Seo In-gook as incognito prince in King’s Face
by girlfriday
I did honestly wonder if The King’s Face would ever make it to production; it was touch and go for a while there with plagiarism accusations hanging in the air and injunctions filed, but cameras are rolling on the set of the new KBS fusion historical drama. Lead actor Seo In-gook joined the drama’s shoots a week late due to an injury during stunt rehearsal for an action sequence, but we finally get a glimpse of him in costume for his very first period drama.
He stars as Prince Gwanghae, the illegitimate son of King Seonjo (Lee Sung-jae) who eventually becomes the fifteenth king of Joseon. In this drama, we meet Gwanghae when he’s young and immature, but he’s a character who lets people underestimate him while keeping his sharp political mind hidden. It’s smart, especially when your father thinks of you as a rival. In the stills he’s traveling through the city on the down-low as a young nobleman, to observe the lives of the people firsthand.
The drama is as much about the fortunetelling face readers who shape the fate of the line of kings — in Seonjo’s case, it’s veteran Lee Soon-jae (Flower Grandpa Investigation Unit) who reads his future and warns that he has the face of someone who should never become king. That puts the face reader’s life in danger, and he’s a figure shrouded in mystery who suddenly disappears from court.
Shin Sung-rok (Liar Game) is the young face reader who takes his place, and becomes the weapon by which king, prince, and warring political factions all vie for power. Complicating matters will be the heroine, played by Jo Yoon-hee, who has the love of Gwanghae, Seonjo, and the face reader. Writing are Lee Hyang-hee (War of Money) and Yoon Soo-jung (Mandate of Heaven), and directing is PD Yoon Sung-shik of Gaksital.
Despite the scandal over the source material, I do hope the drama is a little bit like The Face Reader, because I liked the movie’s premise, and I want the drama to do something different than current SBS drama Secret Door, which pretty much takes the cake for Joseon royal father-son strife. There’s potential in the setup and the cast, as long as they take advantage of the different angle. I’m excited to see Seo In-gook’s first outing in the Joseon era, so for his sake, I hope there’s something good here.
The King’s Face follows Iron Man in mid-November.
Via Osen
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- Seo In-gook and Jo Yoon-hee confirm King’s Face
- KBS full steam ahead with King’s Face, casts Jo Yoon-hee to star
- Face Reader producers file injunction against KBS for King’s Face
- Seo In-gook courted to headline King’s Face
- The Face Reader heads to the small screen for drama adaptation
Tags: Jo Yoon-hee, King's Face, Lee Sung-jae, Seo In-gook
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1 Peridot
October 27, 2014 at 8:22 AM
I'm looking forward to this :)!
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2 HS
October 27, 2014 at 8:34 AM
Wow Shin Sungrok is going to do 2 dramas at once????? He really strikes while the iron is hot. It's his fourth drama this year, right? Is Liar Games pre-recorded?? How does he do 2 dramas at once, crazy ㅇㅅㅇ
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Judith
October 27, 2014 at 8:47 AM
My thoughts exactly!
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trotwood
October 27, 2014 at 3:31 PM
I was wondering about this as well. Inquiring minds want to know if he sleeps at all.
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3 Mandy
October 27, 2014 at 8:52 AM
Seo In-guk looks really good in the nobleman outfit. But I haven't looked forward to a single KBS drama in a really long time - most of their shows are leading the crappiest drama of the year category.
But, I'm expecting this to be the sageuk that finally impresses me this year. The 'face reader' storyline is so interesting, I hope it doesn't get burned half way through because of controversies. Very excited!
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amy
October 27, 2014 at 5:06 PM
Agree about the KBS thingy :D
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4 camille
October 27, 2014 at 9:19 AM
I love Seo In Guk and will definitely watch this although I think his face belongs to the modern era, I can't imagine anyone who looks like him in the Joseon times but hey, this guy is pretty serious when it comes to acting, he is really trying his best so he will pull this off, no doubt about it. and with his Hyungnim Lee Song Jae by his side, SIG will definitely have someone to support him in this endeavor.
