Kim Sae-ron up for first leading adult role with Yoon Shi-yoon
by javabeans
Kim Sae-ron has been growing up fast ever since breaking out in the dark thriller Ajusshi (Man From Nowhere) in 2010, and is now poised to take on her first “grown-up” leading role. I use quotation marks since she’s still just 15 years old, plus she has headlined a drama before — 2014’s fantasy-romance series High School: Love On — but if she takes the offer of a leading role in Mirror of the Witch, it would mark a new phase in her budding career.
This is the JTBC fusion sageuk that’ll be Yoon Shi-yoon’s army comeback role, taking a youthful fantasy-romance spin on the story of real-life Joseon royal doctor Heo Jun, who wrote the Mirror of Eastern Medicine. The drama’s title comes from that book, purporting to tell the “hidden story” behind his life as we know it.
This drama’s version of Heo Jun is described as gifted with an outstanding memory and artistic sensibilities, as well as martial arts skills. And we can’t forget the part where he’s also the top doc in Joseon. Basically: Joseon geeeenius. That’s Yoon Shi-yoon’s role, while Kim Sae-ron is up to play a girl who is born a Joseon princess but, due to a curse, becomes a witch instead.
Hm, I admit to being iffy about this pairing despite loving both actors: There would be a 14-year age gap between them, which may be uncomfortable given how young she is. (I know Yoon and his adorable puppy-like charm can make him seem much younger than his years, but she just graduated from middle school!) Fourteen years may not be insurmountable with older actors, but this age gap is reminiscent of Kim Yoo-jung being cast in Secret Door at 15, supposedly her first “grown-up” role, only to have the drama cut her loveline with Lee Je-hoon (15 years older) mid-series after belatedly realizing it was weird, and eventually replacing Kim. I just hope this drama finds a way around that conundrum more gracefully.
Mirror of the Witch will be directed by Maids PD Jo Hyun-tak, and will follow Ms. Temper and Nam Jung-ki as JTBC’s next Friday-Saturday series.
Via Segye, Sports Chosun
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1 dramamama
March 7, 2016 at 3:26 AM
Sorry, she is still too young to handle an adult romance in a drama. She doesn't come off older than 16. It would definitely be too weird.
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2 eunchans
March 7, 2016 at 3:26 AM
So 15 year old's are adults now??? Huh...
Like the mess of her last drama (pairing two boys in their mid twenties with her) wasn't bad enough, they're now pairing 30 year old's with her???
What is wrong with the casting directors and Fantagio.... there are plenty of talented actresses in Yoon Shi Yoon's age group that they could use. Wtf. I really hope this doesn't happen.
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Gidget
March 7, 2016 at 8:51 AM
My thoughts exactly.
Is K-ent getting as soul-twisted as Hollywood is?
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3 An
March 7, 2016 at 3:29 AM
what are they thinking........ he's twice her age. I'm sorry but there are plenty of talented actresses around his age there is no reason to cast someone so young.If there is a loveline between them, I'm definitely not watching.
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songsong
March 7, 2016 at 5:15 AM
Exactly my reaction when I read this news! What's up with k-entertainment.
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Cafe
March 7, 2016 at 7:02 AM
Same. It's too weird (and creepy/gross) to cast a 15 years old with a 30 years old as her romatic counterpart...
15, she's A CHILD, she's not even legal and yet they want her involved w/a 30 ADULT??? Disgusting...
Side eyeing everyone who's swooning over this pedo-couple.
I hope that she doesn't take the role.
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Mrmz
March 7, 2016 at 9:37 AM
And considering the guy being "twice her age" is still so young, she really is still a kid!
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4 lolcoolcat123
March 7, 2016 at 3:30 AM
I havent seen Kim Sae Ron before in any drama (yes i suck!) But im a freaking huge fan of Yoon Shi yoon and his puppy like charm! So as long as YSY is in this one, im in!
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5 An
March 7, 2016 at 3:31 AM
Woah..that's gotta be awkward to see. She's still basically a teen.
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pogo
March 7, 2016 at 3:33 AM
There's 'still basically a teen' and then there's 'several years underage'.
I could still deal with it if she was like 19 or so, that's young but still legal....but 15? gtfo!
