[HanCinema's News] Director Kim Sang-hyeob Talks About "True Beauty"

On December 9th "True Beauty" will premiere on tvN. The drama is based on the Naver webtoon of the same title and stars Mun Ka-young in the lead role as a visually unremarkable high school girl who achieves a cult following on YouTube for her beauty video blog. "True Beauty" is also the first project from director Kim Sang-hyeob since "Extraordinary You" last year, and he has high hopes for the new project.

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According to Kim Sang-hyeob, he did not take "True Beauty" on because it like "Extraordinary You" deals with high school students, noting that "Extraordinary You" was his first ever title that dealt with high school students at all. He claimed to have been hoping for a safer project for his next work. When Kim Sang-hyeob he was surprised to find it very funny and true to life. Consequently Kim Sang-hyeob felt that this was the safer project he was looking for.

Kim Sang-hyeob attributed the success of the original webtoon to how well-drawn the characters were. So he took special interest in the casting, stating that his main reason for selecting Mun Ka-young, Cha Eun-woo, and Hwang In-youp was his belief that they would synchronize well with the original characters. High personal energy and strong balance were the main factors cited for Mun Ka-young that made her ideal for the role.

As for Cha Eun-woo, Kim Sang-hyeob deferred to the judgment of webtoon fans, who were quite adamant that he was their dream actor for the role of the soft-hearted and refreshing male friend of the lead character. Manliness coupled with the concept of purity were other important points of consideration. Hwang In-youp was selected for the opposite contrast, with his character being more hot-blooded and competitive.

Kim Sang-hyeob also claimed that similar care was taken with the rest of the cast, with his goal being to use the various family and friends of the main characters to emphasize their most appealing qualities. Purportedly "True Beauty" will include many new actors who were sought out via audition for these precise purposes. "True Beauty" will air on Wednesday and Thursday nights in the ten thirty timeslot.

Written by William Schwartz