[Exclusive]"Cha Gane" Yang Jungwoo EP, "Director Jang Hang Jun is heavily influenced by reckless challenges." [★FULL Interview]

*This content was translated by AI.

• Interview with Yang Jung-woo's EP of tvN's entertainment show "Cold"

Yang Jung-woo's EP, which directed "Chagane," marked the beginning of a fresh entertainment show that has never been seen before.

Star News recently met and interviewed Yang Jung-woo EP, who directed tvN's entertainment program "Chagane" at the Sangam CJ ENM Center in Mapo-gu, Seoul.

"Chagane," which ended with the 9th episode on the 5th, is a real spicy variety of gangsta family Chagane, which aims to take a shot in life with the development of a new spicy sauce, and actor Cha Seung-won, mixed martial artist and broadcaster Choo Sung-hoon, trainer Tommy, rapper Dindin and violinist Danny Koo joined forces.

"It's cold" is a quirk. The beauty of "Chagane" is that the result value varies according to each choice, like a kind of board game that does not follow the existing entertainment composition and seeks a direction by rolling a dice. The program, which doesn't know where it's going to stand out, even wore the mask of "Sitcom," and the sitcom-like editing style that pops out from time to time stands out for its novelty, which was hard to find in broadcasters.

The cast is also diverse. Cha Seung-won, who is careful and planned, Choo Sung-hoon, who is improvised and active, Tommy, a thrifty housekeeper who treats his two brothers, Dindin, who says what to say here, and Danny Koo, a human retriever. Other program producers would be bent on bringing the cast together, but "Chagane" was simply "Freestyle." As expected, nothing went the way it was intended, but there is the real fun of "Chagane" hiding there.

"Of course, there was a big stem in our program," said Yang, who met with Star News. "Because Cha Seung-won likes Korean food and kimchi so much and is proud of his cooking, I tried to go through the process of exploration (sauce development). The goal was set, but the process was unknown, and that's how 'Chagane' started upside down and ended upside down," he said.

The borrowing of the two compositions, entertainment and sitcom, was decided only during the shooting in Thailand. Yang EP said, "It's been a long time since we talked with Cha Seung-won about 'Let's do a program together'. The concept of "Cha Ga-ne" was fixed in Thailand, and the consensus between Cha Seung-won and I was, "The way we did it is no longer fun, so let's make it fun for both the people who do it and the people who watch it." But we've even gotten to do that new thing overseas."

"From the 3rd day of filming in Thailand, let's think of this as 'three men and three women' and 'non-stop'. I filmed it while talking about 'Let's think of it as an office sitcom,' he confessed.

Chagane collaborated with CJ Cheil Jedang under the goal of developing a global spicy sauce. Yang EP said, "The hardest part was explaining this to the people who helped. It was not easy to help understand because there were no set things in the filming. Even the cast members were casted one by one, and it proceeded by calling them out and then finding roles. What we had was a feeling of "Let's do something we haven't done before," and we were worried about the future of the broadcasting industry off-camera every night, drawing laughter.

"The format of Sitcom was also decided when I went to Thailand," he said. "The most frequently referenced was Choo Sung-hoon's YouTube channel. I don't set anything and do it as it is, but my expression is really good. It was regrettable to include them in the way they always did when they went on a business trip to Thailand. The production team and the cast had a meeting, saying, "This program doesn't seem to fit into reality. Let's get out of what we've been doing so far." Then, I wondered what it would be like to take the form of a play, so I decided to take the form of a sitcom. But in fact, this sitcom is really difficult and we have to have a lot of meetings. Nevertheless, I decided that it was a direction I hadn't tried and a fresh direction," he explained.

The members of "Chagane" went on business trips in the order of Thailand, Japan, and Busan. In Thailand, we got a big hint about the sauce development through the unique spices and spicy taste of Thailand, but we didn't get much results in Japan.

In response, Yang's EP said, "In my head, I thought, 'The hot spicy taste of Thailand and the cold spicy taste of Japan can be combined, right?' but that was not the case. When I went there, it was completely different. "I can imagine the taste of Thailand to some extent, and there are a lot of materials, but the spicy taste of Japan was too difficult, apart from the familiarity," he recalled of the time of shooting in Japan.

He then said, "I have an obsession as a production team. Still, there is an obsession that the story should end successfully with a happy ending, but this time, it was not a situation to the point of "I'm in big trouble" because I endured failure. There were different opinions from the cast, but in the end, Cha Seung-won's judgment was right and (the business trip to Japan) was a decisive opportunity to make kimchi," he said.

The appearances of the contestants dealing with the added item, 'Kimchi', were also different. Cha Seung-won seasoned his hand, Choo Sung-hoon completed Sylvie Kimchi-style Kimchi, DinDin completed Maple Syrup Kimchi, and Tommy and Danny Gu completed apple kkakdugi.

Yang's EP said, "It was best to have kimchi in your own style. Everything was fine because we had respect for each other. As a result, kimchi with Cha Seung-won's "taste" and Choo Sung-hoon's "spicy" has been completed.

Recalling the time of filming in Thailand, Yang EP said, "I didn't go on the show, but I talked with the cast about composition of sitcoms and composition of members with boss Cha Seung-won, and Choo Sung-hoon persuaded Cha Seung-won one night in a flamboyant Korean language that had never been seen before."

"[Choo Sung-hoon] persuaded Cha Seung-won by saying, 'This is something you have to lose to your younger brothers.' Cha Seung-won also responded to that saying, "Yeah, play with me," and confessed, "That's how I came to play the role of boss."

