Goddess of Fire Jeongi Holds Press Conference

With Gu Family Book taking a 422-year time jump into K-drama infamy (at least the nonsensical endings of dramas such as Big or Queen In Hyun’s Man ended with the OTP still intact and in their current incarnations), its more straight-shooting sageuk network successor Goddess of Fire Jeongi readies for its premiere by trotting out its cast for the press conference. I’ve said before that sageuks have the choice of letting the cast attend in costume or modern garb and I’m not sure who makes the decision and for what reason. The cast of GFB attended in suits and dresses while the cast of GoF went full character attire and hair pieces. Moon Geun Young looks slightly better dressed in the uniform of a potter in the Royal Ceramic Department of the Joseon court, compared to the needs-to-be-burned ill-fitting peach hanbok. I don’t need her to look ravishing for this role, unlike Kim Tae Hee in Jang Ok Jung, Live in Love, since for the latter her looks are a major part of her historical character not to mention in the drama she must be fashionable attired since she plays a fashion designer. I do think the sageuk hair doesn’t suit Moon Geun Young as a general rule, she looks better with bangs and framing her face in layers. Oh well, nothing to do about that. Lee Sang Yoon doesn’t look nearly as fine dressed in royal robes as he did in The Duo playing a Joseon police officer. I know he’s the male lead but I still don’t feel any chemistry between him and Moon Geun Young, and the less I say about the pictures of them standing next to each other at the press conference the better for my sanity. Kim Bum looks so fine in costume I have no words other than gibberish and making grabbity gestures at the computer screen. I’m so happy to see Seo Hyun Jin here in the second female lead role since she’s fantastic in sageuks and totally stole the thunder of female lead Han Ji Hye in The Duo (plus she ended up with PIE, how awesome is that for a switch up of pairings). Here she harbors a one-sided love for Kim Bum, who loves Moon Geun Young, who has requited feelings for Lee Sang Yoon but their love cannot be. I guess this calls for angsty solo-pottery making sessions for Ms. Moon onscreen. The rest of the supporting cast is pretty awesome from Jung Kwang Ryul, Park Gun Hyung, Kwang Soo, Han Go Eun, Byun Hee Bong, Lee Jong Won, and Jung Bo Seok. GoF premieres next Monday on MBC and expect a 6-episode or so childhood sequence.


Comments

Goddess of Fire Jeongi Holds Press Conference — 37 Comments

  1. Finally.. I see hope. there are lots of MGY and LSY pictures looking and smiling at each other coming out. And it’s actually kinda looking good. I hope that “chemistry” comes out soon. Thanks for posting Madam Koala.

  2. Pardon me if my question is silly, but may I ask what the nickname PIE means? I’ve seen it used a few times on this site for actor Chung Jung-myung and was curious.

  3. Really not looking forward to this drama…. Was there a long highlight-reel!? Maybe only this could make me believe that this is actually going to work. D:

  4. I am NOT interested in the drama.
    But just had to comment on Kim Bum smiling. There should be a warning sign. He looks so hot in long hair.

    He looks good in anything.

    However LSY whom I loved in My daughter Seo Young- looks like a man next to a child namely MGY. Oh dear.

  5. Oh Bummie… So hawt!

    LSY and MGY totally gives me “Lolita” vibes! He looks like a total ajussi next to his little niece or something. Not good, not good…. 🙁

  6. I think it’s kinda sweet that both guys are usually smiling when Moon is near them, especially love the picture with the one where Moon is between LSY and KB. Can’t wait until the show starts and praying it has a captivating storyline.

  7. I like all the actors (especially Kim Bum) but I have such a bad feeling about this drama…:(
    LSY and MGY have an almost father/daughter vibe in these pictures.

    • Father/daughter maybe too extreme. I was thinking more like … Niece/Uncle!. I wish Kdramaland would cast actors and actresses who are closer to age with each other. Not saying that age is an issue, but on screen, it sometimes feels lackluster.

  8. We’ll see. MGY and Park Si Hoo had the same Niece/uncle vibe thingy for a while and then that pojangmacha scene came out, whoa, it was hawt!

    • Very good point! That is why it is best to refrain from commenting about the lead actor/actress so-called “chemistry” until we get to see them in the same episode, moving (and not 2 people who are just standing side-by-side), interacting, and having a real dialogue that we can hear. 🙂

    • Lee Sang Yoon has very manly features, even if he’s younger than park shi hoo he looks alot older. I still can’t believe moon geun young and lee sang yoon are only 5 years apart and yet he could really pass as her father(no, that’s not exaggerating. uncle/niece can still, in reality, look the same as father/daughter.)
      It’s going to have to take a really good director/writer to bring out any ounce of romantic chemistry. If they manage to do so, i’ll give em credit where it’s due

  9. How can this NOT be awesome, people?!

    Look at this cast! Look at them! I am grinning ear to ear at these and I know almost nothing about the plot. Joseon Female Potter meets some Kingish looking guy and there’s a pretty long-hair dude falling in love, too. All right, it isn’t unique or earth shattering, but look at the cast! It’s Park Gun Hyung, for crying out loud – aka Ahjussi Lee Jun-ki. One of the producers directed Me, too, Flower – so that could mean some good kissing, right?

