Yoo Yeon-seok and Seo Hyun-jin reunite after 10 years in "Liar": Can it surpass "Dr. Romantic"? "What to watch for? The actors' passionate performances" [Comprehensive]

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Actors Yoo Yeon-seok and Seo Hyun-jin reunited after 10 years since the drama "Dr. Romantic," promising a deeper level of acting chemistry.

The production press conference for MBC's new Friday-Saturday drama "Liar" (screenplay by Baek Jae-young, directed by Jo Young-min) was held on the 28th at the Golden Mouse Hall in Sangam, Mapo-gu, Seoul. Director Jo Young-min and actors Yoo Yeon-seok and Seo Hyun-jin attended the event.

"Liar" tells the story of a man and a woman who make diametrically opposed claims about a single memory and clash fiercely toward the truth.

In the drama, Yoo Yeon-seok plays Min Jun-ho, a man who speaks facts, while Seo Hyun-jin takes on the role of Kang Ji-sun, a woman who asserts the truth. Yoo Yeon-seok and Seo Hyun-jin reunite after 10 years to work together since the drama "Dr. Romantic," which recorded a peak viewership rating of 27.6% in 2016.

On this day, Yoo Yeon-seok introduced his character Min Jun-ho as follows: "He is a cardiac surgeon. He is a trusted figure at the hospital and also a father to one child. He is a character who gets entangled in an incident and fights to uncover the truth."

Following this, Seo Hyun-jin described her character Kang Ji-sun: "She is an elementary school teacher. She struggles to survive after getting entangled in an incident and fights against herself to make her stance clear."

Regarding his reunion with Seo Hyun-jin after 10 years, Yoo Yeon-seok said, "Fans had wished for us to meet again, so it was meaningful that we finally got together after 10 years." He added, "Also, when we did our first shoot, I said it was 'fun.' The first shoot should be tense and awkward, but I wondered why it was so enjoyable. We know each other well, have good memories from 10 years ago, and have recently worked with Director Jo Young-min, so the filming set was thrilling and interesting."

Seo Hyun-jin also expressed satisfaction with her chemistry with Yoo Yeon-seok. Seo said, "Usually, an ice-breaking period is needed, but we didn't have that. So it was even better. From the first shoot, it felt like we had been working together for one or two months." She continued, "Yoo Yeon-seok usually spends time on rehearsals. He did the same during 'Dr. Romantic.' That led to good results. I am grateful that he still does so and that it continues to lead to good outcomes."

The two also pointed out each other's changes. Seo Hyun-jin praised Yoo Yeon-seok, saying, "He has become much more skilled and elegant." She added, "When we rehearse and come up with ideas, they have become richer, and there were scenes where we had to coordinate actions well, from which I benefited a lot. It made me realize that the time we spent together was not in vain."

Yoo Yeon-seok said about Seo Hyun-jin, "During 'Dr. Romantic,' I thought she was a perfectionist. I thought there were no gaps." He continued, "While filming this time, I felt that while maintaining that perfection, she has become even more skilled. The human touch I had expected at the time began to emerge."

When Seo Hyun-jin asked if he meant because of NGs (takes), Yoo Yeon-seok replied, "During 'Dr. Romantic,' I never saw an NG from her. But this time, rather than line mistakes, she has gained a slightly playful composure. She seems even more flexible than me."

The two actors also shared deep thoughts on the weighty message and viewing points of the work.

Yoo Yeon-seok revealed about "Liar," "It was a work that made me ponder what criteria we use to believe someone's words and trust that person is telling the truth, given the subject matter of 'truth.'"

He added, "We filmed the work while asking questions about whether truth is distorted by images, judgments from surroundings, or reputation, or whether we are believing in something that was already distorted." He continued, "While acting, I actually tried to allow viewers to decide how they believe and judge Min Jun-ho, giving them the choice."

Seo Hyun-jin urged audiences to pay attention to the central theme of the work, "lies." Seo said, "I didn't think the focus would be lost because it is a heavy subject. Still, we focus on 'lies.'" She emphasized, "We are presenting a topic that allows for multi-faceted thinking: how do we look at people who lie, what standards do we apply to liars, and what do we want to believe? I hope you will watch with the focus on 'lies' in mind."

Additionally, Seo Hyun-jin said, "Because it is a heavy subject, I hope attention does not solely fixate on that. We did not use it as a device, but rather as a stepping stone to help us guide the story well. That was not the main purpose." She stated, "The main purpose is 'lies' itself. I hope there will be much to discuss even after watching it."

Director Jo Young-min expressed strong trust while pointing out the reasons for casting the two actors and the viewing points.

Director Jo said, "I had worked with Yoo Yeon-seok and Seo Hyun-jin before. It was so good at that time. I filmed it feeling greatly that they are excellent actors." He continued, "I wanted to work with them in any drama. In this drama, the two actors needed a lot of acting skill and a dual-sided feel. I thought there were faces you want to believe and faces that seem like they might lie. So I wanted to bring them on board."

Director Jo then mentioned the strengths of the two actors. First, he praised Yoo Yeon-seok: "Yoo Yeon-seok is a flexible actor. He is very quick-witted and accepts things flexibly. I felt it again while working on this project. I realized he is someone who can handle all roles."

Regarding Seo Hyun-jin, he explained, "She is someone who makes you want to believe her. I thought that when viewers see her, they will want to believe her, and she has strong appeal that facilitates emotional empathy."

Director Jo said, "It was a work where I greatly felt the acting skills of the two people." He urged, "The viewing point is the passionate performances of the two actors. Please look forward to the acting battle between the two actors."

The lead actors also mentioned the differences from SBS's Friday-Saturday drama "Doctor X: The Age of the White Mafia," which is airing in the same time slot.

Yoo Yeon-seok said, "I closely observed the surgery scenes in 'Doctor X.' They filmed them after considering them very deeply." However, he added, "Our drama is a different genre. We do not classify it as a medical drama but as a psychological thriller. If you closely observe the detailed emotional lines, psychological battles, and truth disputes of the characters, you will inevitably feel curious and watch the live broadcast."

He continued, "As soon as you watch Episode 1, you will wonder 'who is lying,' and as episodes progress, you will start to suspect different people." He emphasized, "You might be able to check it later via OTT after the live broadcast time has passed, but I think you must definitely watch the live broadcast."

Seo Hyun-jin also said, "The genre is different, of course. There are likely genre drama fans waiting for our genre, and I hope we can satisfy them. Please look forward to it."

Meanwhile, "Liar" will premiere at 9:50 p.m. on the 30th.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original