Choi Ji-woo becomes a Suspicious Housekeeper
by javabeans
Choi Ji-woo has selected her next role, and who better than Ji-woo-hime to headline a remake of a popular Japanese drama? She has announced that her next project will be an SBS Monday-Tuesday drama titled Suspicious Housekeeper, which is a remake of 2011’s NTV series Kaseifu no Mita (I Am Mita, Your Housekeeper) to be directed by PD Kim Hyung-shik of Sign and Ghost.
(Despite not having a hit drama in years, Choi Ji-woo is still a strong draw in Japan, thanks to residual popularity from her early-Hallyu work. Her last several projects didn’t garner much buzz at home—airport action drama Air City, angsty romance drama A Star’s Lover, cute divorce rom-com Can’t Lose—but quite possibly met with better response in Japan than in Korea. All hail the power of Winter Sonata.)
Choi Ji-woo will play a character with the Dickensian name of Park Bok-nyeo, in that Bok-nyeo literally means “woman of misfortune.” Bok-nyeo is a housekeeper shrouded in mystery who comes to work for a family—one father, four sisters—when their mother dies. Unsmiling and unexpressive, Bok-nyeo guides the family into healing their wounds and rebuilding bonds, which makes me think of a sort of twisted Mary Poppins: She’ll fix your life, but she won’t be so damned chipper about it. Depending on how you see it, that could be either a good or a bad thing.
I know little about the original Japanese drama, but it does sound like the kind of quirky role that could really suit Choi Ji-woo. Her image tends to be chic and sophisticated, though her real-life personality is more on the sweetly ditzy side; going mysterious in a “humanistic drama” is one way to incorporate both sides. Plus, a couple of her A-list peers have done quite well recently with playing offbeat leading ladies in Japanese remakes—Go Hyun-jung in Queen of the Classroom, for instance, and Kim Hye-soo in God of the Workplace (aka Queen of the Office). Well, Choi Ji-woo may not get the nod to royalty but I say she landed the best title.
Suspicious Housekeeper will follow Empire of Gold and premieres on September 23.
Via Hankook Ilbo
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1 tayo
July 31, 2013 at 8:48 AM
Japanese fans are really loyal.
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Rachel
July 31, 2013 at 7:54 PM
LOL. Indeed. This is probably true of Chinese fans as well.
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Stephanie
August 1, 2013 at 7:04 AM
All the asian baby boomers are loyal. I live in Singapore and my mum is still rewatching Winter Sonata and every other drama that yong sama and Choi Ji Woo makes.
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2 akikisetsu
July 31, 2013 at 8:55 AM
I saw the Japanese version and the genders are different. Just 3 kids, 1st (female) and 2nd (male) child are in HS and youngest who is closest to the housekeeper is a girl.
I'm fine with Choi Ji Woo for the role. And she has the same physicality and image as the J-actress. Both are tall, lean and are known for their chic image.
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ella
July 31, 2013 at 2:51 PM
You're right, the gender different. I watch japanese version too, and it has good and heartwarming story. I hope it work in korean version.
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la dee dah
July 31, 2013 at 4:41 PM
Actually there were four kids, oldest is the girl, second and third are boys (the third boy was the smart one who wanted to get into the private high school), last is a girl.
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lol
July 31, 2013 at 4:59 PM
the asuda family has 4 kids.. 1st(h.s. female) 2nd(junior h.s male) 3rd(elementary male) 4th(female).. get your fact straight.. your gonna confuse those who hasn't watch the japanese series yet.. -_-
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Clumsy
July 31, 2013 at 5:13 PM
yep.. 4 kids ~ girls are 17 and 5 yrs old and the boys are 14 and 12 respectively. Hard to forget when you've really seen the show right?. Right!
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lol
July 31, 2013 at 11:43 PM
of course.. i've watched that jdorama for that ikemen nakagawa taishi..
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shepo
July 31, 2013 at 11:13 PM
I damn love Matsushima Nanako since her GTO days who plays in Japanese version, just like you said, lean and tall and so chic.
