"A prize to be king"..IU and Byun Woo-seok 'Great Military Lady of the 21st Century' and will it go beyond the original constitutional monarchy 'gung' [synthesis]

*This content was translated by AI.

It's 'the image of becoming a king'. The constitutional monarchy drama "The Grand Duchess of the 21st Century," which aims for the second "gung," has thrown its hat in the ring. Through this work, IU and Byun Woo-seok will work together again after 10 years.

On the 6th, a production presentation for MBC's new Friday-Saturday drama "The Grand Prince's Wife in the 21st Century" was held at the Chosun Palace Hotel in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. In addition to director Park Joon-hwa, actors IU, Byun Woo-seok, Noh Sang-hyun, Gong Seung-yeon, Yoo Soo-bin and Lee Yeon attended the event.

"21st Century Grand Duchess" depicts a romance that breaks down the fate of a man who is a chaebol with everything against the backdrop of the constitutional monarchy of the 21st century, but who is the son of a woman and a king who is annoyed because his status is only a commoner, but who is sad because he can't have anything.

Director Park Joon-hwa said of the "21st Century Grand Duchess," "The story begins with the setting of the constitutional monarchy. I think it will be more exciting and unique than other dramas I've seen so far, he said. "I think I can enjoy it with a flow that is not boring throughout the whole time."

In the play, IU plays Seochul Sung Hee-joo, a commoner with a beautiful appearance, extraordinary brain, strong competitive spirit and management ability, and Byun Woo-seok plays Prince Ian, who leads the royal family instead of the young king, but lives hidden in the position of the second son of the royal family.

IU said of Sung Hee-joo, "She's a bit annoying because she has everything, but she doesn't have an identity. You will know the keyword 'annoyed' by watching the drama. He has a lot of irritation, anger, greed, and cuteness. I thought it was a three-dimensional character. While reading the script, Sung Hee-joo's character was attractive. So I didn't have to worry about it long (appearing in the work)," he said.

Byun Woo-seok said, "Lee An-dae is the most beloved royal family of the people. However, he explained, "I'm a second son who can't make a sound and shine." As for why he chose the work, he said, "When I read the script, I think I can imagine it well, but I can imagine the scene well. Also, I sympathized well with the setting of Prince Ian. That's why I chose the work," he said.

Noh Sang-hyun plays the role of the head of the country and Prime Minister Min Jeong-woo. He said of Min Jeong-woo, "He is a person with a strong sense of responsibility, duty, control, and restraint. He said, "He is a person with a cool reason that clarifies the division of construction." He said, "As this character goes through various events as the play progresses, his emotions change. As it changed, it seemed that the appearance made this friend three-dimensional. I participated in the work because it was attractive," he said.

Gong Seung-yeon, who plays the role of Queen Yoon, said, "Yoon is a person who values the royal family and responsibility. He is a friend who contemplates how he should be in the royal family rather than emotions or relationships. He explained, "He looks cold and cool, but he's trying hard to keep his seat."

He said, "The reason I chose this work was that I had the greatest affinity for the director and the script. In addition, the setting of the 21st century constitutional monarchy was interesting, and I wondered how to express it and how actors would portray it. Just imagining it, I was so curious," he said.

Yoo Soo-bin, who played the role of Prince Ian's aide Choi Hyun, explained the character as "a loyal sheriff who only thinks about Ian's safety in his head." Regarding the reason for his decision to appear in the work, Yoo Soo-bin said, "There was no reason not to do it because I worked with Park Jun-hwa, who shows Rocco's essence, and hot seniors and juniors."

He also expressed his extraordinary affection for Byun Woo-seok. Yoo Soo-bin said, "Byeon Woo-seok is so cool, I love you so much," adding, "As a human being, I felt he was such a good person. While filming, I had a real affection," he said.

Lee Yeon, who plays Do Hye-jeong, Sung Hee-joo's secretary, said, "It's my first time in the Rocco genre, and I wanted to try it. I thought it would bring my growth. He also expressed his trust in the work, saying, "I will do it quickly because good actors in the drama are doing it."

This work drew great attention as Byun Woo-seok's return work. Byun Woo-suk returned after the "Lovely Runner," which ended in a big topic in 2024.

In this regard, Byun Woo-seok said, "Thank you for your interest and love. I hope you love me more than I feel pressured. I will continue to develop and do my best as much as you give me interest and love," he said.

In addition, Byun Woo-seok said, "I like the interest. It's so, so, so, so good. I don't feel pressured, but I think I should express the character well as much as you give me interest, he said. "I think it's different from the burden because I think it's a mindset to act as an actor."

IU and Byun Woo-seok reunited after 10 years since they appeared together in the drama "Moon Lovers - Bobo Gyeongsim Ryeo," which ended in 2016.

Byun Woo-suk said, "Actually, I worked with him before. It's a breathing that's been going on since then. Through this work, he showed a long life of ten years of teamwork. "I loved it," he said. "IU made me comfortable, entertained, and helped me a lot in acting."

IU said, "(Byeon Woo-seok) came to a great role with the determination to wash away the mistakes of that time several times. 10 years ago, I came out as a boyfriend who had an affair with my best friend on 'Moon Lovers'. "After 10 years, I had the opportunity to work together for a longer time in dramas," he said.

Also, IU said, "Like people who have been preparing for 10 years, there have been few awkward parts. There was no exchange for 10 years, but it was a little comfortable. Also, I worked on it in the 10th year, and I wanted to do it again in 10 years. I think it will be good because I think I can show growth if I do it every 10 years," he said.

Director Park Joon-hwa showed strong trust in actors such as IU and Byun Woo-seok. He said, "I think the biggest attraction of '21st Century Grand Prince Lady' is our actors. When I saw Seong Hee-ju and Prince Ian, I thought, "These two are going to become kings." I also liked the acting and visual parts throughout the shoot. It was good the whole time I watched the monitor. The excitement points of the two will feel different every time, he said.

After the 2006 drama 'The Palace', MBC introduced another constitutional monarchy drama, 'The Grand Duchess of the 21st Century', drawing high expectations.

In this regard, director Park Joon-hwa said, "The Palace is such a good drama. We also tried to make our drama as good as the palace in 2026, so please pay a lot of attention to it."

Byun Woo-seok also pledged to dispel the controversy over his acting skills. After the recent teaser video of "21st Century Grand Prince Lady" was released, some people expressed regret over his acting skills.

Byun Woo-seok expressed his thoughts on such concerns about acting skills. "Whenever I did, I talked to the director," he said. I also tried to do a little better acting," he said. "I've done that before. This work also did its best. When people saw the character, they paid a lot of attention so that they could empathize emotionally. I only tried to focus on the narrative," he said.

Meanwhile, "The Grand Prince Lady of the 21st Century" will premiere at 9:40 p.m. on the 10th.

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*This content was translated by AI.