Sometimes it may feel like fandom response may be strong enough to influence a project but that rarely if ever happens. Entertainment operates on basically the same principles as all money-making enterprises with a myriad of reasons behind casting and production that are beyond the scope of pure art that viewers may want to see. With that said, I haven’t seen quite an online casting brouhaha quite like the dust storm kicked up by the possible casting of Yoon Eun Hye with Park Shi Hoo for an upcoming Chinese-Korean joint produced romance movie.
Without rehashing why Yoon Eun Hye fans may have been apprehensive about her accepting the project even on rumored consideration alone, the movie After Love is still going ahead with the scheduled mid-November filming start on Jeju Island and the male lead has now been confirmed to be Park Shi Hoo. As of this post Yoon Eun Hye has still not been confirmed, and either she’s going to do it or some other leading lady will have the unenviable task of being publicly discussed as taking the role that Yoon Eun Hye passed on. Read on for more plot details which have been released about the sad romance movie.
Regardless of who the female lead will be, After Love will be Park Shi Hoo’s first Korean acting project since his date rape allegation scandal nearly two years ago and the Korean media is covering his involvement very intensely to see how the Korean viewers react to his return to the domestic industry. The plot synopsis reveals that the movie is quite male lead centric – Park Shi Hoo plays Kim Sung Jun who was formerly an airline pilot but had to transfer jobs to the ground crew when he suddenly can’t hear out of his left ear. He becomes bitter and angry about life, which also includes his marriage to his wife which was less out of love and more from meeting a nice woman who is a good fit after an arranged date.
After his wife unexpectedly dies, that is when he realizes and understands how she felt about him, and what she means to him. He starts to search for every little shadow left by his wife from his memories of her and he realizes how she was always there for him. He learns of his wife’s first love and decides to take her ashes to go in search of him. This movie is basically the belated love story of a man who doesn’t know the love he had until he loses her. This already sounds so depressing and not in a good way since the male lead actively doesn’t appreciate his wife until she’s gone, that’s not a man I can root for even in a fictional story. The movie will be directed by the PD of movie Plastic Tree and is aiming for a May 2015 release.
PSH should have chosen a villain psycho role to gain acknowledgement. Difficult to root or ship him as a romantic lead.
Yeah I think so too. There are actors whose not so nice private lives and not so nice characters I manage to forget while watching their performances (Lee Byung Hun is one such performer) but PSH is not at that level of talent and what he did would nag in my mind constantly while he is portraying a romantic man on screen. I’ll be disappointed if this project makes a lot of money. And just as I wrote this I remembered all the other people involved in this. The crew who probably had no say in who will be the lead actor. Will they be affected if the film loses money?
No matter who accepted the female part, I’ll feel bad for that actor.
Even if PSH wasn’t cast in this I would have passed. Eeek, a tear(jerk)er story based on flashbacks & ‘what could have been’: No thanks. That said, I’ll take the screencaps of Jeju: Always beautiful.
LOL! You summed it well. My thoughts exactly.
the wife’s first love will probably end up as the husband aka the male lead… *rolls eyes*
maybe it’s more of the wife and husband having a relationship based on marriage of convenience/arranged marriage and not really a passionate kind of love? or so the male lead thinks until he realizes later that his wife is actually in love with her husband… either way, pity for the wife still – dying without knowing her husband actually loved her and just did not realize it. then again, she did not confess her feelings too. and probably worked everything out behind the scenes so that she can marry the love of her life which is her husband. which is stalker kind of creepy if you think about it.
My thoughts Exactly
The sort of story where you just want to shake some sense into everybody but you can’t because one of them is dead and the other is in mourning. Pass.
How am I supposed to see Park Shi Hoo act out romance when I know that he is capable of raping an unconscious woman he just met that night? Gross.
Oh, so you were with them that night? Interesting…
Even if these actors weren’t there in this movie, it would have been a pass for me
Yeah, not my type of thing. PSH aside, I’m surprised she’d take something so male lead focused (if she does). It doesn’t sound like the female lead is particularly important.
I thought Yoon Eun Hye would choose drama which is more female centric rather than male centric story for her comeback.
Wow most ppl in this blog are still acting out as jury to convict PSH of something he’s not even indicted for!!! By law, he’s legally innocent. The rape charge according to the detailed media reports is so controversial. It’s mind boggling that as outsiders not witnessing the charged incident first hand, how ppl can so firmly allege that he committed the sexual assault but not the other way around as he defended himself. Is this how far ppl has got civil education about laws and orders?