I think, not in physically, but in real life Matsushima also have same image as Choi Ji Woo, an A-lister actress, and the fact that they also well-love by Japanese ajumma. Proven by that MITA Japanese Version has such a high number of rating that worth broke a long lasting record. I heard that it got 40% in rating
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Jo
August 4, 2013 at 10:30 PM
I loved the Japanese version. I hope Korea makes the drama as sincere as the Japanese version (unlike the remake of JIN. What a horror that was).
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3 xoxo
July 31, 2013 at 8:56 AM
I love this woman and its not because of her earlier works. I'm more familiar with her more ever stuff. Her real life personality is loveable and I actually enjoyed her recent stuff. Plus doesn't hurt that she's pretty :) can't wait to see her in silver screen again.
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Annie
July 31, 2013 at 9:00 AM
I don't think much of Choi Ji Woo as an actress (same goes for Bae Yong Joon) but I totally agree that she seems so loveable in real life.
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KDaddict
July 31, 2013 at 8:41 PM
I love Choi Ji Woo becos she is elegant and has a grace that I don't often see in other K actresses. I am excited to see her in a new drama, and hope that it is a better project than her recent ones.
Air City was dry and flat; Can't Lose has a script/premise that simply can't win; (What prompted them to think that divorce can be a romantic comedy?) But Star's Lover was engaging and lovely IMO.
Great news that an older actress is still loved and still gets offers, in a drama-scape full of idol-actresses who are about half her age. More power to CJW!
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4 hayy
July 31, 2013 at 8:58 AM
Is there any specific reason why japanase fans are really loyal?
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tayo
July 31, 2013 at 9:25 AM
It's just how the Japanese are, I guess. It's admirable how they adore BYJ after so many years even though he hasnt been acting much. I lose interest easily so it's pretty amazing to me. lol
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kumi
July 31, 2013 at 9:37 AM
Sometimes it's because 'no man is a prophet in his own country'.
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harukogirl
July 31, 2013 at 10:15 AM
She was also in a Jdrama "Rondo" - the rest of the cast was japanese, I believe - which did very well. It had an average of 15.5% in ratings (which is very good for jdramas - HYD did just 19% average, for example)
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mong
July 31, 2013 at 11:05 AM
in 2006, a 15% rating did not say much
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tayo
July 31, 2013 at 11:32 AM
It was during the days when Kimura was drama king and he could easily pulled a 20+% ratings. ^^
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mong
July 31, 2013 at 3:06 PM
those were the days. Tho I still consider him Japan drama king. He may not bring as much viewers as during his heyday, but his numbers are still damn good. Man, Japan is loyal. LOL.
saranga
July 31, 2013 at 6:09 PM
i have no idea whether japanese fans in are exceptionally loyal to the stars they like, but they do really really really love choi ji-woo, bae yong-joon, and winter sonata. i think they (japanese ajummas) might love bae yong-joon a tiny bit more?
this is what my mom figures, what she's always theorized:
japanese men are known to be cold and dismissive of their wives, and consider women a level beneath them. japanese women in turn tend to be subservient to their husbands. yonsama's character in winter sonata embodied a lot of traits that japanese men aren't necessarily known for, such as warmth and romanticism. bae yong-joon was just a very good fit for that role in numerous aspects.
and japanese women latched onto that. they sort of lived vicariously through that drama (which we all do, to some extent). the outward sort of affection and love that they craved from their husbands, they recognized in yonsama's character.
i personally have no idea whether japanese men really do tend to be cold and dismissive of the female sex, hence giving this theory any merit, but this is what my mom strongly believes.
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Reena
July 31, 2013 at 9:31 PM
I've met a few Japanese guys who are a bit authoritative BUT there are maaaany others who are so warm and friendly. I once had a 60+ yo Japanese student and he was really nice... he even bowed to apologize about what happened during WWII (I'm Filipino, btw... so yes, we had our own share of atrocities during the war)... I've met younger Japanese men who were my age and they're pretty cool as well... I also met one who was in his late 30's and he loves to talk about his wife and his children (even showed me pictures)... there are also guys who are in my age range (20's) who are pretty cool as well. I can't really generalize. lol
I think it's because most Japanese men are not that expressive.
One thing is for sure though... Japanese ARE very loyal. Most Korean students (I used to teach English in a hagwon) tend to change tutors a lot, but I never experienced a Japanese student do that (well except for one who was a total jerk). They will stick with you till the end! ^^
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Jenny
August 1, 2013 at 12:21 AM
Not really.
