I’m inclined to wash my hands for the time being on the casting shenanigans around fantasy vampire sageuk Scholar Who Walks the Night. Did MBC send out a mass invite to all leading lady actresses in the same age range and then sat back to see who would bite? It’s exhausting at this point to see one name floated only to say no and then back to square one again with yet another name. Right after news broke that Jin Se Yeon decided to turn down the offer for this drama, Lee Yoo Bi’s name joined the fray as the latest actress to be in talks to romance Lee Jun Ki.
It’s not clear if Lee Yoo Bi is up for the female lead or the second female lead, or what role exactly Kim So Eun is still in talks for. If Lee Yoo Bi and Kim So Eun both confirm the drama then I actually don’t care who plays the cross-dressing noblewoman first lead and the gisaeng second lead. Based on the track record with this drama’s casting issues, I wouldn’t place my bets on any of the latest casting news, especially with Lee Yoo Bi who recently turned down the chance to play twin leading ladies in the KBS Mon-Tues drama Who Are You: School 2015. Much as I’d love to see Jun Ki as the vampire scholar, part of me wishes he just wash his hands of this whole thing now and save me some heartburn.
To refresh – right now only Lee Jun Ki is confirmed for Scholar, Chang Min and Lee Soo Hyuk are still in talks for supporting male lead roles, and Kim So Eun and Lee Yoo Bi are the latest actress names to be considered for the drama after running through Han Groo and Jin Se Yeon already.
Yubi is like a child next to LJK.
@K,
I totally agree. I don’t know how they will make a convincing romantic pair.
Even KSE looks a tad bit like a child next to LJK, but Lee Yubi with her baby face looks 15 at the most to me.
If she’s the lead, count me out, because I’ll be totally creeped out by their pairing.
Me too. I’m out with this cast.
Lee Yoo Bi is 25 not 15. If she can pair with Lee Pil Mo who’s 39, I don’t see any problem with her pairing up with LJK who’s 6 years younger at 33. Furthermore, LJK looks a lot younger than his real age. And Kim So Eun is 26.
If these actresses who are already in their mid-twenties can’t pair up with leading actors who are in their early 30s, then how are they ever going to get leading roles? Should they stick to high school roles? If they pair with actors in their twenties, would the guys be considered to be too young for them?
Imo, what’s important is does the actor or actress suit the role they are cast for? Are their acting skills good enough? From what I know, LJK’s character is 150 years old. In view of his old age, I doubt he will be acting as a youthful person in this drama, rather as someone who is ageless. And he really looks like the manhwa character. And since the female lead is cross-dressing as a boy, not a man, she has to look young right?
C’mon the age different is just 6 years! Anyway Lee Jun Ki looks 18, though.
so true
I doubt these girls will have a problem in chemistry department. KSE had a good chemistry with Ji Jinhee, Jo Seung Woo and Lee Sangyoon which are way way older than her. Same goes for Lee Yoobi with Lee Pil Mo.
And both actresses have a good charms and likeable aura in them and just knowing that they CAN act I don’t mind them romancing LJK.
Judging by what I’ve seen of Lee Yoo Bi so far, I do believe she has potential. All she needs is a breakout role that will allow her to unleash. However, I kinda agree with the above comment. She’s barely 25, but with her youthful looks, I’m afraid she’ll end up looking like LJK’s lil’ sis. But who knows, we might end up surprised.
If this casting doesn’t work out, another actress I have in mind is Go Ara. I think she can nail the cross-dressing part well. But that’s just me.
Go Ara has that feminine beauty that will make it her “guy pretending” scenes a bit too unbelievable imo.
true she is very pretty in a feminine way but she also has this rough, tomboy manner if she want to. Most korean actress acts very ‘pretty’ but one that can pull off a tomboy is probably go ara.
That’s what I initially thought too, but she pulled off the rough tomboyish role in Reply 1994 very convincingly that I was pleasantly surprised. I haven’t seen You’re All Surrounded though I believe her character wasn’t feminin either. It makes me see her in a new light.
*unleash it
Kill Me Heal Me also had massive issues with casting and it turned out fine.
Anyway I’m glad Jin Se Yeon is out, Lee Yoo Bi and Kim So Eun are much MUCH better and more acceptable candidates for the female lead. And they both look good and have good chemistry with older costars like Lee Sang Yoon and Lee Pil Mo, LJK is pretty youthful looking.
Now I just hope MBC sticks with these two girls and doesn’t go back. Lee Yoo Bi is young but she has a decent presence in a hanbok, so does Kim So Eun.
