?????

[dangermousie]

Kim Su Hyun has been cast opposite Han Ga In in Moon That Embraces the Sun, a fantasy romance sageuk.

WTF WTF WTF WTF!!!

I happen to like both actors but this is the most insane casting imaginable. First of all, Han Ga In is SIGNIFICANTLY older - 29 to his 23. Now, if she was 39 to his 33, this would not matter as much, but when you are in your 20s, it matters a lot. More importantly, there is a reason KSH played much younger than his age up until now. He may be 23 but he looks 17. Lee Min Ho or Jung Il Woo are only a year older than KSH but if they were cast, I would have no problem because neither will look like a kid playing dress-up opposite Han Ga In - they look like adults, KSH does not.

I mean, Han Ga In's last leading man was Sexiness That Is Bidam himself and she is married to Yeon Jung Hoon. There is a reason for that. She is a grown-up woman. The thought of pairing her with KSH as a romantic interest boggles the mind.

Honestly, what drugs were the casting directors doing? It was rumored Park Shi Hoo would take the lead. That would make sense. This - this makes no sense at all.

Comments

[once-a-weaver.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I've been puzzled about that one.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

It's just - why? It's such a bizarre choice.

[popaddict.livejournal.com]

I agree. And I must admit that I am further puzzled because I don't think he's cute. (Shallow alert!) I can forgive a lot of things if there are attractive people on my screen.


Regardless, I'll be watching. I'm a supportive Han Ga In fangirl.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

He's too young-looking for me to crush on but I'd have no prob watching him in a teen romance. As Han Ga In's love interest though? WTF!

[walkwithheroes.livejournal.com]

Korean dramas seem to be in a "noona killer" phase, and are really going forward with casting young baby-faced actors opposite older women. I'm fine with age differences between romantic pairings, but it gets distracting when one looks like a teenager and the other looks like a full grown adult.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Exactly. if they wanted someone younger, then at least go for Lee Min Ho or Kim Bum or something - they look like an adult

[walkwithheroes.livejournal.com]

I agree. LMH looks older than his age and I've seen new pictures of Kim Bum and he is really looking like a grown up now.

[spunspider.livejournal.com]

i know right? sageuks and like walkwithheroes said noona-killers seem to be the current trends – maybe they figure they can't go wrong. kim soohyun's got some serious acting chops, probably more natural an actor than han gain tbh, but honestly.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

A noone-killer sageuk? *shudder* Two genres that should not mix.

I think that pretty much everyone out of the younger actor crop (Lee Min Ho, Kim Bum, Jung Il Woo, Song Joong Ki, Yoo Ah In, Yoochun, JCW, Joo Won etc) are more suited to this than KSH. I mean, in Baker King, Ma Jun's actor had a huge age diff with Eugene but it worked because he looked like an adult.

[spunspider.livejournal.com]

rofl. song joongki'd look like a baby opposite her too, i think. i hadn't at all realised how young joo won was opposite eugene! guess it's funny to me because i have no expectations, since i don't watch many sageuks at all.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

LOL, but he'd at least look older than KSH!

Honestly, out of that age bracket, only Joo Won or LMH could possibly look like they are same age she is.

[sisterjune.livejournal.com]

Oooh I'd love to see Song Joon Ki or Yoo Ah In headline something. Now I am kinda disappointed they werent picked!

[clairiere.livejournal.com]

As far as I understand (ie. from the gossip mill on DCgall, which is where I read about HGI and KSH long before their casting made the news), Park Shi Hoo wasn't in contention. The leads in the novel are supposed to be in their 20s, and character-wise, late 20s might be more appropriate. There are also 3-4 critical supporting roles left to be cast, but nobody knows what to expect any more b/c of HGI-KSH. As in, hopes in the project dashed, can't wrap their minds around the pairing, etc.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yes, the casting just doesn't make sense to me. I don't dislike younger actors and I actually think KSH has potential but the incongruity in the pairing makes no sense.

[timescout.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I read about the casting today and that pairing makes no sense. There are guys who can believably play both younger and older than their age (YAI for instance) but KSH is not one of them. Everything about him just sort of screams 'underage'. I have trouble seeing him as someone in his early twenties let alone a mature adult. Mind boggles....

