Sung Yuri squares off with Go Hyun-jung
by javabeans
Hm, this strikes me as weird casting. (Anyone else think so?)
Go Hyun-jung has already been cast as one of the two main female leads in next year’s large-scale sageuk production of Queen Seon-deok. She’d originally been cast as Queen Seon-deok (or rather, Princess Deok-man who becomes Queen Seon-deok), but her role was shifted over to the other female lead. And now Seon-deok goes to… Sung Yuri??
I have not been a fan of Sung Yuri’s acting in the past (Snow Queen, Prince’s First Love), but she did do a good job as lovable, goofy Enok in Hong Gil Dong. However, that was a fusion sageuk and a comedy, so off-kilter acting actually suited her, because it covered up her weak spots and allowed her to get a few good crying scenes (without maintaining that level of intensity throughout). It was a good fit for her. Plus she had chemistry with Kang Ji-hwan, which always helps.
Despite Sung’s improvements, however, nobody — and I mean nobody — could confuse her for Go Hyun-jung, and this sets up the role for some obvious comparisons. (It means somebody thought, “Well, Go Hyun-jung was going to be Queen Seon-deok. Who can we cast instead? Oh, I know! Sung Yuri!”) Only you can’t compare Sung to Go, no way. Had Go retired for good, like, say, her ’90s contemporary Shim Eun-ha, she’d probably currently have a similar reputation as one of Korea’s best actresses of recent years. (Well, she already has that rep, but retiring early always adds a little sheen to fame.)
Well, I won’t rule Sung Yuri out completely. But I think Chae Shi-ra‘s Empress Cheon-chu just edged ahead of Seon-deok and Princess Ja-myung in the “sageuks starring famous actresses in ass-kicking rulership roles” category.
Queen Seon-deok is being planned for 50 episodes and will broadcast early next year.
Via Star News
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Tags: Go Hyun-jung, Queen Seon-deok, Sung Yuri
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1 belleza
November 24, 2008 at 9:16 PM
"And now Seon-deok goes to… Sung Yuri??"
NOOOOO!!!! That's impossible!!! :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :(
This must be a Netizen prank. I have nothing against Sung Yu Ri . . . but there is no amount of ecstasy, LSD, and extra spicy kimchee that would make me agreeable to SYR playing Queen Seon-deok. I mean, I've accepted Goo Hye Sun playing 17 year-old Makino. I've accept Iljimae wearing an invisibility cloak. I even liked Goong S. But this . . .THIS . . . my God MBC have YOU no shame!!! Again, I have nothing against Sung Yu Ri. But she's nowhere near qualified to play this part. She . . just . . can't . . .do it.
The truth is, I was quietly hoping they would cast Lee Young Ae or Soo Ae in this part.
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2 avonmarissa
November 24, 2008 at 9:32 PM
lol, I had the same wtf moment as well. The role of Seondeok calls for a very strong actress and Sung Yuri is . . . not that strong of an actress for this particular role. Anyway, I hope she proves me wrong.
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3 pabo ceo reom
November 24, 2008 at 9:43 PM
Might wanna calm down with all of those emoticons belleza ^^;;
Plus, I believe the production did ask both Lee Young Ae and Su Ae but couldn't get a commitment from them. They had to move on with someone else.
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4 anoni
November 24, 2008 at 9:44 PM
WHY??????????????????????????????????????????
THIS BITCH CANT ACT FOR SHIIT!!
WHY NOT HA JI WON????
PLEASE SOMEONE WHO CAN ACT!!!!!
SUNG YURI SUCKS! GO BACK TO SINGING!
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5 sam
November 24, 2008 at 9:50 PM
"I believe the production did ask both Lee Young Ae and Su Ae but couldn’t get a commitment from them"
How do you go from LYA, then Su Ae, then Sung Yuri? There are at least a dozen actresses better suited for the role!
"GO BACK TO SINGING!"
she wasn't a good singer, either.
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6 pooops
November 24, 2008 at 9:54 PM
why sung yuri?
of alllllllllll people?
even YEH would have been a better choice!
i heard ha ji won and song yoona were also asked of this role.
one thing is for sure, altho this drama is titled: "queen seon duk"
the story is definitely gonna revolve around Mishil, which is probably why Go Hyun Jung took the role of Mishil instead of Seonduk.
