I’m not always right when I post casting rumors and speculations based on industry chatter, sometimes it falls through and other times it was industry just wishful thinking. But putting the caveat in front of all those maybe, could be, might happen drama casting posts allows for early discussion on upcoming dramas and that’s something I find totally fun to just wonder what if. When I am right then it feels like there was a jump start already, or at least I got extra time to get used to the idea.
I wrote a few weeks ago that upcoming SBS Mon-Tues drama Chaebol’s Daughter was getting a name change to True Romance. That didn’t happen right away as the casting news in subsequent weeks continued calling it Chaebol’s Daughter, but with the confirmation news today comes also the verification that the drama will indeed be called True Romance. An even bigger get is writing that newbie movie actress Lim Ji Yeon was being considered for the drama, which is now also confirmed. But in a twist of roles, Lim Ji Yeon will be playing the second female lead and the female lead has landed in the lap of idol-actress UEE.
With the female leads confirmed to be UEE and Lim Ji Yeon, potential male lead Sung Joon has also confirmed and completes the full cast along with long signed on second male lead Park Hyung Sik. On one hand, I’m relieved this drama finally has a cast, what with the airing date coming soon in June after Heard it Through the Grapevine ends. On the other hand, HOMG how raw and inconsistent is this main cast with the acting? I mean, I love Sung Joon and adore Park Hyung Sik and all, but neither have proven themselves with undeniable acting output on a consistent and heightened basis.
Don’t even get me started on UEE landing the role that was first offered to Moon Geun Young. I’m probably the least worried about Lim Ji Yeon doing the second female lead role, I may have found her terrible in her movie debut in Obsessed but playing second fiddle in a prime time drama is fine by me if the casting director sees something in her worth developing. With that said, at least the entire main cast is on pretty even playing field, I don’t feel like anyone will be babysitting and there is always the possibility to be pleasantly surprised because my expectation is so low. Final verdict? Cautiously optimistic.
I think UEE is great for an idol-actress so she’s a good choice to me. My worries would be with the two second leads but I’ll be optimistic that they’ll hold their own.
I agree with Sung Joon and Hyun Sik but I thought UEE did a pretty good job in Hogu’s Love. She’s been consistently good in her last few projects, not anything to write home about, but on a standard of idol-dom and even newbie actress, she’s one of the better ones.
I still have not seen any special with Lim Ji Yeon.
Moon Geun Young would have been good but somehow I wished she had a meatier role, maybe a young mother or something.
I would have liked to see Moon Chae Won in the role, but unfortunately she was never a contender.
Moon Chae Won is too big to be here..Its not even realistic for producer to put her alongside a bunch of C+ actors..please use a logic atleast..
C+? Really?
Well don’t you forget that it was first offered to Moon Geun Young who is considered to be an A-lister. What does that make her then?
Logic tells me an actress base their acceptance on a project for its worth, not for its brand value, anyone who does so is suffering from an attitude problem and should reflect.
Maybe you should use some common courtesy and sense before replying.
Moon Geun Young is bigger than Moo Chae Won.
Lol….this is not 2007.,2008.,or 2009 anymore..right now Moon Chae Won is bigger than Moon Geun Young and Han Hyo Joo..even if Moon Geun Young is an A-lister actress.her record is totally poor..producer don’t care about her turning down this drama at all coz they know this drama will either be mediocre or flop!
I cannot stand UEE. I cannot believe this production team offered her the role after Moon Geun-young turned it down. They should have considered a different good actress.. Poor Sung-Joon
agree!
LOL…right, since SJ is the korean version of Sir Lawrence Olivier! Let’s not get carried away here, ladies. Sung Joon is not exactly the master among his co-stars. With the only question on LJY’s performance in her very first drama and her live-shooting endurance, the female leads look far more promissing. Neither Lee Young-Ae material nor amateur performances…something in the middle, the usual advantage for tv shows worldwide.
Fully agree
What about Lee Sang-Woo? You had an article stating Lee Sang-woo was offered a role in it???
I am boring of seeing Uee again. She recently finished Ho goo’s love, just one month ago. She keeps doing dramas like Seo In guk. Viewers will be bored with their dramas.