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Saphia
March 7, 2016 at 4:52 AM
I love both these actors, but just thinking that there would be a kiss scene between these two is extremely awkward
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Gidget
March 7, 2016 at 8:56 AM
And I for one want that kiss scene to be a good one. When there's chemistry he rocks it.
With this actress it'd have a predatory vibe.
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zia
March 8, 2016 at 2:18 AM
Since she's cursed/witch, maybe she stopped aging. LOL!
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6 pogo
March 7, 2016 at 3:32 AM
...do kdrama PDs completely lack common sense?
wtf are they thinking, pairing up an underage girl barely out of middle school with an actor literally TWICE HER AGE?!
(and yes, I was judging the Secret Door PDs/casting directors too, I mean it took them that long to work out that pairing a middle school girl with a 30-year-old is squicky?)
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mara-jade
March 7, 2016 at 6:19 AM
I don't really mind the cast at secret door though. it was set at joseon era and a relationship between minor and adult didn't matter at that time. oh wait, is this also a saeguk?
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pogo
March 7, 2016 at 8:46 AM
Secret Door claimed there was only a two/three-year age gap between the characters, they clearly were too wimpy to go there with the actual age gap even though they were ok with casting actors who had it and did not realise until way too late that casting a girl not even fifteen years old with a 30 year old actor was a bit squicky.
(Kim Yoo-jung was spotted in gisaeng costume, they obviously intended to have her continue into the 'adult' love line as well, until the public outcry over inappropriateness began).
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Gidget
March 7, 2016 at 9:13 AM
A huge age gap didn't matter in an era when women were traded by men like playing cards and were seen as little more than baby-factories.
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Gidget
March 7, 2016 at 9:03 AM
I think we'd need to take the squee out of squicky. Not squicky but just plain icky.
Question:
If this is a youth fantasy, part of me wishes that YSY would be the one to drop out. (Despite that I really, really want to see him in something.)
I worry that if he doesn't break out of the flower boy typecast now, his career is going to suffer in the long term. Is this a reasonable concern?
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pogo
March 7, 2016 at 10:19 AM
I thought squicky = squeamish+icky?
But yeah, either way it's gross and the producers need to seriously reflect on wtf they are thinking, trying to pair up these two actors at her current age. There are plenty of roles in her future, her agency doesn't need to do this.
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Gidget
March 7, 2016 at 1:03 PM
Thanks for the clarification. You'd know better.
From the way I've seen it used I thought there were mixed emotions involved. Like, the drama's chemistry is making me want to like this relationship (squee), but objectively it's repulsive (icky). (The first time I heard the word was when I was new to kdramas and reading the recaps/comments for That Winter the Wind Blows.)
You always seem to know what you're talking about. Do you have any thoughts about YSY getting typecast in purely flower boy roles (his characters oriented to the 'tween and early 20s demographic)? Will that come back to bite him in the long run? It seems that unless they position themselves well, Kdrama actors have a really short shelf life. Older actors seem few and far between. I'd hate to see him slowly disappear.
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pogo
March 8, 2016 at 6:47 AM
Honestly, it's a bit early to tell since this is literally the first post-army project for him. I'd say he has a good enough shot at longevity as long as he repositions himself as 'not just a flower boy' and manages to find some gravitas even in what sounds like a very typical flower-boy role.
I mean, if Kang Dong-won and Lee Jun-ki, who were basically the walking embodiment of the words 'flower boy' have managed to establish themselves as well-respected actors after they came back from the army, I think YSY can easily manage the same. He has the talent to be a little more flexible with what he plays too, he should be fine even if he didn't quite manage to get into prime position before he left for the Marines.
pogo
March 8, 2016 at 6:50 AM
of course, this is also contingent on him being careful with project choices and not doing a Jang Geun-seok (aka playing the same character 4 projects in a row and then having them all flop).
7 lordseungri
March 7, 2016 at 3:35 AM
???? Why?? She's 15!!!! Underage!
Are there seriously not any actresses who are at least 19/20?
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8 Sour Grapes
March 7, 2016 at 3:51 AM
Errr, couldn't they wait until she is 18? Is it even legal?
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9 Browncoat_78
March 7, 2016 at 3:57 AM
We all know she's a great actress but if she is the romantic lead this sucks!!!!! YSY is one of the best kisses in Kdramaland and if this happens, not hot kisses! :'(
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Lizzy
March 7, 2016 at 4:22 AM
Sageuk = Not Hot Kisses
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Kiara
March 7, 2016 at 6:02 AM
Have you seen Great Seer? There was a kiss scene there that was pretty close to raunchy. JTBC's own War of the FLowers went further than that.