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7 belleza
November 24, 2008 at 9:59 PM
"Might wanna calm down with all of those emoticons belleza"
Sorry sorry. But STILL!!
There's the basic issue with the language. Hong Gil Dong used modern dialogue, so Sung Yu Ri didn't have to go over that hurdle. To play this part (or any important part in a sageuk), you'll have to be able to deliver ornately worded lines as if you actually understand what the heck you are saying. Line deliveries has been one of Yu Ri's weaknesses. Here, she will play the focal point of the storm.
Presumably, this will be MBC's 2009 centerpiece historical drama, so you can't toss this off as an irreverent fusion sageuk for the kids. I have nothing against her, but I think this choice would be absolutely crazy.
"i heard ha ji won and song yoona were also asked of this role."
I wish Song Yoon Ah would have given it a shot; she's more talented than the roles she's often given for TV. Ha Ji Won (or Son Yeh Jin) would have been good choices too.
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8 jinhee
November 24, 2008 at 10:48 PM
^ Sung Yuri spoke old Korean in Hong Gil Dong. Most of the language in HGD was old style, or at least tried to be. It wasn't modern in the sense of contemporary dramas.
Otherwise, I agree with the point that Sung Yuri cannot handle the usual sageuk cadence as needed.
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9 belleza
November 24, 2008 at 10:59 PM
"Sung Yuri spoke old Korean in Hong Gil Dong."
Ahh, thanks for clarifying that up!
I don't know -- maybe she can pull this off. The PD must believe she can. This is kinda like being cast for the lead in Hamlet, when you originally auditioned for "random person slain by Maternally Confused Prince in last scene."
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10 Bradamante
November 25, 2008 at 12:19 AM
A bad choice, if I consider the path of this new sageuk.
Sung Yuri is very limited as artistic talent and her failure could only damage the quality of the plot and the work of other actors.
I hope are only chat to the wind, otherwise I foresee, for the future, bitter tears.
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11 all4movies
November 25, 2008 at 12:33 AM
If she's smart, she'll work hard on her old style cadence and learn as much as she can from Go Hyung-Jun, the veteran.
Let's see if she can meet the standard.
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12 lovehye
November 25, 2008 at 1:21 AM
If she's smart, she'll leave!
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13 selva
November 25, 2008 at 2:25 AM
I somehow wanted Su Ae to do this role... I always thought she can nail it, but now *sigh*
now my heart is settled on princess Ja-myung completely, so yeah I care less about the casting here hehe (I might try to watch Empress Cheon-chu as well... the lead actress is the MAN if you allowed me to say that... she's like super tough and totally can portray her character perfectly).
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14 koalabear
November 25, 2008 at 2:43 AM
I think Sung Yuri is too premature for the role, or I guess she is not ready for a big sageuk like Queen Seondeok, I know Hong Gil-dong was really good but MBC should reconsider first, I have some actresses in mind for the role, let's see what happens next,
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15 eimich
November 25, 2008 at 2:52 AM
Ms. Go will probably eat her alive if she doesn't behave, ahehehe.
Better sign up for workshops!!
And I feel more excited that this drama will concentrate more on Mi-shil. Aigoo, why is the book Mi-shil not also in English? I sometimes think that theseKoreans are a bit selfish, ahwehwe. Just joking. Hope they put English in their curriculum.
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16 Annie
November 25, 2008 at 3:38 AM
Ha Ji Won would of kicked butt!! Unfortunately, she's far too busy with her endless movie offers to return to the small screen. *sigh* Hopefully Sung Yuri uses this opportunity to become a better actress.
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17 sayroo
November 25, 2008 at 5:21 AM
LOL! YURI deserves this one!
CHUKAHAE for her! and it's very nice to see her with the LEGEND, GO HYUN JUNG! :D
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18 Ivuson
November 25, 2008 at 7:18 AM
Thanks for the news.
Wow people take it pretty seriously. Give her a chance, she's progressed through the years. Who knows, she might surprise you.
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19 ponysmile
November 25, 2008 at 7:52 AM
I love her ^^
Gladdddddddd to see her again..
I wish she can release her potential more in this new series
^^
I'll be waiting for her
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20 YOMASGA
November 25, 2008 at 8:25 AM
SUNG YURI !!!
