'Scarecrow' Director: "Park Hae-soo, Lee Hee-joon, Jung Moon-sung Delivered Overwhelming Performances.. Almost No NGs" [Interview ②]

*This content was translated by AI.

• Interview with Park Jun-woo PD, director of the ENA Monday-Tuesday drama 'Scarecrow', which concluded on the 26th, and writer Lee Ji-hyun

Park Jun-woo PD, director of 'Scarecrow', expressed deep trust in the actors, including Park Hae-soo, Lee Hee-joon, Kwak Sun-young, and Jung Moon-sung, who delivered outstanding performances.

On the afternoon of the 27th, a wrap-up interview with Park Jun-woo PD and writer Lee Ji-hyun of the ENA Monday-Tuesday drama 'Scarecrow', which concluded the previous day, was held at a café in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul.

'Scarecrow' is a crime thriller drama about a detective investigating a serial murder case who unexpectedly forms an alliance with someone he despises, inspired by the Lee Chun-jae serial murder case.

Park Jun-woo PD, known for directing SBS programs 'That Unknown Story' and 'Curious Story Y' and dramas 'Model Taxi' and 'Doctor Detective', took on directing duties, while Lee Ji-hyun, who wrote the first season of 'Model Taxi', returned as the screenwriter for another collaboration.

Actor Park Hae-soo played Detective Kang Tae-ju, who was transferred to his hometown of Gangseong and assigned to the serial murder case. Lee Hee-joon portrayed Prosecutor Cha Si-young, an elite prosecutor with sharp judgment and political acumen. Kwak Sun-young played Seo Ji-won, a righteous reporter at Gangseong Ilbo and Kang Tae-ju's elementary school classmate. Thanks to solid direction and the actors' passionate performances, the final episode's viewership (based on Nielsen Korea's paid households nationwide) reached 8.1%. This marks the second-highest viewership in ENA history, following 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo'.

On this day, Park PD praised Park Hae-soo, saying, "I had heard many things about Park Hae-soo from people around me. There were stories that he is an actor who sets a good example on set and has excellent character. Many industry insiders said he is an actor whose mood never affects his attitude. He is fundamentally skilled in acting, has incredible stamina, and possesses strong mental fortitude."

Park PD also spoke about Lee Hee-joon, joking, "We are from the same hometown and alma mater." He continued, "If Park Hae-soo has a kind image, Lee Hee-joon seems to be a style of someone who prepares thoroughly. He is an actor who excels at detailed acting. His performance is truly overwhelming, to the point where I would ask him off-camera, 'When did you start acting so well?'"

He also shared his thoughts on Jung Moon-sung, who delivered memorable performances in the drama. Park PD stated, "I felt that he was determined not to lose in terms of acting. He never lets go of his own. Right after filming ends, he immediately calls out 'Hyung!' The fun of watching the actors, including Park Hae-soo, Lee Hee-joon, and Jung Moon-sung, trade blows in their performances was significant. We didn't need to give the actors much acting direction. The pace picked up because there were almost no NGs."

There was also a difference of opinion between Park PD and writer Lee regarding the character Tae-ju. Park PD revealed, "I thought Tae-ju deserved to die, but the writer said, 'That seems to go beyond the scope of a mainstream drama,' which surprised me."

Writer Lee said, "Perhaps only Tae-ju in the drama didn't make the right choice. I wanted to tell a story not of a flawless person correcting a mistake, but of someone who made a mistake correcting it. That seems to be the only fantasy allowed in our drama."

She added, "I wrote this drama with the hope that Tae-ju would appear later, so I didn't want to end it as a tragedy. I wanted to tell a story where the person trying to make things right carries a lighter burden on their heart and lives a slightly more peaceful life. Although Tae-ju lost his profession and social reputation, didn't he gain precious people by his side? I believe that is the only reward allowed to Tae-ju."

'Scarecrow' is a drama structured in the form of Tae-ju's memoir. Regarding this, Park PD mentioned the directorial highlights: "The writer had many concerns about how to visualize the scarecrow. We entered with defined points: Part 1 as a horror story, Part 2 as a chase scene, and Part 3 creating emotional amplitude."

The revelation of the culprit in Episode 7, which marks the latter half of the drama, is also a unique feature of 'Scarecrow'. Contrary to concerns that tension would drop after the culprit was revealed, the drama instead unfolded a full-scale narrative, earning high praise for its immersive quality.

Regarding this, writer Lee explained, "I had no intention of dragging the culprit to the end. Honestly, I thought the casting of Jung Moon-sung itself was a spoiler. I wanted 'Scarecrow' to tell a different story that carried through the beginning and the latter half."

She further explained, "In the beginning, it was a story driven by a scarecrow pretending to be a scarecrow, but in the latter half, I thought we should drive the drama with the police and public power, which are scarecrows failing to fulfill their roles as humans."

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*This content was translated by AI.