I Heard it Through the Grapevine confirms leading cast

63 January 29, 2015February 25, 2015

I Heard it Through the Grapevine confirms leading cast

by girlfriday

It looks like everything’s in place for our uber-rich family to mix it up with the hoi polloi in the scandal of the season — at least that’s what we’re told will happen in SBS’s new Monday-Tuesday drama I Heard it Through the Grapevine, the new project from PD Ahn Pan-seok and writer Jung Sung-joo of Secret Love Affair and A Wife’s Credentials. Go Ah-sung (Snowpiercer, Elegant Lie) was the last of the main cast members to confirm, which means she’ll become a teenage parent alongside Lee Joon (Mr. Back, Gap-dong), who has signed on to star. I have to say, I’m looking forward to her TV comeback and their pairing.

The 32-episode drama is about a rich and powerful family, the kind that comes from old money and old power — we’re talking old-school blue blood nobility here. This particular family is filled with multiple generations of lawyers who secretly have a corrupt hand in shaping governments. Yoo Joon-sang (Birth Secret) is just such a lawyer who runs a firm that he inherited, and he’s the father of our main family.

Yoo Ho-jung (Would You Give Love Away) plays his wife, the perfect elite socialite who has both beauty and brains (and breeding, of course), and she’s the envy of all upper crust wives. Lee Joon is their (seemingly) perfect son, who listens to his parents and lives out the privileged life that was predetermined for him before he was even born. And until his senior year in high school, he’s never done a single thing to upset his parents.

Go Ah-sung plays the second daughter of a totally average family, who dreams of having her own blissfully average and bustling family someday. She’s a bright and cheery girl with lots of friends, and she falls in love with her classmate Lee Joon without knowing what kind of family he comes from. They end up pregnant, become the talk of the town, and Go Ah-sung enters the bizarro world that is his family life.

She soon experiences unimaginable treatment from his family — derision, rigidity, exacting rules, and constant surveillance. Honestly, it sounds like my personal hell. But her character is described as outspoken and smart, and she’s the type of person to get in her say, no matter how difficult things get for her. The drama will be a black comedy, designed to poke at the social problems surrounding money and power. Still, no matter how much satire you manage to give me, I’m grateful that Go Ah-sung is playing an outsider with some spunk. I mean, I need to root for somebody, right?

I Heard it Through the Grapevine follows Punch and premieres February 23.

Via TV Report

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1 whilethemusiclasts

January 29, 2015 at 3:14 AM

Sounds interesting... but, truth be told, I don't think I've ever finished a kdrama with more than 28 episodes.

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chip

January 29, 2015 at 5:08 AM

you need to try Empress Ki. the only lengthy drama I managed (compulsively I may say) to watch and love. and I'm yet to find another that I could stick to after it

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whilethemusiclasts

January 29, 2015 at 8:27 AM

So I've been told! I have yet to watch Empress Ki because aside from not being able to finish long-format dramas, I've also never finished any sageuk. Yikes!

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jomo143

January 29, 2015 at 8:56 AM

Me, neither.
It's the bad guys.
No matter who they start out, no matter how big the table they sit around to plot, they just cannot hold my interest till the end.

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pogo

January 29, 2015 at 11:26 AM

jomo and whilethemusiclasts - not even Queen In-hyun's Man? That one's literally only half a sageuk anyway, since it's half set in the 21st century.

I still recommend Arang & The Magistrate, anyway. There's an actual mystery at work there and it's not about bad guys (who don't sit around tables).

jomo143

January 31, 2015 at 5:58 AM

I guess I should have clarified - The 40+ ones are those I can't finish. I usually can handle 16- 24.

Lily Suzuki

January 30, 2015 at 6:19 AM

Two long running dramas I watched to the end and loved were Dong Yi and Yi San. Eps ran into 70s, and I could've watched longer!