But one reason is because of the work culture that Japan has. Salarymen have long work hours plus you are expected to go drinking with your boss or other business people after work so basically you come home late and don't have the energy to even be with the wife.
In many cases after the husband retires you have a couple who barely know each other. Don't know if it's anymore but that's why the divorce rate among older couples were so high.
So because of the lack of romance many older women tend to watch Kdrama for that fix. But it's usually just women of a certain age.
Not many 20+ women are fans of Kdrama, it's more 40+
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5 cabbagepatch
July 31, 2013 at 9:14 AM
If people are missing out of Choi Ji-woo's projects, then it's their loss. This woman will always have me on board. Sometimes Korean fans remind me of the British who flit from fad to fad and end up with volumes of picture albums revealing one ridiculous persona after another. A star is a star and an idol is an idol. Idols fade fast while stars continue to shine on and on and on....
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6 mong
July 31, 2013 at 9:28 AM
Kaseifu no Mita? Awesome.
I hope they can measure up to the jdrama version which were perfect.
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7 xoxo
July 31, 2013 at 9:39 AM
I meant I'm more familiar with her more recent stuff. Typos oops.
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8 creidesca
July 31, 2013 at 9:39 AM
Will be interesting. I remember watching Kaseifu no Mita and initially thought she must be an android/robot. She was able to answer everything, have whatever you asked for, and didn't have trouble holding something that must have been burning hot!
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9 m92
July 31, 2013 at 9:46 AM
btw...i'm totally on board not because CJW but the director! He is the one that make Ghost look totally brilliant combining with excellent scriptwriter! I hope the writing will be good....I believe that at least this drama will turn up good even not the best as the original one...
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10 mskololia
July 31, 2013 at 9:54 AM
Alas, I've already watched and loved Kaseifu no Mita...won't be watching this version, but I hope all goes well.
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11 Auntiemame
July 31, 2013 at 10:03 AM
The only thing 'Mary Poppin-ish' in the Japanese version was her ability to pull whatever article that was needed out of her bag.
The rest of the drama was actually quite dark, starting with the reason that the family needed to hire a housekeeper. It is no fluffy fairy tale.
Although the actress herself is personally chic, it was not part of the character in the drama.
It also had a memorable and haunting soundtrack.
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12 Mystisith
July 31, 2013 at 10:15 AM
It's a hit or miss with me and that actress: I thought she was OK in Air City even if the drama itself was not good but I found her awful in Can't Lose (not funny at all).
As the story: Meh. Most remakes of doramas made in SK that I tried to watch were disappointing.
Will wait to know more about this project before taking the plunge.
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13 Samshikmomo
July 31, 2013 at 10:46 AM
I loved "Kaseifu no Mita". The rating of the final episode was 40.0% which was the 3rd highest TV viewership rating in the history of Japanese drama (starting: Sept 1977).
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14 Samshikmomo
July 31, 2013 at 10:51 AM
Correction: history of Japanese drama VIEWERSHIP RATING
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15 Samshikmomo
July 31, 2013 at 10:52 AM
Correction: history of Japanese drama VIEWERSHIP RATING
Japanese had dramas before Sept 1977, of course.
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16 Rach ^^
July 31, 2013 at 11:03 AM
Nanako Matsushima aged a lot. :(
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mary
July 31, 2013 at 8:01 PM
Is she the leading lady in Great Teacher Onizuka? (and the actor's wife in real life?)
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shepo
July 31, 2013 at 11:19 PM
yupie,,indeed...she's that beauty in GTO and the actor's real life wife,,, i'm still amazed that they got married in their heyday era,
Although she's aging,,i think she's aging beautifully..
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17 Noelle
July 31, 2013 at 12:00 PM
That Jdrama was sad. Kind of overly dramatic though.
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18 hjw
July 31, 2013 at 12:10 PM
There's no accounting for taste, as the saying goes. If you haven't seen "A Star’s Lover" you should really do so. It is one of the best k-drama romances out there. You will especially like it, if you are tired of flower boys and yearn for something a little more adult. Also, the cinematography in the first half of the series is just terrific.