    Am I on Tamra the Island with love for this one? Speaking of Tamra, wouldn’t it be nice if another sageuk could recreate that magic?

    You are right, though, about LSY in the Duo in uniform. Even this PIE lover had to move over to the LSY side in that show. Notsomuch now with him in the pin cushion crown. Oh well…

    I hope there are subbers interested. Please all you smart bilingual people!!

    • I’m with you jomo! I think this drama will be awesome too.
      Not only are the cast, both leads and supporting, young and old, composed of accomplished (and some popular) actors and actresses, but THERE IS STORY of a real life person who left behind a LEGACY to Korean
      culture, a story that I think has never been seen in a k-drama before. So, I totally couldn’t understand how anyone can quickly conclude, soley based on pictures above, that a drama, which has not yet aired a single episode, is boring!? Otoke!!!???

      Granted the teasers or trailers of Goddess of Fire doesn’t have Gumihos, or sword fighting, or cute teens singing, or steely stares from a vengeful dude, but it doesn’t automatically make the entire 32 episode drama boring. Has anyone heard of the saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover”?

      From the first episode trailer, which to those who have not seen it yet, can see it in imbc.com, I see royal politics and machinations, a mother’s apparent sacrifice, a poor child having to defend herself in front of royal court (why was she there is really intriguing), that same child interacting with the young prince who would be King (how and where did they first meet, I’m dying to find out), that same poor child not having a good first meeting with her future teacher/master in pottery (the kid got some attitude! ), and that same child displaying talent in pottery I can’t wait to see her adult counterpart played by Moon Geun Young!

      So, come on k-drama viewers, let us have an open-mind about this drama, let’s see it first and not jump to negative conclusions. **Peace**

      • It’s great that you find it intriguing. Honestly, I look at that and I see boring so I say boring. Yes, I judge the drama BEFORE I watch it by the stills and teasers because isn’t that the point of them? To entice you. And I just can’t find it interesting, but that doesn’t mean I won’t watch the first episode. At the end of the day, it really just depends on you. You either watch it or don’t regardless of what everyone else is saying.

      • I am with you @jomo,@bashful! I am really looking forward to this 🙂 aside from being a big fan of moonie’s,I’m actually more intrigued by the culture/artistic and historical context of the story 🙂

  10. Thanks Ms. Koala for this news and pictures. I like Moon Geun Young’s deep blue sageuk costume here and her sageuk hairdo. Just my preference, she looks prettier with her hair pulled back. Many of her pictures here remind me of Lee Young-Ae in “Dae Jang Gum”.

    • I agree. I have always felt that she would follow her footsteps, Less words, more actions. I like that. Someday she’ll marry a businessman outside the entertainment world. She’s an icon. I hope all the bet for her…

  11. I’m totally in the same mind with you Koala,I really don’t see the chemistry between the leads,instead I see it between MGY and Kim Bum..If only,If only Kim Bum is the lead..

  12. Oh I’m soo sad now. I was going to watch The duo, but now I lost my interest, thanks for such big spoiler! I didn’t see it coming.

    Btw, I see so many pictures of MGY and the main guy, and they look cute actually.

    So many actors together on pictures have no chemistry but on screen they have, so I’m going to wait.

    • The romance in The Duo is practically non-existent. Knowing who she ends up with will have literally no effect on your enjoyment of the series, I promise.

      On the same hand, the romance in The Duo is practically non-existent. The relationship that anchors the story is between PIE and LSY. As soon as I figured out I wasn’t going to get abs and kisses, I settled down and enjoyed the series with a different perspective.

      It tells a good story well, and the acting is first rate, but it is a historical sageuk and not a romantic one. Give it a try!

      • Ohh Ok, thanks for it, so I might watch it for the bromance lol. But but I had my couple that I shipped because of the young story part… they were so cute 🙂

  13. The leads make me think of a daughter and her doting Dad. Not really the vibe they should be giving off…

    I like everyone in the cast individually, but together, they are just a horrible mishmash. Skipping this one.

  14. Tbh this premise sounds so boring. Idk how they could make this even interesting. Pots and vases really? I like Kim Bum (his bangs is kind of distracting to me. It’s like he cut it himself, so uneven.) so I’m going to at least watch it. I honestly didn’t like That Winter Blows drama or whatever it was called.

  15. Is it worse that I am shipping the actors who play the kids more than their adults counterparts? Hopefully MGY and LSY will show chemistry somehow.

  16. I will be following this drama once aired, for us looking at the line up of the best and finest ACTOR’s in Korea cinema, this story much be of great quality. Looking forward to it, thanks for the update!

  17. Awww.. Kim Bum looks soo yummy.. Love his new hair..
    And Kwangsoo.. LOL, cant wait to see his another betrayal ‘act’ ^^

  18. Kim Bum looks like he has lost an awful lot of weight as i could not recognise him from the first photo. But he looks hawt and i am hoping for the 2nd lead to get the girl this time, and not the ahjusshi.

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