'Bonjour Bakery' Production Team: "Kim Hee-ae experienced a mental breakdown on the level of 'The World of the Married'.. Kim Seon-ho has great affinity with the elderly" [★FULL Interview]

*This content was translated by AI.

The behind-the-scenes details revealed by the 'Bonjour Bakery' production team showed actors Kim Hee-ae, Cha Seung-won, Kim Seon-ho, and Lee Ki-taek as even more charming than we had imagined.

Recently, an interview was held with Coupang Play variety show 'Bonjour Bakery' PD Park Geun-hyeong and writer Kim Ran-ju at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul.

'Bonjour Bakery' is a healing baking variety show set in Korea's first 'senior dessert cafe' opened in a quiet rural village, where elderly people who know the taste of life and the bakery family who know the taste of happiness share sweet comfort and warmth. PD Park Geun-hyeong, known for 'You Quiz on the Block' and 'Spanish House', and writer Kim Ran-ju, known for '2 Days & 1 Night', 'Infinite Challenge', and 'Spanish House', joined forces.

'Bonjour Bakery' features Cha Seung-won and Lee Ki-taek as the kitchen chef team, while Kim Hee-ae and Kim Seon-ho lead the front-of-house serving team. The eight-episode series 'Bonjour Bakery' premiered on the 8th and is available every Friday at 4 p.m. on Coupang Play.

Unlike other sensational variety shows, 'Bonjour Bakery' is a 'kind variety show' that welcomes guests aged 65 and over, offering gentle laughter and touching moments. Writer Kim said, "It seems like the content naturally took on a different color, and we feel like we are taking on a new challenge. We hoped that more people would be able to enjoy the content."

She continued, "I wanted the protagonists to be grandmothers and grandfathers. I wanted them to come to the bakery not just as extras to the actors, but to share their own stories. Later, stories about the actors also emerge, including scenes where Kim Seon-ho shares his acting concerns with Kim Hee-ae," also hinting at the chemistry among the actors in the variety show.

'Bonjour Bakery' features a new combination never seen before, with Kim Hee-ae, Kim Seon-ho, and Lee Ki-taek joining writer Kim Ran-ju and Cha Seung-won, who previously worked together on 'Spanish House' in 2019. A key feature here is that all the cast members are actors.

Writer Kim said, "We wanted it to look like a bakery that had always been there, so we defined roles and then searched for people," while PD Park expressed satisfaction with the casting, stating, "Our bakery's main customers were guests aged 65 and over, and the cast members, including seniors Cha Seung-won and Kim Hee-ae, treated the elderly very well."

Cha Seung-won has appeared in various variety shows such as the 'Three Meals a Day' series and 'Spanish House', but in this 'Bonjour Bakery', he is seen shedding tears and showing emotional vulnerability, which is rare. Writer Kim said, "Senior Cha Seung-won held back his tears a lot, and I thought, 'He has this side too.' There is a story about a grandmother who sings. It was difficult for the actors' schedules to align, but the actors participated after seeing only our proposal, and we are grateful."

Additionally, among the short episode schedules, Cha Seung-won mastered all the high-end bread recipes, including 'Green Wheat Tart', 'Green Wheat Brioche', 'Raspberry Croissant', 'Pain au Chocolat', and 'Pumpkin Babka', leaving everyone in awe. PD Park joked, "It's a relief that Senior Cha Seung-won didn't hit us," and added, "I kept asking him, 'Where are you going? We have to make this,' and he would just say, 'Okay,' and do it," revealing that Cha Seung-won endured the production team's pressure.

Kim Hee-ae welcomed the elderly in the front of house with her unique elegant attitude. Writer Kim said, "Then, there was a moment when she lost her composure significantly. I thought she was controlling herself while filming. She showed a mental breakdown (mental collapse) even more than in the drama 'The World of the Married'."

Kim Seon-ho, who guarded the front of house with Kim Hee-ae, actively communicated with the elderly, fully displaying the character of Hong Ban-jang from the drama 'Cha Cha Cha in the Coastal Village'. In fact, he even promoted the shop to the elderly outside the store, demonstrating his 'insider' skills. Writer Kim said, "Kim Seon-ho became close to the elderly quickly, and later he would even say to passing elderly people, 'Come anytime!' Senior Kim Hee-ae also naturally said such things." PD Park also praised him, saying, "I like 'Cha Cha Cha in the Coastal Village', and (Kim Seon-ho) was the live-action version of Hong Ban-jang."

Lee Ki-taek has emerged as a 'variety blue chip' after recently announcing that he became a fixed member on KBS 2TV's '2 Days & 1 Night' following his appearance on 'Bonjour Bakery'. When asked how they discovered Lee Ki-taek's variety talent, Writer Kim replied, "At first, we just wanted Senior Cha Seung-won's assistant to do his job well, but (Lee Ki-taek) was nervous yet spoke his lines well. He was well-immersed, and there was something lacking that was interesting. You keep watching him. At some point, at the right timing, he is always there. His diligence is his charm."

PD Park shared Lee Ki-taek's passionate side, saying, "We had our first meeting with no prior information about Lee Ki-taek. Usually, meetings last about 30 minutes, but Lee Ki-taek's meeting went on for a long time. He talked about his mindset, asked many questions, and showed great interest in the cast members, so I felt it was fun. He also asked me many questions while filming."

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*This content was translated by AI.