Yes, avoid the mediocre "Can't lose" but give "A Star’s Lover" a try!
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19 Jenny
July 31, 2013 at 12:10 PM
Seriously, the jdorama was a ratings hit. It was good but I didn't expect the ratings to be that huge.
Nanako Matsushima is one of the highest payed J-actresses and this was a huge hit for her.
Her hubby is very attractive as well, she's one lucky lady.
I'm curious how loyal they will be to the Japanese version which was a remake/updated of a older dorama.
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20 SJ
July 31, 2013 at 12:21 PM
i've always admire her since WS days sad to say i didnt even watch can't lose i started one epis but cldnt stand the characters fighting & screaming at each other so i discontinued watching! I hope this one is a good or better one for her stead! no leading man yet?
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21 mjfan
July 31, 2013 at 12:31 PM
i love ji-woo no matter what , i will always have a soft spot for her thanks to winter sonata that is my one and only best drama ever , i really hope this project goes well and be a hit , she deserves it .........
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22 exquisitemelody
July 31, 2013 at 12:34 PM
haha, I haven't actually seen WS. I got to Stairway to Heaven first.
Sounds interesting!
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23 junny
July 31, 2013 at 1:14 PM
mmm i didn't quite like Kaseifu no Mita. the initial episodes showed promise but it got repetitive soon enough and the reason why Mita is the way she is was kinda a letdown. Matsushima Nanako was good as Mita, though.
Choi Ji-woo is usually a miss for me, though she was cute in what little i saw of Can't Lose.
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24 Cynthia
July 31, 2013 at 2:33 PM
Who is the woman in the bottom picture?
JB - how could you not mention 'Stairway to Heaven'?! It's been years and I still get a bit verklempt remembering the grand piano on the edge of the ocean and CJW's famous left-eye tear trickling down! :-)
Seriously, my favorite CJW appearance was her 'Actress Edition' in 1N2D - especially when she jumped into the river and nearly froze to death, a wasted effort when Kim Yumi decided to pretend that her own dunk in the water was enough to kill her - the spotlight quickly moved from Ji-woo to Yumi - talk about scene stealing!
And I have to agree - I thought 'Star's Lover' was a really good watch.
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junny
July 31, 2013 at 4:05 PM
Matsushima Nanako, who played Mita in the Japanese original.
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Cynthia
July 31, 2013 at 7:06 PM
Thanks. I am happy that it wasn't CJW without makeup!
:-)
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25 Yuki
July 31, 2013 at 2:38 PM
Mita-san was totally badass and made you love her and never abandon that family. I enjoyed a lot watching it tough it was a bit weird, as all japanese dramas.
So maybe this deserves a chance...
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26 Pelicancharm
July 31, 2013 at 3:39 PM
Thanks for this!
Wow, SBS must be on a roll. They have Song Hye Kyo, Kim Tae Hee, Lee Min Jung, Gong Hyo Jin, Park Shin Hye, Lee Bo Young and now Choi Ji Woo on their drama roster. Who's next I wonder?
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27 la dee dah
July 31, 2013 at 4:36 PM
I actually hope it's better than the Japanese version. I know I'm in the minority, but from the overacting of the kids to the repetitive nature of the show to very stupid acts of the people in the show that were ridiculous, I have absolutely no idea how this became one of the highest rated jdramas. I mean, I guess I can see why it would do fairly well, but to do freakin' huge ratings, I don't get it. The only thing interesting was Mita herself and her past. I guess my hopes were too high going into this drama after hearing about the ratings... but changing the kids to all girls, I don't know, they should have left at least one boy in there, it kind of changes the dynamic of the family and the types of situations they get involved in.
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28 Lc
July 31, 2013 at 5:50 PM
Didn't catch the dorama but i thought it revived Nanako Matshushima's career in Japan? So maybe CJW is gunning for the same effect with this remake?
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29 Ai
July 31, 2013 at 5:59 PM
Sadly I think this new version won't be anywhere near as daring as Kaseifu no Mita. Just the fact that there's no longer a son in the mix will change things drastically. I'll still give it chance mostly because of Choi Ji-woo.
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30 zsa
July 31, 2013 at 7:18 PM
yeay...love her....
