Vincenzo director, The Handmaiden writer team up in new K-drama Little Women
MANILA, Philippines — South Korean drama Little Women proves to be a female-led production, with the director of hit series Vincenzo and The Crowned Clown joining forces with the writer of critically-acclaimed films The Handmaiden and Decision To Leave to bring the show to the screens.
The upcoming K-drama reimagines the coming-of-age novel Little Women by American writer Louisa May Alcott. It tells the tale of three hard-up but closely knit sisters who find themselves getting caught up in a conspiracy that involves the rich and powerful in Korea. Based on the official trailer, it all begins when one of the siblings accidentally discovers a bag filled with cash worth 70 billion won that’s either going to change their fortunes for the better or for the worse. The 12-episode series is set to premiere on Netflix come Sept. 3.
During a virtual presscon on Monday, director Kim Hee Won spoke about working with the prolific screenwriter Chung Seo Kyung, who wasn’t present at the media event.
She said, through an English interpreter, “At first, it was just kind of fascinating and amazing that I got the chance to work with her. And then, when we were filming, there’s a teenage me, there’s me in my 20s, there’s me in my 30s, and I felt that she brought out all those (sides) of me. There’s a lot of feelings and emotions and instincts in this drama. (Like) in one moment, I felt it was the teenage me and in one moment I felt the mature me, so writer Chung has this power to pull those feelings out of me (as a director).”
“And writer Chung has a silver tongue. She talks really well and really entertains everyone. I felt like she made this beautiful garden and I went into her garden and looked at all the flowers, the trees and everything. It was about half a year that I played in her garden. I was very happy,” she added.
As mentioned, this new K-drama is loosely based on the American novel of the same title. It stars Kim Go Eun (Goblin, Yumi’s Cells), Nam Ji Hyun (100 Days My Prince, 365: Repeat the Year), Wi Ha Jun (Squid Game, Bad and Crazy), Park Ji Hu (All of Us Are Dead), Uhm Ji Won (The Scarlet Letter, The Woman Who Married Three Times), Um Ki Joon (The Penthouse: War in Life), among others.
Director Kim said, “The Little Women that we know of, the novel, we want to reinterpret that. What if those little women came to Korea? That was where we started. We started with a reality that everyone could relate to and then it evolved into a gigantic event. It’s very difficult for me to put these into words, but there’s a lot of twists and turns in the plot.”
The filmmaker continued, “When I was filming the show, I was most proud that writer Chung had a great script… She had some new concepts, new attempts, so I was really happy over how we’d go about those attempts. It was very exciting for me as a director. It was so enjoyable. And the output is wonderful. It surprised me, too. So, I think the people who will watch the show will find it very novel.”
She also cited the production team, calling them “the best of the best crew, like a dream team,” as the reason why she chose Little Women as her next project after the success of Vincenzo.
“This is a 12-episode series so it’s speedy and fast-tracked. I think people will really enjoy it until the very end,” she added.
When asked about how they were able to assemble a star-studded cast, director Kim said, “It was such an honor to have such a formidable cast in the show. The casting process took a long time and much effort.”
“I always say this, but I have two principles for casting (actors): No. 1, if it’s an actor that the audience wants to see on the screen. And No. 2, if it’s an actor that the crew is excited to work with. And they all met that criteria,” she further said.
When it came to pitching the material to the actors, she said that together with writer Chung, they “used various ways, skills to entice them to join the show. But thankfully, all the actors were very interested when they received the script.”
“We had a meeting with all the actors with writer Chung and all of them came to us with very sophisticated and insightful questions. It was obvious that they were really passionate about bringing the best out of this show, and I could feel it on set,” she continued.
“You know if this were a dance, we would have to do some fast-paced dances and also, the slow dances, and they could really alternate between the two different genres.”
No other plot details were given by the director, but she asked audiences to watch out for some surprises, hinting at special guest appearances. Her Vincenzo lead star Song Joong Ki is reportedly doing a cameo in Little Women.
“I think the audience will be quite surprised,” she said, adding that there are also locations featured in the show hardly seen in other K-dramas.
The final words director Kim gave during the presscon were: “I know how precious your nights on the weekends are, so we had that sense of responsibility as we were making this production over the past half of the year. We put everything, all of our efforts, into this production. So, I hope you will enjoy the show.”
(Little Women airs Saturday and Sunday nights, beginning Sept. 3.)
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