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yeah, this really makes no sense to me. Is he the new Yoo Seung Ho or something, whose age-inapproriateness in both BDS and Flames was awfully distracting, however fine an actor he is.

[sisterjune.livejournal.com]

I read about this on tumblr and it said nothing was final yet. but assuming it now is. I dont see the big deal? He's got a baby face but he's cute and I am sucker for an older lady and a cute young in. We dont know how it'll play out on screen. maybe the costume will make him look older? maybe his youthful cute face is gonna be a factor in the storyline? like he pretends to be silly and cute but he's actually a badass? or he acts like a mischievous kid but he has a darky angsty past? I dont know, it could be interesting though! Its very untypical to cast such young looking guy to be an older woman's love interest. its novel. I like it. Plus I say its too early to judge!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

As you can tell, I love noona romances (am currently obsessing about FBRS - btw, after two eps, the tables have turned and he is starting to crush and she is putting him down because she thinks he's a twerp), but the problem with this is that in the novel this is based on, this is not supposed to be one. He's a king who's in the same age bracket as his shaman lady love interest. And if age interest is not part of the story but there is no way to conceal it on-screen, it is, at the very least, distracting.

Plus, it really is the youth thing. I loved Daemul which had a greater age difference between the leads, but the male lead (the younger one) was in his early 30s. When a male lead who looks like he's in high school is romancing a very grown-up woman, that better be explicitly part of the story otherwise this is verrrrry distracting.

[sodahands.livejournal.com]

I don't even get why they went with actors with a big age difference esp. when one of them has got such a babyface. In the original work aren't they supposed to be around the same age? I mean did they really have a hard time finding an actor in his age range who can look older as well?

I always have a hard time buying babyfaced actors paired with older women like Kim Bum and his OTP in Woman Who Still Wants to Marry. I always feel weird looking at shippy pics of them because he looks like a high schooler (well back then anyways) while she was older and looked it too.

Is this a new trend? In the new Lee Jia drama she's paired up with a younger guy with a babyface playing a 30 year old man and it's totally not believable.
Maybe the period clothing will make him look older or something.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Exactly. It's not even part of the story!

I don't mind age difference but if one party looks like a high-schooler, that becomes a hella a lot trickier.

Re: LJA drama. That's sort of an accident. Originally they have Kim Jae Won who is age-appropriate but he got injured and had to drop out. My interest dropped out too.

[sodahands.livejournal.com]

Yeah exactly. If one looks too young then it's really hard to buy the romance, imo.

Aw man KJW and LJI would be so pretty together. But then if he didn't have to drop out then I would have to force myself to watch it even though it's written by the Kim Samsoon writer.

[cleobulle.livejournal.com]

Hmm, I don't know...Saeguks have a way of literrally transforming actors. I can see HGI looking younger and KSH looking older. I'm not thrilled about the pairing by any means but I'll definitely check it out all the same. At the very least I'll wait until official stills or an official trailer is released.

I mean...Written by the lady who penned Capital Scandal? An adaptation of a novel by the lady who gave us Sungyunkwan Scandal? Too good to pass up!

I'm even considering translating this drama into French if it's any good. There's lots of potential here and I hope they don't mess it up.

The actor I really would have wanted to see in this is Lee Min Ho though. I adored him in City Hunter and I so want to see him in a saeguk next.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

But Dong Soo was a sageuk and YSH still looked too young. But we'll see.

[jennyhime.livejournal.com]

I'm also confused about this casting, I have no problems with KHS because he can act (in a few more years he'll be fantastic if he decides to continue acting).
But Han Ga In, she's pretty and all but not a very good actress. She's mediocre at best. In her last drama she was overshadowed. And if they get a solid supporting cast that are stronger actors then her.
I think they should have chosen a younger female actress, Moon Geun-young was also approached for the role but she turned it down (sigh)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I think MGY would have been much better - better actress, more age appropriate. argh.

[hamster428.livejournal.com]

The age difference has yet to be processed in my brain. All I'm really thinking is, "Han Ga In, really?" because I still don't think she can act. Maybe the drama will be crack enough where I can ignore the lack of talent (like Dream High haha).
But otoh, KSH in sageuk garbs... yeah, crack enough.

[hamster428.livejournal.com]

BTW, can you PM me the Spanish movie link? thankies

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I like her well enough but yeah, this cast is not inspiring me.