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31 Perrie
July 31, 2013 at 7:22 PM
It's kind of like God of workplace: Miss Kim...from the premise at lease
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32 darksilvercloud
July 31, 2013 at 9:54 PM
A remake of Kaseifu no Mita , awesome! :)
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33 cheekbones
July 31, 2013 at 10:03 PM
I love Kaseifu no Mita !
So, the children are all girls in the Korean remake. I remember liking (read : a bit fangirling over) the Japanese boy, and I was really surprised when found out he was only 14 years old (playing a high schooler). :D
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lol
July 31, 2013 at 11:48 PM
you mean nakagawa taishi? that boy is really tall for his age..
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cheekbones
August 1, 2013 at 7:00 AM
Yes, that's him. :)
Too bad the Korean remake won't have the plot between his character and Mita. I think that's one of the more daring plot for an Asian drama, like someone has mentioned above.
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34 michyeosseo
July 31, 2013 at 10:35 PM
Reminds me of Go Hyunjung's latest work - Queen's Classroom, which btw ends tonight. Funny that it reminds me of their 'rivalry' in movie Actresses~
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35 Hope
July 31, 2013 at 11:31 PM
I watched the Japanese version and loved it. I also adore Choi Ji Woo since WS days.
Hope that this drama will do as well for her as it did for Nanako Matshushima. Both of them have the same enduring beauty and elegance.
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36 jon marc
August 1, 2013 at 2:36 AM
somehow jdrama translate very poorly to kdrama. see HYD, Dr Jin. of course the reverse is also true (He's Beautiful)
so i dont have high hopes. i'd much rather rewatch Winter Sonata. which i am doing. haha.
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37 anna
August 1, 2013 at 3:04 AM
Kaseifu no Mita's ratings is no joke! The last episode reached 40%. I thought maybe it was some kind of error, but holy crap, that's really surprising since I didn't think much of the series in general.
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38 alqh
August 1, 2013 at 4:49 AM
oh no. I think highly of Nanako Matsushima who played Mita Akari in the original drama and she pulled off the role pretty well, although it is pretty scary because the role presents a very robotic like housekeeper. I'm not sure the cheerful nature of Ji Woo can pull off such an emotionless character.
Japanese drama remakes are very popular these days, and coincidently, the currently airing The Queen's Classroom (which I truly enjoy watching the korean version) is written by Yukawa Kazuhiko, who is also the writer of this remake's original Kaseifu no Mita.
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Tweetiebird
August 6, 2013 at 1:16 PM
Ahhhhhh no wonder they both have such a similar feel!! Thanks for that. I love both dramas so well, they are so different from the usual stuff. Really make you think outside the box
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39 glitzmadrb
August 1, 2013 at 6:54 AM
I saw the Japanese version and I think it is a very interesting drama. It is very mysterious and there’s just something about it that makes you want to watch it until the end. Choi Ji Woo is a good choice for the role, I think she will be able to play the role well.
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40 Cece
August 1, 2013 at 2:05 PM
I just wiki "Matsushima Nanako" . Wow she's 39 and still looking hot. She's tall too..173cm and CJW is 174cm. I guess they both have similar body built. Nanako seems to be a charismatic actress.
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41 Ju
August 3, 2013 at 3:28 AM
Japan version was a good drama. Matsushima nanako acted well there. Hope Ji Woo can deliver as good as her.
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42 Tweetiebird
August 6, 2013 at 1:14 PM
I am actually really unhappy about this one. She kindda is the perfect Korean counterpart to Nanako Matsushima, BUT the Japanese series was so iconic, it don't feel right to make a remake so damn soon T_T
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43 katy25
September 17, 2013 at 10:22 PM
I'm new watching korean doramas, I finished winter s, spring w, stairway to heaven of course on 2 months. I love CJW I think she's really good (specially crying) I don't know why u didn't like Can't Lose I'm on ep 6 and loved it so far. I do think is funny, and is cool to watch her not crying her eyes out. I found myself taking both sides, cuz both have reasons to divorce and you want them to stay 2gether. So far I love her. STH was so touching for me. On the other hand I didn't LOVE Ws it was Ok for me because I don't think it was necessary for him to end up blind. Though I love when she chooses not to go to USA. IT's a matter of tastes
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