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juniper
March 7, 2016 at 5:51 PM
+1. The bed scene towards the beginning of Shin Don comes to mind, too. And I've heard that Ham Eun-jung filmed a bed scene in Queen Insoo as well lol.
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Kiara
March 7, 2016 at 6:17 PM
Those were legit relationships. Jung doesn't do fanservice.
Eun-jung (In-soo) was already married to her husband and I didn't get what the netizens were complaining about.
juniper
March 7, 2016 at 7:50 PM
Exactly. Sex exists lol. idk, I'm an American, so I'm pretty liberal about what's okay for TV lol, but even if showing sex is too risque for Korea, dramas could still talk about it like adults. But the only way sex comes up is through fanservice, which manages to titillate the audience while also preserving this idea of female chastity (the girl barely ever makes the first move or even knows what she's doing lol). It doesn't surprise me that Jung gets that there is a time and a place for sex in his stories, considering he's one of the only writers that gets that women have the same desires and conflicts as men.
NiaIpeh
March 7, 2016 at 4:23 AM
Why should be hot kisses in Kdrama? *just asking
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Gidget
March 7, 2016 at 9:24 AM
For my taste it's not wanting something 'hot' like the slobbering animalistic style seen from Hollywood. But hot in the sense that both communication and intimacy are conveyed by the kiss. It should be a visual aid that helps the audience see the characters choosing each other, yielding to each other and the bonding going on in their hearts.
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10 ladykrueger
March 7, 2016 at 4:01 AM
No, no, no. Romancing with a girl that's half your age doesn't sound very well. And since it's Yoon Shi Yoon I expect some quality smooches (Me too Flower style, heh) and chemistry. So even though I love him, I don't want his comeback drama to be with a kid.
Oh, by the way, I heard Park Shin Hye recently graduated from uni. Just saying.
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agree
March 7, 2016 at 6:43 AM
My thoughts exact leave the kid alone... is the PD in his right mind???
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Dani
March 8, 2016 at 2:01 PM
Yesss, why not PSH? They had such a great chemistry together. I miss my Enrique!!!!
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11 Adal
March 7, 2016 at 4:07 AM
They shouldn't cast her in the rom com period. They should find someone more age appropriate for the role. It's not that she doesn't have the acting chops to carry the role, it's just that it is awkward. It was awkward in High School Love On as well, though they truly didn't have any real skinship, thank God!
But what is this hurry to grow up? What are her parents and agents thinking?!
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12 xingii
March 7, 2016 at 4:21 AM
She's likable, a decent actress and super cute but this is really awkward. :/ Why does she always get put with guys that are so much older than her? >< Honestly from what I've seen of her, whether it's in dramas or music videos, she gets put with guys that are like 20+ and honestly I haven't been able to enjoy them because it just looks & feels really uncomfortable :/ Why is the industry wanting to insist that she "grow up" so quickly? She's only 15 so now is the right time to utilise her in roles fit for her age. We all know she's got decent acting ability so it's not like she would be "settling for less" if she takes a role of a teenager in some other drama. People would actually prefer it if she takes on roles fit for her age. Everyone is already squirmish about the fact that she's taking on romantic roles with much older guys, that she clearly is not old enough for.
I love Yoon Shi Yoon as well but is it too much to ask for his comeback project to be with someone closer to his age, so that if there's romance he can go all out with the chemistry? :(
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xingii
March 7, 2016 at 4:24 AM
edit: Ok I realise that High school Love On was age appropriate for her BUT her co-stars were much older than her and it was heaps awks =_____= I don't think the Infinite boys were that comfortable doing acting like high school students either. (bless their souls for trying but it was a disaster)
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alua
March 7, 2016 at 1:20 PM
<Why does she always get put with guys that are so much older than her?
The casting directors certainly have a lot of blame here, but I'm also going to wonder about her parents – why would you let your child, a minor, be cast in a role like this?
Damn, if I were YSY and suddenly told that my counterpart was a minor – by SEVERAL YEARS plus half his age – I'd bail (skinship or no skinship).