Very glad to Know Lee Joon's next drama starts soon. He's a talent legit actor. Gap Dong blew me away, he was amazing.

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dramabliss

January 31, 2015 at 8:14 AM

Watched and loved Dong Yi and Yi San as well. Thought I couldn't finish but I just couldn't stop. I also watched, finished, and liked Queen Soenduk. I loved Go Hyun-jung as Lady Mishil there. Likewise Kim Nam-gil though his character got killed in the end.

halo120

January 29, 2015 at 7:38 PM

Found Empress Ki via Healer (Ji Chang Wook). It's my first sageuk and anything over 20 episodes. I'm a little more than half way through it. It wouldn't be so compulsive if it weren't for the darn cliff-hangers. How do they manage to do that for 50 episodes??

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sogazelle

January 29, 2015 at 8:00 AM

@ whilethemusiclasts

I wish HEALER was 32 episodes...I would be blessing the dramagods everyday!

Back to the topic...

This is totally my kind of story...even though it smells magjang from afar

And it looks like it has some fresh faces...

I'm looking forward to watching Lee Joon headline a drama...and I don't know the girl...so more curiosity in store...which is always a good thing.

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pogo

January 29, 2015 at 11:23 AM

I really like What's With This Family, which is at 47 episodes and counting - and I have not missed or skipped any!

With the right drama, the extra episodes will just breeze by, which is the feeling I get from really good weekend dramas. I hope that holds equally true for 32 episoder weekday dramas!

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kanz

January 29, 2015 at 1:53 PM

I'm excited about this drama till I read it's 32 eps. Not sure if I can handle that.

Same with @chip Empress Ki is the only long drama (51 eps!) that I managed to watch from start to finish.

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MissCanuck

March 5, 2015 at 3:01 PM

Giant, which was 62 episodes, was worth every waking hours I spend watching it. If it is done well and the plot keeps you interested, a long drama can appear to be short.

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2 achiara

January 29, 2015 at 3:22 AM

Sorry if this comes out as rude but how good is Lee Joon as an actor? I haven't seen him in anything before and I'm always skeptical with idols turned actors (not everyone can pull an Im Shiwan)

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PeepsLeAwesomePotato

January 29, 2015 at 4:00 AM

He's the Im SiWan kind of idol-actor. (now ex-idol)

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pigsnout

January 29, 2015 at 4:23 AM

He's good. Not just "good, for an idol actor" but actually good, like Im Siwan.

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Ella

January 29, 2015 at 4:28 AM

I think Lee Joon is better than a lot of singers-turned-actors. I'm glad he's branching out and choosing different projects that would hone his skills rather than be pigeon-hold with creepy, intense roles (Role Play, Gapdong). I think he did his dues and slowly rising to leading man status, unlike others who were handed it.

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Ella

January 29, 2015 at 4:32 AM

Oh, and I'm really looking forward to his pairing with Go Ah Sung. She's talented and pretty much awesome.

The only thing I'm reluctant about is the episode count. Please let it be necessary and not entirely draggy or frustrating.

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pogo

January 29, 2015 at 7:18 AM

yeah, 32 episodes....makes me wonder what they'll do to fill the time. But I hope they do plot and pace well, even if it is SBS.

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Molly

January 29, 2015 at 5:09 AM

I have not seen or followed Im Siwan's acting but Lee Joon is a trained actor. He debuted as actor before joining idol world.

Something in common between Lee Joon and Go Ah-sung, they both acted in Hollywood's movies. I'm so looking forward this pairing!

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achiara

January 29, 2015 at 5:45 AM

Thank you everyone, I hope my question wasn't offensive. Judging from the positive replies, he seems to have his own merit. I'll be paying him more attention from now on. It's true that many idols are originally trained as actors and just because they debuted as idols/singers doesn't mean their forte resides elsewhere

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blo

January 29, 2015 at 11:07 AM

I think Lee Joon has some serious talent when it comes to acting. And you're right...a lot of idols who also act can't really act. I avoid their dramas like the plague But when I heard he left his group, I got excited with hope in seeing him in more serious roles. I actually liked him before I noticed Im Siwan. I loved Im Siwan in Misaeng. I just need Lee Joon to pick up a good drama or movie. He was good in Gap Dong, but that drama became really silly towards the end...