Same goes for lots of actors these days. Lee jong suk, joo won etc…even PSH did 2 dramas in the same year…
This people are actors it’s their job to act, i get surprised when actors do a drama and then they take 2 years break or longer before they do another, I mean if you love acting why not keep acting and doing dramas that are offered to you. I mean they do get paid so ur basically telling them to just work once then take a break it doesn’t work like that in normal jobs.
@aby, big actors (aka big names) need a rating success to justify their status and you can’t do that if script sucks (see Hyun Bin with his HJM flop). That’s why most of them take time from dramaworld waiting for better project and spend their time by making movies instead or milking their CF deals.
PSH usually only does 1 drama/ year though. In 2013 she did one in the beginning and one at the end year… It’s far enough. Stop dragging her name here
@Seaundertesea
You pretty much nailed it with that comment. thats how things work but these who needs to break thru needs to be more active by choosing the best possible shows they can find.
However I find this Chaebols daughter a trendy show which is positive since they are eye catching but I don’t think the cast can pull it off and draw much attention to the show. Before that I seriously thought that Lawyers in love would be somewhat successful but I got dissapointed. But its to bad that Orange Marmalade is on Cable because it seems like the most decent show in a long time but I could be wrong.
Excuse me, have you seen UEE in Ho Gu’s Love? She’s fantabulous in it. Even in You’re Beautiful, she showed promise.
UEE is certainly no Moon Geun Young but I have a lot of leftover love for her from Ho Goo right now. I miss that adorable drama and Ho Goo a lot. Her performances are inconsistent and she tends to overact but she’s ok and even adorable when there’s someone who can reign her in. I have never found Sung Joon a great actor either even though I’ve loved majority of his roles. So in terms of acting, this cast is pretty even to me. Well except I have never seen that second female lead in anything so she will either be a pleasant surprise or not. So far I’m liking how his thing is working out.
I am worried about script more than casts. SJ, Uee and PHS are not bad actors. I am positive about their team-up. This writer’s works were all low rating flops. They can’t even call the new actors. They called again actors like PSJ, HG, SJ and LSW that they already worked with. OK, that’s not a problem. Hope script will be good.
Good luck for Sung Joon. He’s kept doing wrong works.
I totally agree. These actors and actresses do not have the skills to rise above poor material. If they want a crash course in how to improve on pedestrian writing, they should start watching Falling For Innocence and see how real talent, like Jung Kyung-ho, makes the most cheesetastic part interesting and new.
Right now, all these newbies can do is cling to the words and hope for the best. I will probably pass on this one.
I think they will be fine. Sung Joon, Uee and Park Hyung Shik have all given excellent performances in past dramas, and they are not a reason to be worrying. I mean, you did say in tbe past you were ok with some much worse actors who never even showed that level of talen being considered for major drama lead roles, at least these 3 are better than that.
UEE excellent? -_- lol no w@y
Mediocre actors and mediocre plot? Well I needed a good laugh anyway, so bring it on!
Well that’s a pretty random cast ensemble. Totally didn’t expect Uee to sign up for something so soon right after Ho-Gu’s Love, but she was adorable in that show so I’m okay with her being the female lead. I’m forever bias towards Sung Joon so I’m definitely picking this one up. Though I agree with the rest, very low expectations for this show, but it’s always better to have low expectations for a drama then to get let down in the end, right? :’)
i miss han hyo joo.. moon geun young also.. i like UEE and her acting skill get better and better.. agree with some comments here, i liked her in YAB.. she’s a hilarious antagonist. i think, she would do well as a chaebol’s daughter..
I was not going to check this one out, and DEFINITELY not when MGY was being considered (ugh!) but Uee’s performance in Ho Gu’s Love means I’ll probably give this one a look now.
Not a fan of MGY?
Nope. Not a hater either, she just leaves me cold. Don’t get the raves at all. Just like I don’t get the hate for Uee. I’m not saying she’s stellar, but she did a competent job in Ho Gu’s Love, enough for me to give her another go. Unlike MGY.
I agree, Stuart. I never got the MGY hype. But I do have a soft spot for UEE after Ojakgyo Brothers. She may not have the best acting chops, but she can be quite adorable and charming in the right roles. So I was surprised to see the negativity about her too.