Even that happened in Joseon times, there is absolutely no need to cast like this. Nor is anyone going to convince me that Kim Sae-ron is missing out on some important roles if she doesn't star in something like this (or that there's no one else to fill that role).
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13 NiaIpeh
March 7, 2016 at 4:21 AM
PD - her agency must be lost in the mountain or something else -_-
No romance please.. She's too young.
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14 jazza
March 7, 2016 at 4:28 AM
I was excited for YSY comeback drama.. but pairing her with YSY is just awkward. They look look like brother-sister...
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15 Mandy
March 7, 2016 at 4:30 AM
See I've never been big on these huge age gaps between leads. But if the story calls for it, and if there's chemistry, then it's not an issue for me either. The problem here isn't that he's double her age - there's nothing wrong with a Yoona-LBS or a KSR-PSY pairing for example. But the fact that she's a minor makes it squicky and uncomfortable to watch. And, it's not legal.
There are tons of good actresses out there tbh. So many who's age appropriate AND popular as Kim Sae-ron. Why is it necessary to stick her into an adult role when she obv isn't? Her agency has been screwing her career - she's done stupid idol dramas with actors who can't act, and now this. What's with that?
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fay17
March 7, 2016 at 5:09 AM
Yeah I don't mind either,apart from the fact that she's only 15,age difference in kdramas is nothing new.And I love both the people,so count me in! KSR already had kisses in her drama,so I think I'm okay with the pairing kdramas are always conservative with the kisses!
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16 Chandler
March 7, 2016 at 5:05 AM
I wouldn't mind her being paired with someone in their (very) early twenties because I do recognize that they are actors. But, in a romance especially, I draw the line at 23, maybe 24. 29 is just ridiculous though.
Don't ruin my Yoon Shi-yoon comeback drama, Drama Gods! I beg you, please. We have age-appropriate actresses like Kim So Eun and Han Groo waiting to be cast, so why go here?
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Gidget
March 7, 2016 at 9:28 AM
Han Groo. Yes. I miss her.
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Lord Cobol
March 7, 2016 at 12:38 PM
+1
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kimchikay
March 7, 2016 at 3:14 PM
+1000
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17 Kiara
March 7, 2016 at 5:26 AM
She is a pretty good child actress but I haven't seen her in a sageuk before. That goes for Yoon Shi-yoon too.
Awkward pairing indeed (age wise) especially for a fantasy romance sageuk on cable where they have more freedom to push the envelope.
I think JTBC is trying to repeat Maid's success and it's cheaper to produce a fusion fantasy sageuk than a real one like their epic War of the Flowers.
There are quite a few actresses out there in their 20s who have done sageuks very well. Park Eun-bin (who did a fantastic job playing Heo Joon's wife in Gu Am Heo Joon (2013), Moon Geun-young, Park Bo-young, Kim So-eun, Baek Jin-hee, Nam Ji-hyun. Then we have two movie actresses like Kim Go-eun and Han He-ri who can pretty much rock any genre.
Since they are going the fantasy romance route then any decent newbie would suffice.
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juniper
March 7, 2016 at 7:56 PM
I want to see Moon Geun-young in another sageuk so badly lol. Ditto Park Bo-young.
I do wish Kim Sae-ron's generation would hurry and grow up lol (imagine when Yeo Jin-gu, Kim Yoo-jung and Kim So-hyun are headlining their own dramas!)--but pairing a 15-year-old with a man twice her age is not going to make it happen any faster lol. I agree, this is very awkward.
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Kiara
March 8, 2016 at 8:45 AM
I love Moon to pieces in The Last Empress and Painter of the Wind but her latest sageuk was pretty bad. I hope she'll pick a better (sageuk) project next. I know it's hard for a good sageuk to come by since fusion fantasy seems to be trend these days.
I wish Park Bo-young would do more sageuks too.
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18 grammar
March 7, 2016 at 5:34 AM
my mind immediately leapt to yoon yejoo for the replacement.
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19 Lizzie H.
March 7, 2016 at 5:35 AM
If the production is really going for the romance between a 29-year-old and a 15-year-old, I would seriously hope they reconsider. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for noona-romances as long as all the parties involved are of legal age and consenting. This just seems like a cheap ploy to get people to talk about the upcoming drama.
Maybe they could change their relationship more to a sibling way? Him being the older brother she never asked for helping her getting rid of all the witch business, and her being the younger sister he never had? I wouldn't mind watching something like this.
