You’ve seen actress Jeon Jong-seo play an enigmatic character in Lee Chang-dong’s Burning, her breakout role. Then, she took on the character of Tokyo for the Korean remake of Money Heist and more recently, as a former bodyguard in Ballerina. While the actress has been taking on tough, mysterious, serious roles, she is finally working on a genre she’s always wanted to do for a series (not a movie like Nothing Serious), all thanks to Wedding Impossible. The romantic comedy from Prime Video sees the actress team up with Moon Sang-min, fresh off his Best New Actor win at the 59th Baeksang Arts Awards. He, too, charmed viewers with his performance in Under the Queen’s Umbrella. Add actor Kim Do-hwan, who’s always been a scene-stealer, into the mix and you get a power trio. Plus, your classic fake relationship storyline to spice things up.
Viewers of K-drama are no strangers to fake marriage narratives. Or in this case, a potential fake marriage. But for the stars of Wedding Impossible, theirs is different as they reveal in this interview. The drama follows A-jung (Jeon) who works as an extra. Despite her talent, she does not het her big break, whether it’s her career or her love life. Her male friend of 15 years, Do-han (Kim) is the son of a chaebol family and is being pressured to get married. He turns to A-jung for help—to pretend as his wife. With that, she takes on the first leading role of her life: Do-han’s ‘soon-to-be’ wife. Meanwhile, Do-han’s younger brother, Ji-han (Moon) wants Do-han to be a successful heir to the family business. But Do-han’s marriage plans got in the way. So, he’s doing everything in his power to stop it from happening and brings another potential bride into the already complicated triangle—now square.
As the Prime Video drama enters its third half, Lifestyle Asia caught up with lead stars Jeon Jong-seo and Moon Sang-min to talk more about their characters. The two also shared more about their experience working with each other and what makes Wedding Impossible different from others with similar storylines.
‘Wedding Impossible’ stars Jeon Jong-seo and Moon Sang-min talk about working on the Prime Video series
Jeon Jong-seo, you previously mentioned you always wanted to do a romantic comedy series. This being your first, were there any challenges? What did you enjoy the most?
Jeon Jong-seo: That’s right. I think the difficult part is I was worried about what is commonly talked about as drama acting before starting this series. It felt unfamiliar as I wasn’t sticking to the nature of my original acting skills. However I thought it would be fun to persuade the audience, and I wanted to break the existing drama framework with my own acting. The set is so good that all the actors including myself have chosen Wedding Impossible as the best set.
Your character enters a fake marriage for the series. Can you tell us more about what it was like taking on the role of a fake bride?
Jeon Jong-seo: For A-jung, I dived in because the first main character role in her life is that of a “fake bride” and I think the meaning of fake marriage must have been different for each character. Isn’t A-jung such a simple girl to call being a ‘fake bride’?
This is your first role after winning the Best New Actor award at the 59th Baeksang Arts Awards. Can you tell us more about how you prepared for the role of Lee Ji-han?
Moon Sang-min: I was so grateful that I could act as the charming character Lee Ji-han. So, I was happy. Acting-wise, Ji-han is a chaebol, but he shows various sides of himself to reach his goals. I created the character thinking about how to convey Ji-han’s changes throughout the episodes to the viewers. I thought about how to express a younger male character who is like a large puppy and paid a lot of attention to styling. Also, I tried a fluffy shadow perm and wore large-sized knitwear to look bigger.
Your character is an interesting mix of a schemer with a soft side. What are some of the creative decisions you made to act that out?
Moon Sang-min: As the episodes continue, Ji-han changes in various ways, both internally and externally. I thought a lot about how to show this difference to the viewers. Rather than adding improvisational elements, I tried to focus on how Ji-han would feel when he was with Do-han. As well as what he would do when he was with A-jung and focus on the situation when acting.
Jeon Jong-seo and Moon Sang-min on what makes ‘Wedding Impossible’ different
How did you two work together to bring out the chemistry?
Jeon Jong-seo: Moon Sang-min and I actually click really well in many ways, so we can’t stop laughing when we talk. We play around a lot with words, and I think our real selves will naturally show through the screen. I don’t think we tried to force ourselves to create chemistry. It’s up to the audience to evaluate our chemistry. But I think we have a charm that will make you want to keep seeing us.
Moon Sang-min: At first, it was awkward with Jeon Jong-seo, but we got close quickly by talking a lot. When acting and often at other times as well, she finds and tells me about my strengths and charms, and that really cheered me up and gave me a lot of confidence. We had great chemistry, and I was able to shoot comfortably thanks to her good energy.
There have been many “fake marriage” stories in other K-dramas before. What makes Wedding Impossible different and stand out?
Jeon Jong-seo: The discovery of Moon Sang-min, who you will encounter through Wedding Impossible. Plus, Kim Do-wan played a character that has not been seen before. If other existing dramas had missions under the theme of fake marriage, Wedding Impossible has a more subjective female narrative, showing simplicity rather than splendour, unlike typical Cinderella stories. I think the biggest difference is that the drama contains naturalness that many people can relate to in that it is very every day and ordinary.
Moon Sang-min: What’s special about our drama is that the brother-in-law is against his brother’s marriage, which is why the relationship between Ji-han, Do-han, and A-jung is both refreshing and fun. I think this setting itself is an element that viewers can feel differently.
Catch new episodes of ‘Wedding Impossible’ every Monday and Tuesday, exclusively on Prime Video.
All images credit: Prime Video