SUNG YURI !!!
SUNG YURI !!!
SUNG YURI !!!
SUNG YURI !!!
SUNG YURI !!!
SUNG YURI !!!
SUNG YURI !!!
SUNG YURI !!!
SUNG YURI !!!
SUNG YURI !!!
SUNG YURI !!!
SUNG YURI !!!
SUNG YURI !!!
COME BACK to drama ... I want see her.
HAha ___ SARANGHEY ^^
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21 mona
November 25, 2008 at 9:06 AM
hmm..
i like SYR in HGD..she`s a good actress..
but sorry.. i have a doubt she`ll be able doing her role as queen Seon Deok..
Soo Ae & YEH are not better than her..
Go Hyoon Jong the one who is perfect for this role.. then Ha Ji Won..
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22 Mindy
November 25, 2008 at 10:02 AM
NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SUNG YURI?!?!?! OH MAN.....
HA JI WON WOULD BE SO PERFECT. WE NEED SOMEONE LIKE HA JI WON TO TAKE THE SAGEUK!!!
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23 LamVu
November 25, 2008 at 10:04 AM
Wow, people are so mean . You can love your idols but it 's to childish to bash the others like that . You don't like SYR, but the others might do . SRY , waiting for so long to see you come back . Miss you after HGD , hopefully the male lead is KJH, that must be a bless ha ha ha ha
And People w/ somethings like this in their mouth "I have nothing against SRY, oh Please, your words say it all" Shame shame shame
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24 Helena
November 25, 2008 at 10:36 AM
<<>>
Agree. I don't know what MBC and the production team are thinking. Sigh....
It was reported that they wanted Lee Young Ae for the title role, but she turned it down.
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25 belleza
November 25, 2008 at 11:15 AM
“I have nothing against SRY, oh Please, your words say it all”
I really don't, and this has nothing to do with silly "my idol is better than your idol" one upsmanship. This is about Queen Seon-dok being the most significant female-driven sageuk MBC has done in years, which also makes it an enormously challenging role (even with Min-sil does most of the heavy lifting) with a big budget, high expectations, and 50 episodes planned for it. I wouldn't have objected if Sung Yu Ri was cast as a support character in the drama, and it would have been awesome to see SYR give a shot at a proper sageuk. But the lead role?
In any case, I'm watching this show. Obviously the PD thought she could do it, otherwise she wouldn't have been cast. I hope she proves me wrong. If she does, she could conceivably jump into A-list status, and her pan-Asian popularity would be on another level than it is now.
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26 izzie
November 25, 2008 at 12:20 PM
Woohoo! SUNG YURI! I'm so glad to see her back! Not too excited about the length of this drama, but I'll watch it! She's so talented and beautiful!
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27 ditto
November 25, 2008 at 1:14 PM
well they ruined the drama before filming. horrible actress. her voice also grades.
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28 cbcnamja
November 25, 2008 at 2:14 PM
Awesome!! I can't wait to see her again! Man... there's so many haters here.. but I love her..haha.. If she's cast for the lead role, she obviously passed the audition with flying colors. I'm pretty sure the PDs know what they're doing.
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29 amy
November 25, 2008 at 2:41 PM
I really don't know about this.. SRY as Queen Sundeok... with her irritatingly thin voice? Well, we'll see how it goes.
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30 lovehye
November 25, 2008 at 4:22 PM
i have absolutely NO confidence in syr.
i KNOW she's gonna fu*k it up!
and thats just sad.. too sad..
obviously the producers wanted to go low budget on Queen Seon duk by casting syr,
if they were wise, they should have grabbed LYA or HJW even if it meant raking in more 3rd party cash to grab to them. If they had chosen the wise path, this drama would be a hit from episode 1 to 50.
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31 Annie
November 25, 2008 at 6:26 PM
"Wow, people are so mean . You can love your idols but it ’s to childish to bash the others like that "
Aww. No need to get offended here. It's all a matter of personal opinion and I think people here have expressed their opinions in a respectful/approperiate manner.
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32 belleza
November 25, 2008 at 6:39 PM
"I think people here have expressed their opinions in a respectful/approperiate manner."