There are only a few sageuks this year and I've only watched The Joseon Gunman, and that was good. As for the others, The Nightwatchman, The Three Musketeers and Secret Door - they're not that interesting to watch so skipping those three and waiting for Seo In Guk's King Face.
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eny
October 27, 2014 at 7:08 PM
i love empress ki n The three musketeers so much
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5 kanz
October 27, 2014 at 10:05 AM
This is SIG's first sageuk right?
He looks so good and fitting in hanbok!! *swooning*
I'll spazz over him when I watch this, for sure!
Although there's still scandal and I do hope KBS finish the matter first, I really hope the drama will turn out good. For Seo In Guk's sake, it's his first primetime major network lead role.
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6 CaroleMcDonnell
October 27, 2014 at 10:10 AM
yes! anticipating.
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7 mystar
October 27, 2014 at 10:29 AM
I really love Seo in guk n i really love sageuk drama..im looking forward for this drama..
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8 Abbie
October 27, 2014 at 10:42 AM
I haven't watched a Seo In-gook drama since The Master's Sun, so I hope this one is good. Not having watched the movie (yet) I hope this isn't too much like it and that it's, y'know, good. I can't really see three guys falling in love with Jo Yoon-hee. Is she gonna be some master manipulator or something? Hopefully Shin Sung-rok's character won't be a bad guy, because he's positively chilling in Liar Game. Anyway, looking forward to this.
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mwg
October 27, 2014 at 10:50 AM
High School King was pretty good, and I thought specifically pointed up how much SIG has grown as an actor. Sure, it was a light drama, not something as heavy as this, but you can def. see that he's matured a lot as an actor since Master's Sun.
From the description, I think SSR is well-cast. Sure, he's played straight-forward villains, but I think the reason he gets cast that way is because he comes off as a smart, manipulative type. I could see a face reader being someone who is smart, and who has to deal with strong personalities in a manipulative way (because of the requirements of the job).
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Abbie
October 27, 2014 at 4:20 PM
I've honestly not seen very many of SSR's dramas. Liar Game is, to my memory, my first time seeing him in a drama. I think he does a lot of theater, right? Anyway, I love him LG even though he's the villain. He does look like the smart, manipulative type, but I hope his character in this is a little nicer (like a lot nicer) than his character in LG.
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9 dramagirl
October 27, 2014 at 10:46 AM
SIG looks weird in the traditional outfit though. The only thing I'm hoping for is that the girls don't have weird unfitting hairstyles and hair colors for that era (see UEE in that drama wth CTH). Brown hair is a no no. It's so distracting because people obviously don't dye their hair in Joseon times.
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captaincrunch
October 27, 2014 at 11:18 AM
Wasn't Jeon Woo Chi set in some fictional fantasy alternate universe though? If it wasn't specifically set in a particular era I don't think it really matters that her hair colour isn't historically inaccurate.
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pogo
October 27, 2014 at 11:38 AM
yeah but even fantasy world have their own rules, and if someone's got an obviously unnatural hair colour it can't be for no reason. Like Kim Hee Sun had red hair in Faith but that was because she was actually from the future, where there was hair dye.
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dramagirl
October 27, 2014 at 12:00 PM
It does actually. Even if it was set in an alternate universe you need to stick to the "rules" of the world you are in. When they are obviously wearing traditional costumes and basing it on a historical setting you won't want your characters to have an unnatural hair colour. Korean sagueks have this really disturbing tendency to disregard these, which is in my opinion extremely unprofessional of scriptwriters and the production team, and sometimes the actors as well. And on Faith, I think KHS keeping her red hair is obviously to show others that she came from the future (even though it's illogical that black roots won't grow, but then, if that happened it wouldn't be too pleasing to the eye), but LMH's hairstyle was so modern! I think directors/scriptwriters/production team or whoever need to make sure that they have the right hair. Even if it means putting on a wig or something. In China, when they film Qing dynasty dramas actors actually have to shave their head.