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pogo

January 29, 2015 at 11:33 AM

I often find that most of the idols who turn out to be good at acting aren't the ones from hugely popular groups/big agencies, and worked their way up from smaller projects and supporting roles (Im Shi-wan, Lee Joon, Yoon Doo-joon, Park Hyung-shik), or at the very least had to audition for parts (Jung Eun-ji).

The ones who get it handed to them on a plate because they're idols rarely turn out watchable. The lone exception to that rule is IU.

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j2hr

January 29, 2015 at 5:48 PM

why is IU a lone exception? what about Rain or Eric or Yoon Kye Sang?

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Rav

January 30, 2015 at 4:59 AM

Rain or Eric or Yoon Kye Sang?

I don't think people consider them idols because they're older. Another reason is, I don't think the term "idol" was even used for their generation. I thought that generation was just called boy bands, girl groups, and singers. It seems like the 2nd generation of Kpop was the first to be called "idols". So when people think "idols" they think 2nd gen and up even though they all gens were a part of the same Kpop machine.

sss

January 29, 2015 at 5:37 PM

He is a good actor. when Gapdong aired, some people have question like he's a psychopath in real life? why does he so creepy as hell? lol that's a praise and show how great acting is. He is just a pabo in variety but he's Ryu tae oh in Gapdong as same as Siwan is Geu rae. it would great if you give it a try for some works.

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Hani89

January 29, 2015 at 7:39 PM

Lee Joon is amazing actor! you should try to watch he's movie & drama ^^ (Gap Dong, Mr.Back, Jungle Fish 2 & Rough Play)

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owl

January 30, 2015 at 12:02 AM

I'm a fan of Lee Joon in Gap Dong and Mr Back. Intense is the word. Also I find him incredibly handsome.

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Lily Suzuki

January 30, 2015 at 6:30 AM

I know what you're saying. There are idols that try to be actors. Performances can vary from impressive to all right to cringeworthy. Lee Joon has actual talent, instinct, and a sense of timing that others don't. He's a natural and legit actor! Watch him in Gap Dong. It's a Powerful psychological thriller - he is outstanding in that drama. I recommend it.

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Krys11

January 31, 2015 at 1:27 AM

I actually think Lee Joon is the better actor between him and Siwan. I like Siwan better (since I found him really handsome) so I followed his dramas but I really did not like his acting in Triangle and even Jaejoong did better than him there which probably is the most unexpected thing that ever happens in that drama since Jaejoong acted bad in Dr. Jin. Siwan is great in Misaeng though probably the best acting I have ever seen from him. He really is awesome in there and he fit the character of Jang Geu Rae perfectly. But with Lee Joon I have never seen him act bad even once yet. He is awesome in all the dramas and movies I have seen him. He acted all roles perfectly weather he is a serial killer, a psychopath, a handsome chaebol, the perfect 2nd lead, a ninja etc. so I never refers to him as an idol. Maybe since I also knew Joon first as an actor too before he is an idol. I have watched him in Ninja Assassin first before I discovered MBLAQ.

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3 Jennalyn Zul

January 29, 2015 at 3:24 AM

I'm excited for Go Ah Sung. It been long time since God of Study. Looking forward for this

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neyrie

January 29, 2015 at 4:09 AM

I am so excited that go ah sung is back in dramaland.. she has been quite busy in movies this past few years but i still remember loving her in God of Study. so so so happy she will playing this character though it feels the same as the one she played in duet. All the same i love that movie also so its a win win for me...

