Manager Lee Seung-young, known as 'Manager Kim', says, "Even Ji-seob didn't expect this level of success. I wonder what's going on." [Interview 1]

*This content was translated by AI.

• Interview with Director Lee Seung-young of SBS's Saturday-Sunday Drama "Manager Kim"

Manager Lee Seung-young, known as "Manager Kim," stated that he and actor So Ji-sub did not anticipate the film's box office success.

On the 30th, an interview with director Lee Seung-young was held at a cafe in Jongno-gu, Seoul, to commemorate the finale of SBS's Friday-Saturday drama "Manager Kim."

The drama "Manager Kim," which concluded on the 25th, is a father-universe revenge action series about an ordinary dad who becomes the most dangerous man in the world to reclaim his only daughter.

According to ratings survey company Nielsen Korea, the final episode recorded a viewership of 23.4 percent in the Seoul metropolitan area and 23.0 percent nationwide. Notably, the peak viewership soared to 27.1 percent, once again shattering its own record for the highest rating.

Director Lee Seung-young shared his closing remarks, saying, "After filming wrapped up, we held a wrap party and a final broadcast celebration on the last day of airing. At the wrap party, I sincerely expressed how enjoyable the filming process was and how regretful I felt that we couldn't continue shooting further. I suggested that we humbly accept the results." He added, "During the final broadcast celebration, the actors shared stories about phenomena they personally experienced and anecdotes about people recognizing them, enjoying a warm and joyful time together. It makes me truly happy that everyone who participated in 'Manager Kim' could feel this joy."

Regarding the ratings and box office performance, he said, "I didn't expect it. The first episode's ratings were good, and the promotion team and actors worked hard on promotion, so I had high hopes, but I didn't think it would be this much." He continued, "Usually, when I sleep, I keep my phone under my pillow, but after the second episode aired, the vibration kept going off the next day. Wondering what happened, I checked the messages and saw content saying '(Ratings) exceeded 10% and 15%.' We exchanged texts wondering, 'What is going on?'"

Director Lee Seung-young revealed that even Ji-jeob did not anticipate the film's success. He said, "Ji-jeob often remarked, 'Normally, I can sense whether a project will succeed or fail during filming, but this time, I couldn't get a feel for it.' I also found it enjoyable, yet I worried that if the public didn't like it, I might have to retire. Regardless of the outcome, I resolved to accept whatever came with humility."

When asked about their satisfaction as a director, they explained that the script itself was a popular and entertaining one that well-balanced action, paternal affection, and emotional comedy. They added that while filming, the actors imbued their characters with soul, which doubled the authenticity.

In addition, Director Lee Seung-young added, "Action requires sufficient resources and time, and although the situation was not abundant, several teams worked hard to film it. I felt that the result came out better than expected." He also said, "Rather than assuming things would go well naturally, since we did our best to create a good script, I thought we should humbly accept the outcome."

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*This content was translated by AI.