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ThoseWhoKnowMe...
October 27, 2014 at 12:27 PM
Hmmm. I wonder if people in the Joseon times were all tall & handsome with glowing skin & perfect white teeth... If we had actors looking like real Joseonites, l bet viewers would run away.
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dramagirl
October 27, 2014 at 1:32 PM
Of course they don't, but you still need to get the hair and the clothes right, that's basic for any period or historical dramas (alternate universe or not).
Rovi
October 27, 2014 at 2:51 PM
No.
If you look (Google) extant photographs of 19th-cen. Korea, all of them (majority women) are the anti-theses of what the idealized Korean face looks like.
All I can say is that Princess Noguk, Lady Yoon (Yeonsan-gun's mom), & Lady Jang (Hee-bin) were said to be very beautiful, according to historical records.
At least Seo In-guk has the familiar Asian small mono-lidded eyes...
PPasun
October 27, 2014 at 1:59 PM
I think he looks fine in hanbok. As for being faithful to the style of the period, that will make all of Korean sageuks too bland to watch. Most of the Joseon characters will have to wear white, shabby hanbok only because dying and textile designs were not that advanced as these dramas would have you believe. Koreans were not called "white clothed people" for nothing.
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Rovi
October 27, 2014 at 2:58 PM
True; sumptuary laws are strict in Joseon.
If they stay true to codified Joseon fashion:
-the young'uns and the single girls would have to wear single tone-based color combinations that would have looked gaudy to the eyes
-married women (including the Queen and the concubines) would have to wear all shades of green and usually subdued darker colors
-adult men (the literati)'s attire would usually be subdued (e.g. white) in keeping with Confucian ethics
-the bold and fashionable hanbok & jewelry we usually see in dramas were for the kisaeng...sageuks these days are all about the fashion & accesories and it's getting disappointing...
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paroles
October 27, 2014 at 5:20 PM
That's fair, but a modern haircut makes it difficult to watch. You can probably compromise on the costumes a little since the color tones and everything are just minor bits, but if I see colored hair I'll think that the actor/actress is just trying to look good. I'm just a little concerned because both the ladies dyed their hair in the picture above. I think perhaps it'll change by the time they get to shooting the drama itself? Or they'll cover it with extensions or something.
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igloo
October 27, 2014 at 7:26 PM
Eh I think its all right. Believe it or not there are asians with natural brown hair so its believable. And besides all sageuks are soooooooo historically inaccurate in so many ways that a little thing like hair color is trivial.
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10 captaincrunch
October 27, 2014 at 11:22 AM
I'm hoping this won't be a trainwreck (not really fond of the writer/PD combo) because I really like Lee Sung Jae and Seo In Guk. It doesn't really sound like they have enough plot for 20 (?) episodes though...
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11 missDVM
October 27, 2014 at 12:30 PM
Shin Sung Rok…Seo In Guk… I am interested. I hope that the writing is original and gives these actors lots of juicy character layers to play with. I love these two, but "thin" characters bore me to death. I really like it whenever there is more "meat" (character depth) for the actors to build upon…and that takes great writing, not rushed writing.
Oh, and great production, editing and directing are all desired as well! *crosses fingers*
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12 priskila
October 27, 2014 at 1:49 PM
so is it final that Seo Joon-young out from the drama? was there any official statement?
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padmé
October 27, 2014 at 3:02 PM
So no Seo Joon-young in this drama, then :(
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conan
October 28, 2014 at 5:44 AM
So saaaaaaaaad D:
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13 PPasun
October 27, 2014 at 2:02 PM
I am looking forward to this drama. I hope it can leave all that plagiarism fiasco behind and deliver good entertainment.
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14 Rovi
October 27, 2014 at 3:03 PM
BTW, is there no one else reported to be in the roles of:
-Prince Imhae-gun - half-brother & rival for the throne
-Queen Inmok - AKA Seo-gung mama; stepmother
-Lady Ryu - consort
-Kim Gae-shi - notorious concubine
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Rovi
October 27, 2014 at 3:06 PM
Wait, so is Jo Yoon-hee in Kim Gae-shi's role?