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mary

January 29, 2015 at 6:31 AM

Go Peu-lip! ^____^

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4 zakin89

January 29, 2015 at 3:27 AM

The premise sounds interesting and I always love when we get heroines with spunk. I've just seen Go Ah Sung in Snowpiercer but I really liked her there and I'm very much looking forward to seeing her in this role.

I'm so happy that Joon got another role so fast and am also very looking forward to his performance! I really hope that the two of them have great chemistry :)

32 episodes seems a weird number but oh well I won't complain... The Lee Joon fangirl in me likes to see as much of her oppa as possible^^ Still I'd rather have less eps... Let's just hope they do the black comedy well bc I'm all in for that!

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5 excitedd

January 29, 2015 at 3:56 AM

You say Ahn Pan-seok and Jung Sung-joo, and I don't have anything else to ask for. Ahn PD has never disappointed me so I'm expecting no less than greatness. My weak link is Lee Joon, to be honest. I hope he's up to the task.

As a side note, I like finishing an amazing show as Punch and following it with this one. Great production teams FTW!

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Beanfan

January 29, 2015 at 5:25 PM

+1!! I agree with you that with this PD and writer team, I have little to ask for. Only, perhaps, another casting of Yoo Ah-In!! :P

I haven't watched anything with Lee Joon or Go Ah Sung, but I'm sure that anyone cast to work with this pair of industry aces has serious acting chops.

32 episodes? Meh. I can deal. Will definitely try this one out!

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6 ahsaem

January 29, 2015 at 4:15 AM

The actor and actress who will be playing Lee joon's parents in this series , don't they look too young?

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Chloë

January 29, 2015 at 7:13 AM

Doesnt he look too old to play a teenager ? ^^

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pogo

January 29, 2015 at 11:35 AM

honestly, if Lee Min-ho could play a teenager despite looking halfway to his thirties, Lee Joon can manage just fine.

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Aliya

January 29, 2015 at 12:39 PM

Point. Lol

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owl

January 30, 2015 at 12:02 AM

Bingo.

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alpha

January 30, 2015 at 1:05 PM

@ Pogo: I saw you dissing Lee Min ho in the other article too. What exactly is your problem. And no he isn't 'halfway to his thirties'. And he did say Heirs was his last chance to act as a teenager and I must say he pulled it off nicely. (The raw emotions that teenagers have).

Keep your mouth shut please.

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MissCanuck

March 5, 2015 at 3:06 PM

You know, we live in a world where we are blessed with free will and our own opinions. If she wants to tell us her opinion about a certain actor, she is well within her rights. And she is absolutely right, LHM was horrible in Heirs. In fact, Heirs was horrible

pogo

January 31, 2015 at 8:03 AM

alpha - no, I will not shut my mouth.

I don't think he is all that as an actor and looked way too old for the part in Heirs. Grow up and deal with it, or take your whining elsewhere.

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7 Sam

January 29, 2015 at 4:41 AM

Looking forward to it :)
even though I've always supported his acting, as an MBLAQ fan this is going to hurt to watch as well :/
I hope the drama isn't too depressing though.

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8 Mohammed

January 29, 2015 at 4:58 AM

This is very good news to me and i dont care at ALL who the actors are because this is by the team that made A Secret Love Affair which was easily the best drama of 2014. It had the quality writing, directing you expect from the best of Korean artfilm.

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9 monda

January 29, 2015 at 5:19 AM

Is she Gil Pul-ip from God of Study?? Aww she's grown up.. this drama will definitely be on my watch list. They should be good in this, I mean I really liked Joon as a student in Jungle Fish2, and Go ah sung in God of Study. How come they are still cast as student many years after. LOL makes me curious.

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magnet

January 29, 2015 at 5:42 AM

this makes me curious too. it's very interesting and caught my attention that why must be these two. i think we're going to find out soon.

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10 hawoojinruinedme

January 29, 2015 at 5:49 AM

Go Ahsung yay!! She made a fan out of me after Snowpiercer so this news make me super excited!! The premise sounds interesting plus i like her character description.

