Chae Shi-ra to headline cable drama Queen Insoo
by girlfriday
Wow, cable’s not messing around. Talk about going after the heavy-hitters. This time cable network jTBC has scored A-lister Chae Shi-ra to star in their upcoming sageuk drama Queen Insoo. Chae Shi-ra (Empress Cheon-chu, Emperor of the Sea) has pretty much reached the level of stardom where you only play queens, so it’s no surprise that she’ll be taking on another royal figure. Idol-turned-actress Ham Eun-jung has also been added to the cast to play her younger counterpart, after a successful run on her first sageuk, King Geunchogo. I’m glad she’s stretching her acting wings, because I’ve seen a marked improvement from Coffee House to Dream High, and learning from veterans like Chae Shi-ra will only make her better.
The pair of them will be playing Queen Insoo, mother of King Seong-jong, who ruled Joseon from 1469 to 1494. (He was the subject of the 2007 drama The King and I, where Yoo Seung-ho portrayed the young king.) He was crowned at the age of 13, and so he was essentially a figurehead ruler until he came of age. During that time, his mother Queen Insoo, along with his grandmother Queen Jeong-hee, ruled from behind the throne.
Now THAT’s a mother-in-law dynamic fit for high drama. Basically Queen Insoo was the daughter-in-law whose husband had never been king, who suddenly rose to a position of power when her young son succeeded his uncle’s throne. If they’ve got Chae Shi-ra playing the daughter-in-law, they’re going to need an even more imposing actress to play her mother-in-law, that’s for sure.
Queen Insoo will be helmed by PD Lee Tae-gon (Last Scandal of My Life) and writer Jung Ha-yeon, who penned the high-drama mother-daughter makjang hit Flames of Ambition. Yeah, I’d say you’ve got this story in the right hands. The drama premieres in December on jTBC.
Via Hankook Ilbo, E Daily
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Tags: Chae Shi-ra, Ham Eun-jung
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1 snow
October 7, 2011 at 4:30 PM
this is already looking like a powerhouse drama!
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2 Jessica
October 7, 2011 at 4:30 PM
i was wondering. does cable do pre-produced dramas or those live-shooting dramas?
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V
October 7, 2011 at 5:38 PM
I like this question. I've never thought about it until now, but I'd like to know as well. Anyone, please? :)
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glace
October 7, 2011 at 8:41 PM
I guess we will find out through the news, now that there will be 3 huge Dec dramas for jTBC. Padam Padam is already shooting.
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girlfriday
October 7, 2011 at 9:47 PM
They're more likely to gamble on a pre-produced drama (See: Birdie Buddy), but their production practices aren't vastly different. There are a few key advantages in that cable eps tend to be shorter (45mins vs. 65mins), shows have smaller episode count, and a 2% rating is thought to be awesome. But things are growing and changing at a rapid pace in the cable industry, so those things are bound to change.
They are more likely not to shoot LIVE-live, which is a big plus, though obviously this varies from production to production. Some start way in advance while others cut it closer like their Big 3 counterparts. (And let's not forget, the Big 3 have a much bigger chunk of the ratings pie to fulfill, hence the crazy live-shoot adjust-as-you-go practices).
So... the answer is yes and no. Ha. :)
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3 myweithisway
October 7, 2011 at 4:51 PM
Oh heck yes! I'm so on a sageuk high. Can't wait for this!
Off topic: but I feel compelled to do a plug for another cable drama airing right now, Vampire Prosecutor. One word summary: KICKASS.
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4 ladystar
October 7, 2011 at 5:29 PM
This is looking good!
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5 steve
October 7, 2011 at 5:48 PM
Ham Eunjung debuted as a child actress first. Son technically, she is an actress-turned idol-turned avtress.
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Meghan
October 7, 2011 at 6:45 PM
I was just coming to comment on that. Haha. Eunjung was acting long before she debuted in T-ARA. She probably would have found fame as an actress even if she hadn't debuted in an idol group, but you can't deny that being in T-ARA definitely helped her with her acting career.
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Ani
October 7, 2011 at 11:04 PM
Well that's the way it is these days. You need to do anything that needs to be done to make your dreams come true. Any sort of entertainment industry = dog eat dog world.
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6 Kender
October 7, 2011 at 6:22 PM
With all the awesome new cable offerings coming up, JB, you might need to start including more of them in your sidebar schedule. It's seriously like a cable explosion these days, and I think I love it!
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Kender
October 7, 2011 at 6:34 PM
Er, GF. I'm going to blame my mistake on the fact that I was partying all night and haven't quite regained my senses yet.
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7 Biscuit
October 7, 2011 at 8:27 PM
What interests me is now only the cast A-list, but they've managed to recruit some pretty good writer/director pair as well.
I think the audience are getting tired of the cliches that the bigger 3 are doing recently. Because they're so fixed on Hallyu, the quality doesn't seems to be steadily going downhill for a good majority (even though we've gotten a few jewels here and there). I think Cable tends to care less about foreign viewers and ratings (since they're in the lows anyways...) and concentrate on more solid dramas.
I think directors/writers/etc pretty much enjoy the artistic freedom they can explore, which is why they're joining alot recently?
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8 glace
October 7, 2011 at 8:38 PM
jTBC is going to rack up all the viewer points this December with all their upcoming dramas!
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9 Cynthia
October 7, 2011 at 9:35 PM
Yikes - we're going to need some kind of flow chart to figure out what's showing where and when!
It's like an explosion of goodies - somebody shook the Sugarplum tree and Kdramas are raining down!
This really looks like a solid sageuk. Really am wondering who they'll tap for the Empress Queen role.