That was my reaction.. With Uee on board, I’m considering to at least check it out. (I’m not comparing MGY and Uee’s acting abilities here, just my preference)I don’t feel any hype with this drama but it can be watchable.
I definitely agree with you. This show wasn’t even on my radar before UEE signed up for it.
MGY maybe a wonderful actress but she doesn’t have the spark for me. As for UEE, she may not be the best actress but she does has this natural charm that always makes me want to root for her.
I have watched plenty of UEE dramas (Ojakgyo brothers and Hogu’s love being my favorite among her work) and I consider her to be an “actress” without the whole idol tag to her name.
All this hate towards her is just plain stupid.
Uee and Sung Joon? Why are the drama gods so nice to me lately??
I think Uee, Hyungshik and Sung Joon are all kind of raw actors with alot of potential. We’ll see how they’ll do with a meaty drama (this writer is pretty good imo). I’m really looking forward to this now.
One model, two idols and one unknown actress with the writer of flops?
I’m already out. Smell like failure.
I will see the teaser at least.
Sigh from MGY to Uee , but i give her a chance !
Excuse me but UEE is amazing!! I too hated her during you’re beautiful but I realized that was more because of the character she played. My respect for her grew so much after watching ojakgyo brothers. She was amazing acting alongside seniors like Kim ja ok. I can definitely vouch that she will be MUCH better than lim ji yeon. Like you said, the producers must know better since they casted UEE as well.
Firstly, Chaebol’s Daughter sounds more promising than True Romance. Secondly, I don’t understand the hype around Uee. She’s neither pretty outwardly nor attractive inwardly to me. Hogoo’s Love was good because of Hogoo the actor. Thirdly, I really miss Moon Geun Young, a beautiful actress who shines from within.
I understand the appearance bit.. But how do you judge inwardly attractive? I’m just curious because I liked Uee in whatever I’ve seen so far, was there any scandals? Or you are just talking about her personality?
I’ve seen UEE on reality shows and she is an independent, hardworking and kind person. I never quite understand those that judge a person based on their looks. I think her acting is not bad either. I like MGY too but I think she has made several drama choices that were just not well plot wise in my opinion. The last drama I liked of hers was Cinderella’s sister.
There’s just ALWAYS people that claim actresses are mean or doesn’t have a good personality just by some random thing they saw or just made their own assumption -_-
There isn’t practically any hype around UEE, she’s very underrated as an actress because her looks aren’t what you would call a classical beauty or even in your face cute. Her type of looks grow on you by watching her in her dramas, or not. She’s better than most actresses in her generation, idol or not. It’s high time she got to headline a trendy drama on a week day time slot. There are so many pretty mediocre talented drama actresses around, I rather watch UEE anytime, because the girl can at least ACT.
Wow, the hate for UEE here is pretty strong. With the right material, I think she’s a good actress. And the role she’s considering seems to be right up her alley. Sung Joon has a certain charisma, and with the intensity he has, I think he’s a good fit for his part. Park Hyung Sik was great in What’s With This family? Lim Ji Yeon is unfamiliar to me, and she’s only been in movies so far, so I have no opinion on how she is as an actress, but she just might have the chops to do it.
Also, I don’t see the point in complaining about who rejected the scripts because alot of factors are involved: the actress/actor just doesn’t want to do it, schedule conflict, etc. But that doesn’t mean it’s doomed. And the most recent and best example to prove this is Healer. Lee Sung Gi and Lim Ji Yeon rejected it. Yet Ji Chang Wook and Park Min Young portrayed their roles really well and made the drama a great one.
So give them a chance. Everyone has their hits and misses.
I mean the drama Kill Me Heal Me. Ji Sung and Hwang killed their roles which were rejected by Lee Sung Gi and Lim.
Soooo true…if it was up to raging fans the KMHM project would have gone completely out of the window the moment Binnie’s diclined the offer for the leading role. Of course we would have missed a great drama and SJ’s superb performance( along with a good deal of real belly laugh!) but who cares as long as the netizens would have been indulged, right?
I personally feel UEE is a fine choice. Although kinda weird that they chose an idol actress, but out of all the idol actresses, she’s one of the decent ones. I think she could potentially pull it off.
I can’t believe all the negative things being said about Uee! I had no plans to check this drama out until I just read she’s cast as the lead.