I think they're mad at my wall of emoticon. :D
One thing I deeply respect Sung Yu Ri for is well she has taken criticism pretty much her entire acting career. Even when she was picked by industry people as one of the worst singer-turned-actors some years back, she took it in stride and worked at her craft. So when she DID make that breakthrough with Hong Gil Dong, she really deserved the positive response she got.
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33 Mr Mully
November 25, 2008 at 8:48 PM
“I think people here have expressed their opinions in a respectful/approperiate manner.”
Uhm yeah I don't think so. Just look @ all these goodies. Not exactly respectful OR appropriate.
"i KNOW she’s gonna fu*k it up!"
"well they ruined the drama before filming. horrible actress. her voice also grades."
"“GO BACK TO SINGING!”
she wasn’t a good singer, either."
"WHY??????????????????????????????????????????
THIS BITCH CANT ACT FOR SHIIT!!"
"but there is no amount of ecstasy, LSD, and extra spicy kimchee that would make me agreeable to SYR playing Queen Seon-deok."
Real classy.
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34 Heejae
November 25, 2008 at 8:57 PM
Despite all the negative comments, I'd really like to see what Sung Yuri does with this project.
I would like to think that the makers wouldn't go to just anyone, and that there is a reason other than bribery/connections/etc. that Sung Yuri got it.
I look forward to this and am definitely going to check this out.
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35 belleza
November 25, 2008 at 10:23 PM
"“but there is no amount of ecstasy, LSD, and extra spicy kimchee that would make me agreeable to SYR playing Queen Seon-deok.”"
Yup, guilty. SO Mr. Mully, think Sung Yu Ri can pull off playing the Queen of Shilla?
"I would like to think that the makers wouldn’t go to just anyone, and that there is a reason other than bribery/connections/etc. that Sung Yuri got it."
I have to think that the PD believes that she can pull this off, because they're inviting a lot of public skepticism now over her casting.
And I'm not 100% sure Go Hyun-Jung will be able to nail her part either. She's a terrific actress (really liked her last role in HIT), but she's never done a proper saguek, and the first time is never easy. It's a good casting choice, but it's not a homerun either.
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36 Artemis
November 26, 2008 at 12:55 AM
I agree with most people here. I think they blew their chances of making a great drama by hiring Sung Yuri!
50 episodes...wow. The production costs will be astronomical and if viewer ship is low, I see it even canceling.
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37 phoony
November 26, 2008 at 2:03 AM
I will landed and deposited my support towards SYR no matter what gonna happen to her in future. God bless you, girl. You deserved our love. Keep it up!
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38 Sung yuri fan
November 26, 2008 at 6:42 AM
im so shokced by the comment that i have read ive seen all most every drama of syr and she proved herself as one of the best korean actress no one thought she will be good enough to pull out a boyish character but she proved everyone wrong what i really like about her that she is so verstail she keeps suprising everyone so 100 % sure she will prove everyone wrong again
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39 MusicIsOurHigh
November 26, 2008 at 8:38 AM
I'm not a fan of Sung Yuri's acting but I'm willing to give her a shot. We may all be pleasantly surprised. I say wait at least until you watch the first two episodes since she could have grown immensely in her abilities
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40 mona
November 26, 2008 at 8:38 AM
hhh..
the best drama of SYR is only HGD..
her others drama are average.. !!
hope she will proof her acting skills has been improved than before..
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41 Jason
November 26, 2008 at 12:42 PM
I'm pretty much surprised as everyone... by the comments on this post. Sung Yuri has improved dramatically over her last dramas; up to the point where she's actually my favorite actress now. She deserves it. Congrats SYR!
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42 Javabeans
November 26, 2008 at 12:49 PM
I don't think that the Sung Yuri criticism is just blind haterade going on. (Well, some of it is, but some of it is not.) To put it in a little perspective, it's a little like casting Lindsay Lohan as Queen Elizabeth. Now, I like Lilo and think she's actually pretty talented when she's sober and working, but Queen Elizabeth? Helllll naw. Especially when Sung's working alongside Go Hyun-jung, who'd be the Cate Blanchett equivalent in my clumsy metaphor.
Who knows, maybe the casting won't suck in the end. But these reactions are based on the image Sung Yuri currently holds, and like with LL = Queen E, the role just seems beyond her capacity at this point.
