IU was Supposed to Replace Kim Ji-won in “Queen of Tears”?
There were talks about the “Queen of Tears” team originally wanting to cast IU instead of Kim Ji-won as the K-drama’s female lead.
The K-drama “Queen of Tears” has been all the rage nowadays, and as the series’ leading actors, Kim Ji-won and Kim Soo-hyun are drawing massive attention. Watching the two’s incredibly harmonious acting performance and natural chemistry, audiences think the roles of Hyun-woo and Hae-in are basically tailor-made for Kim Ji-won and Kim Soo-hyun.
However, in reality, only Kim Soo-hyun was the initial choice for this role, while the role of the female lead was originally created with someone else in mind.
Specifically, the “Queen of Tears” team initially targeted idol-actress IU for the role of female lead Hong Hae-in. As early as April 2022, when news about the new work of screenwriter Park Ji-eun was announced, IU’s appearance was immediately mentioned. However, IU’s side quickly responded, stating, “We received an offer to appear in the work, but we politely declined.”
The decision to cast IU for the role of Hong Hae-in is actually understandable, because previously, IU had tremendous success with the character of a wealthy, haughty woman in the drama “Hotel Del Luna.” Furthermore, IU already collaborated with screenwriter Park Ji-eun before and had been a close acting partner and longtime friend of Kim Soo-hyun.
In fact, IU and Kim Soo-hyun collaborated on 2 successful dramas – “Dream High” and “The Producers.” Their absolute harmony and close relationship even led to rumors of them dating for a long time. However, they remained close friends, and their relationship continues to be strong.
IU turning down “Queen of Tears”, however, proves to be a good thing for the K-drama in the end, especially as Kim Ji-won excellently picked up the mantle. In fact, the role of Hong Hae-in is not just haughty and arrogant but also emotionally turbulent, enduring a lot of trauma and criticism. She doesn’t cry outwardly but is always in pain and unrest. This role requires extremely good internal acting; otherwise, Hae-in will only come off as cold, indifferent, and apathetic.
It’s uncertain how IU would handle the role, but at the moment, Kim Ji-won is undoubtedly the perfect and absolute choice for this character.
Source: K14
