“The Good Bad Mother” writer praised Lee Do Hyun, burst into tears at the casting of Ra Mi Ran
Writer Bae Se Young expressed her affection for the actors who starred in “The Good Bad Mother”.
In a recent interview after JTBC’s “The Good Bad Mother” ended, screenwriter Bae Se Young shared her thoughts about casting Ra Mi Ran (as Young Soon), Lee Do Hyun (as Kang Ho), and Ahn Eun Jin (Mi Joo) for the drama.
Revealing that she burst into tears when hearing that Ra Mi Ran agreed to star in the drama as Young Soon, the writer said, “Considering the image of a strong and cold-hearted mother, it was difficult to imagine that actress Ra Mi Ran would take it since she has been portraying bright and pleasant characters in her previous works. However, I had high expectations and faith in her as I heard she has a wide acting spectrum and I believed that the heavy and dark appearance of Young Soon would perfectly help the actress make a breakthrough from her existing bright image”.
Regarding actor Lee Do Hyun’s casting for Kang Ho, writer Bae said, “On the day when Lee Do Hyun’s casting was confirmed, I spent the whole night watching all of his previous works with the assistant writers. We were so happy while watching and rewatching those works. I believed that he was the actor who could perfectly portray both the cold image of Prosecutor Kang Ho and the innocent and pure image of a 7-year-old child. Not to mention his acting skills that already receive recognition. I considered him and Ra Mi Ran as perfect actors, and even at this moment, I’m grateful that I could complete a drama with them.”
Expressing her gratitude to Ra Mi Ran and Lee Do Hyun, the writer continued “I was a fan who really liked both actors, but I met them in person for the first time through the casting for this drama. I was very surprised that Ra Mi Ran looked much more feminine than what I had seen on screen and TV. I realized her sincerity in acting as I saw her bravely let go of all the images she had built up in previous works while approaching and interpreting this drama and the character of a bad mother”, adding “Contrary to the image in the drama, Lee Do Hyun was a very affectionate and sweet actor. As we had various conversations, he gave me the feeling of a healthy and kind ‘church brother’. Unlike his young age, Lee Do Hyun was more serious and deep when it came to acting. I can’t forget the moment when, during our first meeting in the elevator, he politely bowed and greeted me, saying ‘Don’t worry, writer. I will definitely do well. Feel free to use any scene. Fighting!’. His words comforted me a lot and gave me so much strength”.
Regarding the most memorable mother and son scene, writer Bae Se Young chose the one in episode 3 where Kang Ho said to his mother for the first time after the accident, “If I’m full, I will fall asleep. If I fall asleep, I can’t study”. The writer explained, “All the scenes of Kang Ho and mother Young Soon are touching and impactful”, adding “This specific scene made me shed tears a lot. I even got goosebumps at the perfect acting of the two actors so I wanted to thank them for that. Kang Ho expresses both his hate and love for his mother in that scene and it was painful as well as touching to see the two emotions get mixed together then pour out through Kang Ho’s tears.”
When asked if she had any special requests for the actors regarding their characters, writer Bae shared, “Just as the writer is responsible for creating a good script, I believe that it is the actors’ responsibility to bring the characters to life. No matter how well-developed the character is in the script, it can never be a good character without the actors’ interpretation and performance. That’s why I always believe in the actors and support the direction they choose to express their characters.”
Regarding the most memorable scene for her, the writer mentioned when Young Soon meets Kang Ho after his memories return. The writer said, “I wondered what Young Soon should say to her son first when Kang Ho gets his memories back and thought about that for many days. I believe that ‘Welcome back’ and ‘You’ve returned’ are the most meaningful and suitable lines for Young Soon to say to her son, whom she has missed for a long time. These lines not only signal the return of Kang Ho’s memories but also represent the restoration of their relationship.”
When asked about her feelings towards the impressive rating performance of “The Good Bad Mother”, writer Bae said, “To be honest, it was difficult to predict the result and we were worried about that a lot during the planning stage. I thought this drama was a world full of emotions that only Koreans would understand and sympathize with, but I was surprised to receive enthusiastic responses from overseas viewers. I believe that it was thanks to the success of K-contents and I wanted to thank all the producers who have raised the status of K-contents with so many good works.”
She added, “The 7 weeks of the drama broadcast were more meaningful to me than the 3 years I spent on writing it. I watched the viewers’ reactions each week and was relieved to see the drama gain more attention every week. I’m grateful for the overwhelming love and interest as well as supportive messages that viewers sent to our drama ‘The Good Bad Mother’.”
Source: Daum