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Phyllis
October 7, 2011 at 10:26 PM
Maybe they could use the woman who played the same person, though younger in "The Princess" Man." : )
Queen Jeong-hee is the mother of the princess in TPM.
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10 mnstpdu08
October 7, 2011 at 9:46 PM
Eun Jung grew on me after Dream High. I really disliked her in Coffee House. Her character was way too annoying for me that I couldn't distinguish between the two.
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11 Ani
October 7, 2011 at 10:59 PM
Holy Shitzu, cable is going all out these days. Hot DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMN son!
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12 hh176
October 8, 2011 at 1:03 AM
Herm.. I think Go Hyun Jung (queen seon duk) or Kim Mi Sook (shining inheritance) or Lee Mi Sook (cinderella's sister) would be great as the evil mother-in-law. LOL :D Anyway, everything would depend on how they deliver their performances later.
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13 neener
October 8, 2011 at 1:48 AM
I think I'll like this one....
december is going to be a blast!!
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14 shepo
October 8, 2011 at 1:51 AM
Ham Eun Jung isn't really idol turn actress,,she was a child actress waaaay before she turned into idol
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15 supah
October 8, 2011 at 4:12 AM
On the one hand, it's Chae Si-ra, whose glorious performance in Eyes of Dawn I'm still reeling from, she's a class act, then there's the writer who tends to write some pretty powerful female characters...
And I'm not only including Flames of Ambition into that equation.
Then there's Lee Tae-gon of Smile, You which makes me happy.
But then... Way to undercut your own momentum, production, Ham Eun-jung?
I don't know... maybe I could give this girl a chance... if she removed her fking circle lenses for starters!?
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...
October 8, 2011 at 11:47 PM
comments like these make me want to punch the wall. so shallow, ugh. if you don't like Eunjung you can always skip ahead to the part where her character grows old you know.
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starfighter
October 9, 2011 at 2:32 AM
I think you're confusing Eunjung with Qri.
As far as I can remember Eunjung as never worn circle lens. She's way too much of a tomboy for that. She's also one of the best idol actors out there so I don't really think she'll be undercutting anything...
This is a great opportunity for her to grow as an actress, I'm very excited for her. Give her a chance, I'm quite certain she will surprise you.
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supah
October 10, 2011 at 5:10 PM
I am actually one of the least shallow people I know, promise. :)
I'm sure she does wear circle lenses, very dark ones or transparent lenses. I know Qri and other T-ara members wear the coloured variants. I don't have an issue with that, neither do I have any issue against Eun-jung personally.
My issue is that I can't take her seriously as an actress if she's wearing a glazed over, spaced out look as a result of them and aso very emotionally detached as a whole.
But here's hoping I'll be pleasantly surprised too.
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16 Diane
October 8, 2011 at 6:41 AM
This is the queen and (her daughter-in-law) from The Princess's Man, if that interests anyone. Basically, women who stepped in to run shit when the men couldn't. A+
I'm excited about this. I tired to watch Empress Chunchu for Chae Shira but I just couldn't get over ep 1-2. Hopefully this'll be better.
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Celest
October 8, 2011 at 8:10 AM
Totally agree with everything you just said. Chae Shi Ra is a wonderful actress but I couldn't get into Empress ChunChu.
The premise seems awesome already:Bad Ass Women. I'm just waiting to see who plays the mother-in-law. You can smell the drama and tension from the plot and relationships already.
And good for HEJ. She was great in Dream High but she's really proving to herself and the viewers that she's not just someone who can sing with projects like King Geunchogo and now this.
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17 Cam
October 8, 2011 at 8:59 AM
YAY! I really like Han Eun Jung since "Coffee House" and "Dream High", keke! (squeals)
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18 Abbie
October 8, 2011 at 10:23 AM
This sounds interesting. Can't wait!
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19 love t-ara
October 8, 2011 at 8:27 PM
I'm so happy EJ have another drama. I miss her acting. I wish that she would have pick a different drama where she the lead actress and get with the leading actor...anyway I can't wait to see her in this drama. i hope there will be a lot of episode of EJ playing the younger version of Queen Insoo before they show the older version.
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Maddy
October 11, 2011 at 5:51 AM
I don't think HEJ is leading material as of yet. She still has a long road to go, I think picking up smaller roles and growing her feathers is the smarter choice. With solid acting chops, she'll have longevity in the business.
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20 Rovi
November 21, 2011 at 12:00 PM
For anyone even interested, I was surprised Chae Shi-ra would be doing Dowager Queen Insu (her proper title when she was alive; she was never a Queen Consort, since, as mentioned, her husband who had been Crown Prince died quite early. That was explored in "The King and I" (as done by Jeon In-hwa
Nan Seo In-sook-imnidabefore, and all other sageuk before that), since when I did research (basically just searched, meh), since Chae Shi-ra already did the role of the Dowager Queen about 2 decades ago.She first did Dowager Queen Insu in that sageuk drama "The King and the Queen" (sequel to 1997 hit sageuk "Tears of the Dragon") during the late 90's (1999???). Here is one video of Chae Shi-ra doing a very old Insu (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5jdVEa1a_0), though in here she's already Daewangdaebi during Yeonsangun....
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21 Sinyard7
December 24, 2011 at 6:43 PM
If anyone is looking for new links for Queen Insoo w/ eng subs....pm me on youtube.
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22 Mimi
March 1, 2012 at 11:04 PM
sadly i love this drama but NO ONE is subbing it which is shocking to me because the first two subbed episodes where good but now its like on the 20 something episode and still nothing if anyone knows where i can get subs for other episodes that would be cool??
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