If Cha Seung-won and Choo Sung-hoon played the No. 1 and No. 2 roles and gave laughter with their bickering chemistry, Tommy was a hidden worker. Although the entertainment was not very fun because he had no experience in broadcasting, the unadorned appearance came as a fresh attraction to viewers. Above all, his consideration of flexibly coordinating between his brother and brother stood out, earning him a reputation as a hidden housekeeper of "Chagane."

Tommy's joining was also decided on the spot. In fact, the first broadcast of "Cha Gane" showed Tommy, a longtime relationship with Cha Seung-won and Choo Sung-hoon, being recruited on the spot, drawing laughter.

Regarding Tommy's casting, Yang EP said, "What Tommy says to me every time is, 'Your expression that day looked like hell.' I was already worried, but (Cha Seung-won and Choo Sung-hoon) called (Tommy) on the spot and came. Of course, I knew I needed a hand. I was just afraid because it was my first time doing a program like this," he said, smiling.

As for Dindin and Danny Gu, "I felt the need for a performer who could play a more intermediate role, so I found a young worker. I met Dindin and Danny Gu separately and they both have very different styles, which was nice. I liked it differently. In fact, I was going to serve one of the two, and opinions were divided even among the production team. Then someone from the staff said, "Let's go together," and that's how all five of us got together in Thailand."

Cha Seung-won and Choo Sung-hoon collide with each other with very different personalities and styles. Watching the two seriously bickering was also a fun factor in "Chagane."

Both EPs said, "They probably didn't know they didn't fit that well either. Actually, I thought the two of you were cool rather than not getting along. In fact, I thought it was cool and precious that the two of you, who had built a friendship of about 15 years, had a relationship that respected each other. "I thought it was possible because we definitely respect and like each other without communicating with each other," he said.

"We did not predict that Chu Sung-hoon went to meet a chef in Thailand. (Choo Sung-hoon) certainly had an animal sense. He also has an excellent business sense, so he has a great way to come up with ideas and realize them. Both Cha Seung-won, who thinks and plans, and Choo Sung-hoon, who acts, have considerable experience, so they were very reliable," he said, expressing his trust in Cha Seung-won and Choo Sung-hoon.

Also, "There were so many ideas, but only a few were on the show. I've studied all kinds of things, but I can't eat mysterious food. Cha Seung-won had a clear philosophy of "I like home-cooked meals and I love Korean food." He wanted to develop a comfortable taste that he knew and liked well. He also had a great sense of pride. In fact, the filming schedule changed according to the schedule of kimchi when we decided to make kimchi. During the kimchi development process, (Cha Seung-won) did not yield enough to check the period, time, and temperature of the kimchi ripened," he explained.

He added, "On the other hand, Chu Sung-hoon's sauce was developed with the use of improvisation."

Yang, who showed another new attempt with "Chagane," is a former member of the so-called "Na Young-seok Division" and has produced hits such as entertainment shows "Rakinam," "Youth Over Flowers," "Racket Boys," "Useless New Job," and "Useless Job." What does "Cold" mean to such an EP.

Yang's EP, who was asked, replied, "It's an entertainment show that didn't go as intended," adding, "I didn't know the process would be such a hardship, and I didn't know it would flow like this."

"In fact, from the beginning, Cha Seung-won asked, 'Will it be okay?' So I said, "I'm scared." I'm scared,' he replied. But this way, something different comes out than before, and I knew I was getting something even though I was struggling. When I said, "I'm scared," he said, "You have to be scared." I recalled a conversation I had with Cha during the program planning stage.

The two EPs also said, "Not only me, but also the main writer and the junior producers who worked with me, we had a lot of conversations that 'Chagane' seemed to be the turning point or the boundary between the end and the beginning of an era. From my career point of view, I think it's an entertainment show in the middle and an entertainment that changes the path completely. I don't know the answer. I want to continue experimental things. From now on, I thought I could be more bold and go without stopping. It's almost a survival instinct. You have to do that," he said, expressing his feelings while directing "Cha Gane."

It has already been a decade since Yang EP, who joined the broadcaster in 2015 with "Youth Over Flowers - Iceland." You will feel the rapidly changing broadcasting environment and your worries will deepen.

Both EPs said, "I wonder if there will be more and more programs like 'Cha'." Everyone seems to have the same concerns as mentioned earlier. I think there will be more producers and cast members who feel limited in the existing method and say, "Let's try even if the new method is difficult and unstable."

Regardless of YouTube, short-form, and OTT broadcasts, linear broadcasting seems to be the process of finding advantages. In that sense, "Cold" contained the fear I felt as a producer so desperately that I learned a lot about it. Cha Seung-won also said, "I've never been a professional who thought so much about it." My colleagues around me also said, "You must have had a lot of trouble." It is true that any producer wants to do something new, but it is difficult to get a chance. However, in "Chagane", I was very happy and grateful that the cast members worked with the same heart," he said.

Yang's EP, which is also close to director Jang Hang-joon, who recently rose to 10 million directors' ranks with the movie "The Man Who Lives with the King," is also positively influenced by him.

Yang EP said, "I see Jang Hang-joon and Kim Eun-hee, who became directors of 10 million, very often," adding, "As a producer, I was greatly influenced by my posture, reckless challenges, dreams and hopes." I've seen the scenario of "The Man Who Lives with the King" from the beginning, but it feels unreal these days. I talk a lot not only with the two of you, but also with actors who I often hang out with, "Let's try something new," he said.

He said, "I've been doing series such as 'New Journey to the West', 'Three Meals a Day', and 'Good for You' for a long time. I keep thinking about 'Next' because I feel the change in the broadcasting environment with my skin. As a result, I started to explore formats that were in the middle of the border like sitcoms. Writer Lee Woo-jung and senior producer Shin Won-ho also wanted to do such things, so we are working together," raising expectations for the next step.

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*This content was translated by AI.