national theater as the subject matter, it‘s easy for that to become the background. However, I really liked how the actors’ stories and various performances actually came out. I think the fact that the performances were made with sincerity and depth is what sets it apart from other dramas.”


Reporter Lee Jeong-yeon annjoy@donga.com