Just a no from me concerning the romance... Just no.
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Kiara
March 7, 2016 at 5:57 AM
I think most of us are concerned because she is a minor, a child still in my opinion but a romance between a 29-year-old and a 15-year-old would be perfectly normal in that era.
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Lizzie H.
March 7, 2016 at 6:22 AM
Well, that is also my concern. Her being 15 and underage. I think, it come out wrong in my comment.
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fay17
March 7, 2016 at 7:01 AM
@Kiara,Yeah it maybe weird for us to see romance between a 15 yrs old girl and 29 yr old man,but in that era,it was quite normal..yeah.If anyone has read Jane eyre,she was not that old,probably 16-18,[CMIIW],or Emma,where she falls for a man who was 38-39? Or 'little women',a lot of times English literature has ventured at these kind of romances,so it's not totally unacceptable,or non-existent.
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fay17
March 7, 2016 at 7:10 AM
Also who did not have romantic crushes on 29 year old actors/singers at the age of fifteen/sixteen? Lol.Sorry if I sound weird.
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Kiara
March 7, 2016 at 6:05 PM
I have my fair share of ajusshi crushes with a huge age gap. Choi Min Soo (53), Kim Myung Min (43), Ha Jung Woo (37) etc.The most outrages one was Daniel Day Lewis (58). (My mother would flip a table if she knew haha).
The thing is it's just a crush (on talents) nothing more and to my defense, I was crushing on their younger version after watching some of their older dramas and movies.
juniper
March 7, 2016 at 8:01 PM
Emma was 21 when she married him (though I agree, it is weird when you think that Mr. Knightley was a teenager when she was born). But yeah, it was quite normal for that time period--just not for ours. If they say the female character is 15 and male one is 29, then that's one thing--but the actress could just as easily be in her 20s and playing someone younger.
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pogo
March 7, 2016 at 8:52 AM
I would accept that argument if the actual characters in the story were supposed to be those ages (15/29) - in fact, I'd think they had guts if a sageuk actually went there and featured a couple with that kind of age gap.
But the actors aren't from the Joseon era, the casting decision is very much of our contemporary times, and in that context, it's still gross.
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fay17
March 7, 2016 at 9:04 AM
Do we know the context? I am not aware of what it's about,but have any one here watched 'reset? It had Kim So Hyun and Chun Jung‑myung as the leads,and though there was no any spoken romantic relationship between them,they could actually sell the pair.I could see their chemistry,when he fight to rescue her.So,I don't mind seeing this on the picture,depends on how they portray the relationships on screen.
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fay17
March 7, 2016 at 9:04 AM
*not
Lindy
March 7, 2016 at 1:36 PM
I watched and loved Reset but I agree there is a big difference between Chun Jung-myung's relationship with Kim So-hyun and any potential romantic pairing between Yoon Shi-yoon and Kim Sae-ron. If this is handled like it was in Reset then it is perfectly fine. If not, then it seems just plain creepy to me and unfair to both actors because I think the fact she's a minor in real life and he's old enough to have completed his national service is what most viewers will be focussing on.
Kiara
March 7, 2016 at 9:10 AM
Yes, we are not talking Romeo and Juliet either.
This is pretty much a casting decision based on fiction. Doctor Heo Joon did not have a romantic relationship with a 15yr old at 29.
Kim Ju-Hyeok and Park Eun-Bin had a 20yrs age different in Gu Am Heo Joon but she was 21 years old. She played her role with maturity like a sageuk pro. That is something that the 15 year old Kim Sae-ron won't be able to do.
And even if the role calls for a 15 yr old they should be able to cast someone older than 15 in real life.
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juniper
March 7, 2016 at 8:04 PM
Well said. Cruel Palace did have Lee Deok-hwa marry a 19-year-old Go Won-hee, but things never really got physical and the age difference was used for some pretty sharp character work and social critique.
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Gidget
March 7, 2016 at 9:37 AM
If it were pure sageuk that would be a good point. But as a fusion drama wouldn't it come across as a modern endorsement of an old exploitive practice?
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Kiara
March 7, 2016 at 5:30 PM
I should've said marriage because the thought of people dating in Joseon does not make sense lol.