I don’t consider myself a fan of PSH because I only watched two of his K dramas. But I do count him among talented actors, specifically in The Princess’ Man. I also read rave review of his film “The confession of a Murderer”. At this stage with only dropped charge of unconfirmed crime, I’ll give him benefit of the doubt and a chance to continue showcasing his acting ability and on screen charm.
It’s all about acting. What I care is whether actors/actresses can breathe in their plot characters and bring them alive. Do we K drama fans really think all the on-screen romantic heart throbs are Romeo in the real life? I’d not be so naive.. LOL..
typo: “Is this how far ppl has…” -> “Is this how far ppl have…”
Yeah, not a fan..:)
this remind me of Jang Hyuk case back in 2007. At that time, before Gong Hyo Jin took the lead female role, many actresses rejected the role, not only because of the character sounded less appealing, more because of JangHYuk’s drug scandal. But later, drama helped him instead gained his popularity back as well as for gong hyo jin, she won her first top excellent actress and Thank You become one of best drama in their records.
then the story itself of this movie remind me of an Indonesian Novel written by Habiburrahman El Shirazy – Pudarnya Pesona Cleopatra (Republika, 2005)
the husband obsessed to get a beautiful wife from mesir but he got married with average woman instead. HE treated her coldly and when he finally realized how wonderful his wife, he was late, she has gone forever.
As for me, sometime a female actress can be stand out even the role just a so so, even more there is possibility PSH would be shadowed by YEH performance if YEH really able to pull off the character.
As a fan of Gong Hyo Jin, is she gets offered this role, I wont told her to reject it immediately. I know she can pull off any kind of character, even the story is a mess, I believe she still able to shine through movie… I like YEH though not big fan of her, but every time she got offered a role, it’s a chance for her. I believe she still able to explore her talent and give much better than “coffee prince”. Wish the best for YEH and PSH.
Just a small correction. Jang Hyuk wasn’t involved in a drug scandal, it was draft dodging.
I see your point regarding Gong Hyo-jin taking a chance on Thank You and everything working out in the end, but in this case, I dunno. I don’t think Park Shi-hoo is a talented enough actor to overcome his perceived skeeviness.
I really appreciate the first paragraph of your write-up. It’s so nice to know there are still fair-minded people around!!
Park Si Hoo ssi, I support you and welcome your comeback! I believe your innocence!!
Well, for me i won’t watch him because he’s a douchebag based on the fact that he had a one-night stand with someone so young and drunk that she had to be carried into his home – it’s plain disgusting. He is a good actor, but I’ll just watch other good actors.
Ewwwwwwww……Dirty old man.
He’s not dirty, and he’s not old!!
Disgusting man. Why the movie was offered to him? I wonder if his rich family is having a stake in the production. Ewww my YEH’s lips shouldnt touch his!!
Thats my concern too…about whose the investor behind this project
Dear YEH, please give us the final decision soon :/
I don’t get the hate for the movie description. I mean for me I don’t really watch drama, not really my thing but I don’t see whats so condescending about the story. As for PSH I don’t know and don’t care much. I was never a fan and his case, unlike Kim Hyun Joong, the truth of the matter never got cleared. Granted I still think he acted irresponsibly.
If people want to boycott the movie because of him or giving the movie a pass because its not your thing (like me) be my guest but I don’t get the dissing.
Yes, some people are so full of hate — I’m guessing it’s because their lives are so miserable…
LOL! I sure hope PSH is giving you just as much love in return gigi, for your dogged defense of his honor. Make sure he takes you out to dinner or something.
lol – aren’t I silly? I guess I have a thing for what’s called justice
In that case, make sure he takes you out for drinks instead.
As a fan of Park Si Hoo, I look forward to seeing him act in something new. I don’t think this will be him as a romantic lead but more of a character acting opportunity- how does this person change and grow after living a certain way. However, I think many people (particularly women) are willing to see him as a romantic lead. His Chinese produced film, Scent, where he did play a romantic lead, seemed to do really well in China where he has lots of fans.
Oh my, sounds like a depressing drama to me. Will pass on this one.
I am so excited for YEH come back to screen. Missing her a lot.