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11 pogo

January 29, 2015 at 7:13 AM

Love the cast, especially the two young leads.

(now fingers crossed that the writing is good and the 32 episode count + regular girl/rich-boy story doesn't end up turning into some makjang chaebol-focused mess... ..though people here seem to have faith in the writer-PD team so I will stay optimistic)

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12 evw09

January 29, 2015 at 7:32 AM

The plot sounds just like Wild chives and soy bean soup. Hopefully, this will be better if for no other reason than it's completed.

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13 cherkell

January 29, 2015 at 7:34 AM

YOO JUN SANG!!! Terry, the Nation's Husband!!! I love this man to pieces, but isn't he kinda young to be playing an appa? :P

Go get 'em, Junsang-ah! Be sure to take your vitamins while you're filming this and starring in "Robin Hood: The Musical" at the same time. 화이팅!!! ♥

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14 magnet

January 29, 2015 at 8:09 AM

Strong casts, production team, PD and writer. such a high expectation! 32 eps scared me but i hope it's worthy.

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15 Nugu

January 29, 2015 at 8:18 AM

Sounds a bit like Fated To Love You

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16 trav

January 29, 2015 at 8:47 AM

Wow, 32 episodes is A LOT. For a drama about evil 'in-laws' for sure. I mean, just how many struggles/obstacles can they give to the poor girl?
I hope this drama will be Modern-Farmer-awesome with all side characters getting their time and an actual told story.

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17 jomo143

January 29, 2015 at 9:00 AM

I LOVE him since Gapdong, but couldn't watch Baek.

Stories about teenage pregnancy to me feel like I am carrying a sack of sand uphill in a windstorm but with this team, I may give it a try.

Seriously. I always want to girl to give the baby up for adoption so *I* feel better.

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pogo

January 29, 2015 at 11:20 AM

yeah I couldn't make myself go through all of Mr Baek either.....just enough to confirm that Lee Joon really could play a non-creepy role convincingly (he could).

I agree with you on the subject of teenage pregnancies and not wanting a young girl to be stuck holding the baby.....unless it's a show like Gilmore Girls. Which is a completely different kettle of fish, of course.

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sss

January 29, 2015 at 5:26 PM

mte i even skip most of time and keep watching Dad-son parts. well, i love Joon but this drama didn't make him shine as Gapdong did. He doesn't want to be a typecast and want to try romcom so it's good. Also he surely is not a limit actor and that's great.

I wish and hopefully this drama will be a big hit with great script. never watched any dramas from this team but as people trust in them so i'm looking forward to :)

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18 sweetgirl17

January 29, 2015 at 9:13 AM

ABSOLUTELY ABSOLUTELY my kind of drama. cant wait :D

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19 Aigoooo

January 29, 2015 at 11:01 AM

For a split second there, I couldn't figure out what the title of the drama was. lol

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kumi

January 29, 2015 at 11:13 AM

"I Heard It Through the Grave Pine". :P

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20 Krys11

January 31, 2015 at 1:39 AM

I'm happy Go Ah Sung is back in Kdramaland because she's more on to movies. I love her in Snowpiercer and The Host. I like her a lot in God Of Studies too. I was actually hoping a GAS-YSH reunion. Oh well that can wait..

I am anticipating this drama because of it's cast but also the team behind it since they did Secret Love Affair but my only concern is it has 32 episodes. I mean if 16 episode is too short for them then make it 20 episodes or 24 as maximum but 32 really is too much. That episode number is seriously discouraging me from watching it. I just hope it really has a good script that will be worth 32 episodes.

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adian

February 1, 2015 at 1:48 AM

I'm also hoping for Go Ah Sung and Yoo Seung Ho reunion. Blame it on GOS. I was left unsatisfied with the ending.

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Heard It Through the Grapevine