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yuja
March 7, 2016 at 12:53 PM
ACTUALLY. The idea that such an age gap was normal is not really accurate. In pre-modern era Western Europe, the average age of marriage for women was 23 and men was 26. Couples younger than 21 were mandated by the Catholic Church to have familial consent to be married.
I thought this might be similar for the Joseon dynasty, so I did a bit of googling and I found an article that summarized the age of marriage of yangban in Korea between the 17th and 20th centuries, and the data showed that the mean age for women 1600-99 was 17.54 and 17.34 for men. I wasn't able to find data earlier than that, but anyway, it seems to suggest that the whole age gap thing is more stereotype than actual history in Korea as well. Of course, the research doesn't take into account concubines or 2nd/3rd/subsequent remarriages and I haven't exactly done substantial research on this topic yet but yeah. It's something to consider.
Anyway, it's no excuse when the the female character isn't even a real historical figure. It's a fantasy fusion. I doubt that the drama's priority will be historical accuracy.
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Katie
March 7, 2016 at 3:13 PM
This is so interesting, and it makes a lot of sense. There was pressure to marry on both men and women.
I wonder how this stereotype came about. Especially in the west, since I'm a westerner.
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yuja
March 7, 2016 at 11:24 PM
Yeah, gotta take advantage of those fertile years lol.
If you're interested, this person on tumblr wrote about what I said: http://justadram.tumblr.com/post/40530198714/meta-monday-the-age-of-adulthood
And you can find plenty of published journal articles about the age of adolescence in the middle ages too. :)
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fay17
March 7, 2016 at 4:39 PM
@June I was not actually mentioning about the standards...rather if women [between 16-18]…did fall for older men or if society had younger girls falling for older mature gentlemen lol.I have read lots of fictions from jane Eyre and later periods...though I am not sure about the timeline ..but I was wondering if romancing at an early age was thought taboo at that era.
As there was this notion that girls were more mature at that time because they read philosophy, math,history etc... And attended balls...where all the suitors for marriage used to gather.So there was this idea conveyed that younger sisters on the waiting lines are aware of/very much wanted to have suitors too at their call.But yeah women used to get married early or the tag of spinster would haunt them for long.Anyway talking off topic here...just that I would want to know more about the context/background details.Also dramas are always experimenting with the age gaps.On madame Antoinette...sung join is seen as a 36 years old professor when he's only 25[?] in real life.
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Kiara
March 7, 2016 at 5:17 PM
Doctor Heo was a middle class physician and she is said to be a cursed princess who became a witch. She would be the equivalent of a shaman, lower than a commoner. So neither one of them belong to the yangban class.
The royal family's children are often married a lot younger, as young as 10-14yrs old especially for a crown prince.
It was not uncommon for a 15 yr old girl to marry a 29 year old man but the drama is not about marriage but romance.
The timeline according to Heo's life would be around 1546-1615.
They are going with romance in an era where it was pretty rare for people to marry for love let alone have a romantic relationship before marriage. Marriages were arranged between parents for political reasons mostly for the upper class and financial reason mostly for the lower class.
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fay17
March 7, 2016 at 10:54 PM
Thanks kiara.The premise sounds interesting!
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yuja
March 7, 2016 at 11:17 PM
Well yes. But there aren't exactly extensive records about the marriage practices of commoners in the Joseon era. Or like, at all, really. I just went ahead used the data based on the yangban class to show that it probably wouldn't be accepted as a "normal" match for a fifteen year old to be married to a thirty year old dude (like first marriage wise---it's a different story when you get men remarrying and having concubines) and also to point out that 15 years old is actually a little below the mean age of marriage for girls in the Joseon era. That said, I admit that it might be a flawed conclusion when applied to the lower classes bc life expetency and such should be taken into account.
Anyway, even if everything I said is completely bonkers, it's a fantasy fusion romance sageuk. The whole premise requires suspension of disbelief. They don't need to have an age gap for the sake of fake "historical accuracy". The female character isn't even a real historical figure. They can cast an age-appropriate actress. No one will complain, lol.
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Kiara
March 8, 2016 at 7:09 AM
It's hard to find extensive records on Korean history online period. Most are very outdated especially on wiki. I can tell that they are using some of professor Ki-baik's translation from 1984. There is a few more English translation of the official history (Annals of Joseon-part of it) like professor Choi's translation of the Annal of King Taejo available but not online.