Kim Gae-shi was rumored to be also Seonjo's concubine as well...
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larrymimosa
October 27, 2014 at 8:28 PM
The brother, Prince Imhaegun, is going to be played by Park Joo-Hyung, the actor who played our favorite character, Kimura Kenji, in Bridal Mask.
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Rovi
October 28, 2014 at 1:38 AM
Oh thanks. At least half of the required people in the Gwanghae-gun timeline are complete...
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15 hellopanda
October 27, 2014 at 3:23 PM
Can I just ask: is Gwanghee the monarch preceding the King Injo in Three Musketeers?
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fanwho
October 27, 2014 at 5:47 PM
Yep. That stupid king got the throne after they ousted Gwanghee who had great king material. I just wish he had someone like Han MyungHwae (who was king SeJo/prince SooYang's strategist), then I am sure he would have kept his throne for long time.
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Rovi
October 28, 2014 at 1:35 AM
It's a paradox, how Injo was honored posthumously when his reign was weak and he was basically useless & the Manchu invasions happened and Joseon capitulated to Qing; while Gwanghae-gun, even tho son of a concubine, had so much potential and was a good king, but was deposed and never honored with a temple name just because he was destroyed by Kim Gae-shi???
It's like the why James had to die but Peter got saved.
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hellopanda
October 28, 2014 at 3:33 AM
Oh, the Harry Potter reference really helped to clarify!
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Rovi
October 28, 2014 at 1:44 PM
It's not a Harry Potter reference honey.
It's a Biblical reference: why James the son of Zebedee was the first of the Apostles to be martyred while Simon Peter was rescued out of prison for a more minor offence than James.
riarallahssi
October 29, 2014 at 3:19 PM
Right on. The Gwanghae in history was pretty awesome when it came to diplomacy. I bet leaders of today would've had a hard time pulling off the stints he did back in the day. Such a person must have been so brilliant, strategic, with good values and yet cunning and perhaps a tad bit deceitful. There can only be so many layers of gray to such a character and I'm looking forward to find that kind of depth in Seo In Guk's role and performance. *Fingers crossed and even knotted
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Rovi
October 28, 2014 at 1:44 AM
@fan
Even tho Suyang Daegun survived and was posthumously honored as Sejo, please don't glamorize Han Myeong-hwoe for one bit.
Koreans still view him as a villain (as they do Empress Ki for being a traitor); one episode (I think it was the 3rd or 4th) of the '70-80's mega-blockbuster MBC epic drama "500 Years of the Joseon Dynasty", titled "Han Myeong-hwoe" got criticized by the audience because the drama portrayed Han Myeong-hwoe in a positive light. Remember he & Sejo usurped the rightful & legitimate Danjong even if his nephew is young and weak & Sejo reformed by proving himself with his achievements during the latter years of his reign...
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hellopanda
October 28, 2014 at 3:35 AM
Ah, okay thank you. :)
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16 Aigoooo
October 27, 2014 at 6:53 PM
Seo In Guk looks good in a Hanbok. Looks like Kim Soo Hyun has some competition. lol
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17 exile18
October 27, 2014 at 7:14 PM
I'm so angry that Seo Joon Young is no longer in this drama with no valid explanations? And to think that I was so looking forward to see him in this drama... :(
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18 Marie
October 27, 2014 at 9:15 PM
I've never watched a sageuk before, but with SIG as the lead and add Shin Sung Rok, I may just give this a shot.
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19 rockyroad
October 28, 2014 at 10:16 AM
I didn't go "Oh! Handsome!" over SIG in hanbok- mainly because his is a face that is suited to being expressive.
But I think his acting chops will make me fall for him in a sageuk too..
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20 parny
October 29, 2014 at 2:27 AM
Seo In Gook looking fine in hanbok! Tehehe!
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