Omnibus K-drama Our Blues assembles star-studded cast
Even before its April 9 premiere on Netflix, Our Blues was stirring up excitement among fans for assembling a cast of who’s who in the K-drama world.
Officially presented through a virtual presscon on Thursday, April 7, were lead stars Lee Byung Hun (Mr. Sunshine), Shin Min A (Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha), Cha Seung Won (A Korean Odyssey), Lee Jung Eun (Parasite), Han Ji Min (Miss Baek), Kim Woo Bin (Uncontrollably Fond) and Uhm Jung Hwa (Marriage is a Crazy Thing).
The star-studded ensemble wouldn’t have been possible if its legendary writer Noh Hee Kyung didn’t decide on doing an omnibus project as her comeback series in four years.
No
h, who also wrote such hit Korean shows as It’s Okay, That’s Love, Padam Padam, and That Winter, the Wind Blows, etc., said that she had been working on this narrative format for a decade now. Yes, that long because, as she explained, “I kind of got sick and tired of just seeing a male lead and a female lead. You know, we are all the lead characters of our respective lives, but why is it that everything just revolves around two people in a drama? And those questions have led me to choose an omnibus style.”
In Our Blues, Noh has collaborated anew with director Kim Kyu Tae, whose previous works aside from those with Noh are Iris, A Love To Kill and Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo.
When director Kim first read the script, it felt like a “hybrid” of a drama series and a movie. “It stood on the fine line between the two. So, I also wanted to make sure that this provided the viewers two experiences — one of watching a film and the other of watching a 20-episode series.”
When it came to the challenge of directing the parallel and interconnected yet divergent storylines, he said his approach was to return to the basics.
“I wanted to go about it the classic way and in a sophisticated way. That was my focus. Nowadays, we see a lot of fancy video techniques, or we tend to go for instant thrills and stimulus. But instead of going down that path, I wanted to focus more on the characters, their stories and their emotions,” he said.
“I didn’t want to force anything on to the viewers. I wanted to just let them watch and slowly immerse themselves in the emotions and stories in a more natural way. I think that was what was most important for me as a director.”
‘This doesn’t always happen’
The cast chosen to bring these multiple stories to life surprised the stars themselves. And Lee Byung Hun was instrumental in making it happen. The actor, as well as Ji Min and Min A, were already part of Here, another project of Noh that got shelved due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Byung Hun recalled, “We all gathered one day and were told that we would not be able to continue with that drama. Then, I jokingly asked, ‘Do you have anything else written?’ I was actually half-joking, but I think our writer thought about what I said.”
Some months later, Noh came up with Our Blues.
“I’ve always wanted to work with writer Noh on a drama together. It’s not easy for these talented actors to gather all together, so I thought it would be a good opportunity. She took our cast members and wrote up a story. I was so impressed from the moment I read the script, and all throughout filming,” he added.
The same goes for Jung Eun, Jung Hwa and Seung Won, there was no reason for them not to join the series given the line-up of co-actors.
“I asked who else is in it? They told me everyone here. I questioned them back, are you sure it’s Lee Byung Hun? Not Lee Byung Soo? I couldn’t believe that all of these actors would gather together to be in one drama,” said Seung Won.
“So, there really was no reason for me to turn it down. I liked it a lot. Throughout filming and even after filming… I felt happy and satisfied for the first time in a long time,” he added.
As for Woo Bin, one of the “youngest” among cast members, he admitted to feeling very nervous to be working alongside his idols in the industry. (Incidentally, Min A is his real-life girlfriend but they’re both paired with different actors in the drama.)
He said, “I’m in this project together with senior actors that I really look up to, and some of them I’m already familiar with, so I really am very excited. And this doesn’t always happen — being in a project together with so many wonderful actors. So, I’m just delighted.”
Comforting story
Our Blues tells the “comforting story” about the lives, loves and relationships of ordinary people in Jeju island. The setting figures prominently in the show like a character unto its own.
Noh said, “I chose Jeju because I believe (it’s) a place where the very Korean and local sentiments remain intact. In Jeju, the whole neighborhood could be blood-related, and if not they’re still very close to one another. Their close-knit culture was something I could really use to portray Korean culture.”
In the series, Byung Hun plays a Jeju local salesman who falls for Min A, a mysterious, single mother who arrives on the island.
Seung Won’s character comes home to Jeju after years of being a city dweller and runs into Jung Eun, who plays a fish store owner and the returnee’s first love. The latter’s bestfriend is played by Jung Hwa who also returns home after being fed up with the urban life.
Ji Min is a haenyeo — or what Jeju’s traditional female divers are called — who catches the attention of Woo Bin, who portrays a boat captain.
It was pointed out during the presscon that the magic of Noh’s writing is how she transforms “ordinary people into special ones.”
Ji Min commented more about the writer’s storytelling strengths: “As a viewer and a fan, her shows don’t revolve around extraordinary people. It’s always about ordinary people who we come across daily. But she paints the picture in a way that makes them feel special. That’s why the lines get stuck in your head, and you keep reciting those lines inside your head. It just touches deep and gives us this heartwarming experience.”
Tough but fun filming
Behind the story unfolding against the backdrop of Jeju’s “beautiful landscape” was real hard work of shooting.
According to director Kim, “We did have fun, of course, but the process was not easy. Jeju is known for being extremely windy, and its weather is so capricious. It’s cold too with the strong wind,” jokingly adding, “So, their hair isn’t as perfect, they don’t look impeccable on the show so they might hold a grudge against me.”
For Min A, it was also the weather that made filming memorable. She recalled, “Every time I had a scene in Jeju, the weather wasn’t quite nice. It was really windy. So, the crew would joke that every time I appear, wind starts blowing. So, when I think about shooting in Jeju, I instantly recall the strong wind that almost blew me away, literally speaking… and because my character Seon-a has her personal tragedies, I think the wind actually helped paint that picture for her.”
Jung Eun related that in Jeju, they didn’t have professional walk-in actors like in Seoul so they tapped actual residents. “They were very nice and cooperative but in fish market scenes, they sometimes actually purchased fish to bring home. And they would just talk the way they want to so lots of improv there. When they spoke some Jeju dialect that I didn’t understand, I didn’t know how to react. Those were the fun moments.”
For her part, Jung Hwa said she didn’t have fish market scenes until the end part of the series so she just enjoyed watching her co-actors play them out. “When I did go for the first time, I saw all these wonderful actors in each of their spots selling fish and trimming fish. This unrealistically handsome Woo Bin is carrying around boxes of fish and spraying water over fish! So, I just sat there and watched him, and the filming crew actually told me to move so I had to,” she laughingly said.
During the presscon, writer Noh was also asked about what Blues in the title meant. It didn’t refer to the music genre, she said, but music has an important role in the series. They used various genres “to express emotions from sadness to happiness.”
“Director Kim took care to make sure the music was just right. I wanted it to be a celebration. Not a sad story, but a story of hope even if there is pain. Woo Bin mentioned earlier that he got a refreshing feeling, which is great to hear. If you listen to music, your sadness goes away very quickly no matter how sad you are. And the feeling stays with you. So, I wanted to show this aspect with music.
“When I first met Byung Hun, I said this to him: ‘This story focuses on not pain, but hope.’ Experience doesn’t become pain, but it becomes another step towards hope. So, focusing on that, I didn’t feel that much pain while writing this script. I had fun with it. I want all living things to be happy.”
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