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43 Mr Mully
November 26, 2008 at 2:15 PM
Reese Witherspoon or Hillary Duff would've been a better analogy. Last time I checked SY wasn't a drugged out lesbian. The concern wasn't that people had doubts about her. Heck I'm not even sure if she can pull it off and I'm her biggest fan(although I'm hopeful). It's just the profanity laced venom thrown her way is unnecessary and inappropriate(not by you javabeans but by comment posters). Especially towards a person who has been in no scandals and conducts herself with class and elegance. People are free to doubt her but to attack her as if she has wronged you personally is going overboard.
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44 Javabeans
November 26, 2008 at 3:23 PM
LOL, I rejected Hilary Duff because I thought that comparison would be doing Sung Yuri too little credit. (And I also rejected Reese because that would be giving her too much credit.) Lindsay Lohan, personal problems aside, can at least act.
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45 belleza
November 26, 2008 at 6:23 PM
"Lindsay Lohan, personal problems aside, can at least act."
Lohan was one of the most promising teen actors/actresses (albeit much more in the mainstream than, say, Jena Malone) before she petered out. The rough equivalent would have to be Park Shin Hye, if she went from teen princess straight into Erika Sawaijiri "Kai" territory.
I'm not sure what the appropriate comparison for Sung Yu Ri would be. Maybe the female Keanu Reeves, minus the franchise? National response has been kinda lopsided too; antis be damned, it's literally nation of Korea vs. MBC on this casting issue. :D
But if Jung Ryeo Won, Lee Ha Na, Lee Bo Young, YEH, etc. took on this role, I'd say the same thing. It's not even a matter of presence or delivering a great performance; it'll be enormously difficult to be even merely adequate in this role. I might have even been harsher were it YEH, since it would have been cynically obviously why MBC would have made such a casting.
1) Can the actress recite the ornate dialogue without tripping over the words? (Most frequent problem with even good Korean TV actresses.)
2) Can the actress believably age from 20-50+?
3) Opposite Go Hyung Jung, is the age gap not too jarring?
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46 Mr Mully
November 30, 2008 at 6:25 PM
http://media.daum.net/entertain/broadcast/view.html?cateid=1032&newsid=20081127081504930&p=newsen
Guess netizens got what they wished for. They seriously need to get a life. If nameless, faceless cowards can now alter the casting of dramas with their unabashed vitriol, it's a sad day for the entertainment industry.
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47 belleza
December 2, 2008 at 1:16 AM
When it comes to big projects, companies often gauge Netizen response to figure out main casting. Which goes back to why casting her in the first place seemed counterintuitive. However, MBC kinda did throw Sung Yu Ri under the bus. They're essentially blaming HER for the casting problems.
From another article:
"Lee Bo Young, Han Ga In, Nam Sang Mi, Su Ae and Seo Ji Hye at the moment."
I'd love Soo Ae to get a shot at playing Queen, but the other candidates won't fly. Lee Bo Young lacks the presence. Han Ga In has never done sageuk. Nam Sang Mi is still more personality than actress. Seo Ji Hye is one of the most talented actresses under 25 with sageuk experience . . . but she's under 25. I don't understand why they don't cast another 30-something actress.
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48 alodia
December 4, 2008 at 3:12 PM
Sung Yuri??? No, thanks!
I've always dreamed of having Go Hyun Jung and Kim Sun Ah together in a movie or project... I would love to see Kim Sun Ah in a sageuk role for a change...
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49 belleza
December 4, 2008 at 5:24 PM
I love Kim Sun Ah, but I would be very, very against her in this role. She's cleaned up her line deliveries (when she has to play a role straight), but it's not as good as Sung Yu Ri's.
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50 angelsnow2u
December 11, 2008 at 2:41 AM
(* *) I think YuRi (Tokki _ the doll of drama korea) will make good casting Queen Seondeok & This casting bring her many famous.
I saw her in Snow Queen, Hong Gil Dong, Love of One Thousand Year with Boo Yuh Joo , A nice day.
She changed when a singer of Fin.k.l become a actress who many people love. Drama Hong Gil Dong is a example. I hope Yuri will have many heathly, believe for the drama Queen Seondeok .
I Love You & forever love. Hoping a day meet you. (* *) SA RANG NE TOKKI
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