Honestly I would love Moon Che Won in the lead rule. I miss her in saeguks and think she would be great with Lee Jun Ki.
Yep, give Lee Yoo Bi more dramas and more songs too!
What if it turns out that LJK is the one rejecting the female leads.maybe he’s looking for someone up to his spar.
Plus,LYB is definately too young(even if she is 25 this year) next to LJK.she’d look like is junior sister,which will make it uncomfortable for me to watch
Maybe. I’m imagining of JG’s evil face while rejecting the female leads one after another, lol… kidding. Naaah, he might like LYB as his leading lady for this drama. He had experiences in having love-lines with the baby-faced actresses before in joint works, like the Japanese actress in Virgin snow and this year with Chinese actress Zhou Dongyu who is 10 years his junior. But they had that cute chemistry. So, I’m looking forward to him with LYB.
I found a subbed BTS interview video of LJK and ZDY on youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpAuLTLblFI&feature=youtube_gdata_player
You’re right, they are adorable together even with her babayish look and the age gap.
At this state, I hope so for the good chemistry between LJK and LYB if she confirms her role.
I think both LYB and KSE are not perfect with LJK. I hope both of them will be supporting casts. Because LJK deserves a A-list actress. Like Yoon eun hye, Mon Geun young and Mon Chae won, one of them need to help out MBC like Ji sung in KMHM
I am rooting for the above 3 actresses you mentioned too 🙂
LYB already played a gisaeng in Gu Family Book. I’m almost positive she’s being offered the main female lead role. She doesn’t seem like an actress to play the same character twice.
Ooh.. I’m relieved to know your aspect. It’s possible, and I think LYB would look better with LJK in chemistry-wise than KSE. I have no problem of this pairing. Great!
Just give it to Lee Da-hae for her 2nd My Girl reunion. I don’t really care at this point since they casted Changmin, but with LDH, I’ll definitely check it out.
I don’t know if it will even seem like a My Girl reunion since her face looks so different now.
also, I have no problem with the casting roulette, surely rejecting an actress with known poor skills for the role is a GOOD decision? Or would we rather prefer they just take the crap actress for the role just for the sake of looking decisive and like it’s a sought-after drama? The end product is more important after all.
If LYB signs, my drama to watch list will definitely go up by one. Can’t wait!!
Provesss the bias. LYB is a newbie, no lead experience, looks way too young for Lee Jun Ki, “has potential” but not really that great, and yet, people “can’t wait”. *rolls eyes*
Anyways, I don’t mind Lee Yoo Bi, she’s very cute! but I honestly don’t think she matches Lee Jun Ki. She looks way too young and cute and will just end up looking like her little sister. I think that may be even more than case in a saeguk since I feel like actresses look younger in saeguks, especially cross-dressing too!
Why can’t LJK make any dramas with heartbeating romance?? TODAW came close, but it wasn’t really revolved around romance.
I totally think Moon Chae Won would be great alongside Lee Jun Ki, especially in saeguks!!! gahhhhh
Much better to have an actress who showed potential in all her acting works and has already proved herself by wining praise in a sageuk, than an actress who has proven herself to suck in multiple leadroles.
My only bias is in favor of good acting.
This pairing will probably turn out like Krystal-Rain pairing.
Rain and LJK are the same age but LYB is 4 years older than Krystal.
LJK is not a tall guy, and he looks small among leading k-actors, haha. It’s one of reasons though that makes him youthful and cute, but handsome at the same time. I’m somehow not worried about the chemistry between LJK and LYB.
Moon Chae Won please…. Make her out from her cave 😀
haha..She loves to be in her cave until she finally find a good project..She’s back from her vacation and attended VIP Premiere of Salut D’ Amor. It’s a good indication that she’ll be back on drama soon..
I love how butthurt some people are getting over the fact that most drama fans prefer Han Groo or even acknowledge the talents of Kim So Eun and Lee Yoo Bi …. it’s so obvious they’re bitter about the disapproval against their bias.
if even soompi where it’s practically forbidden to say anything negative about the most useless actor or worst drama has some people going thank god the previous candidate for leadin lady is out, I have to laugh
True!! Sometimes I dont uderstand all the hate but it turns out its because their bias was not on the run and be on the cast instead.
Well OBVIOUSLY the production wants the female leads on its 20s and I’m happy that they consider/acknowledge promissing but underrated actresses like Han Groo, Lee Yoobi and Kim Soeun.
Kim s un plz
How time flies! The age gap comments look so funny now seemingly many people now ship Joon Gi with IU (an actress much younger than Yoo Bi or Kim So Eun)