The elitist yangbans only made up only a few percentage of the population and they only marry among themselves. The majority of the population were the commoners.
I haven't seen any data on the marriage age and even if they have one it would be an estimate. From what I've read/learnt, it was common for parents to marry off their children (young daughters especially) for financial reason. A rich old man can have as many young concubines that he can afford.
This is not going to be an authentic sageuk anyway so we shouldn't bother with the actual history. There is very little to no records on Doctor Heo's early life anyway. What was shown in the last 2 sageuks about his life, Hur Jun (1999) and Gu Am Heo Joon (2013) was made up by the writers.
yuja
March 8, 2016 at 8:52 AM
I agree. They could make anything up and it wouldn't really be a problem.
If you want to see the data... Usually I have to get by with my rather feeble Korean reading skills to make sense of academic jargon (or ask my mom lol). But what I used is from here: http://econ.snu.ac.kr/eng/intro/download.php?filename=133342819740082.doc&realname=Nega_kts_semi_69.doc Again, I'm only talking about first marriages, when I say both parties were about the same age. Obviously yangban men were allowed concubines, who would be married at the same mean age for first marriage but the men would be older for subsequent marriages.
20 Gladys
March 7, 2016 at 5:58 AM
This is so weird. I'm just going to wait for someone to officially say they found a leading lady more suitable for our hero because I promise this is really weird :/
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21 bips99
March 7, 2016 at 6:07 AM
I dont have an issue with age gap in actors as such. My problem is that when one is an adult and the other is a minor. Romancing a minor ....... is this even legal ?
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22 Alessar
March 7, 2016 at 6:09 AM
Wow yes this is such an uncomfortable pairing. YSY must be flipping out. I can't imagine he would be on board with this, he just seems like he has his wits about him.
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23 yuja
March 7, 2016 at 6:21 AM
Comment was deleted
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24 nyemba
March 7, 2016 at 6:47 AM
their age gap aside, YSY and KSR don't have chemistry for me. i don't mind actors playing young or old, they're just acting anyway. even if the actress is 15, if she looks mature enough and fits the character, it should be okay. but KSR still looks like a child to me, she's just tall and baby faced. i was actually disappointed when they switched out KYJ in Secret Door, coz she and LJH have good chemistry. well, i don't think this will be the final line-up anyway so ...
and about the kissing .... i've seen so many good sageuks without kissing scenes so its more like fanservice. i'm sure the pds would know better.
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Kiara
March 7, 2016 at 7:15 AM
Kim Yoo-jung is the princess of sageuks. It's too bad Secret Door was a failure but she is always solid with so much talent.
Her first kiss scene was with the adorable Lee Min-Ho (1993) in Tale of the Fox's Child.
Most authentic sageuks don't bother with romance unless it's part of the history like Shin Don.
This fantasy = fan service.
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25 Nathan
March 7, 2016 at 7:00 AM
I don't have problem with her age but I have problem with the genre of this drama... I like it when she play dark character, she suit that kind of character so well. I always think that she kinda look awkward in romantic, sweet character... If she gonna play a really evil dark witch then I'm completely ok with it
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26 john
March 7, 2016 at 7:24 AM
Aigoo. What, there aren't any 20 something actresses that need work?
I think Kim Sae-ron, Kim Yoo-jung, and Kim So-hyun are all talented young actresses. The keyword is young. The agencies and production companies need to remember that, they're still children.
Cast an age appropriate actress.
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27 p3rk3le
March 7, 2016 at 7:52 AM
Secret Door was exactly my first thought when I read this. Why are they rushing those child actors to grow up?! There are plenty of talented 20something actresses to choose from! Like Yoon Sohee replaced Kim Yoojung, they can just go ahead and cast someone like Gong Seungyeon in the first place! (I can totally see the chemistry already with Seungyeon and Shiyoon).
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28 maris
March 7, 2016 at 9:16 AM
What were the casting people, KSR, her parents, agency, writer, director......in short all concerned thinking ?
Is there such a dearth of actresses to play the lead in this drama or roles for KSR to play?
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29 Waiting
March 7, 2016 at 9:22 AM
Not loving this because of the romance angle and the fact that she is a minor and there is a 14-yer gap...one year less than her age of 15!
They handled it with bubblegum in High School - love on so there was not actual contact but a bubblegum bubble. That was honestly strange enough.
If they limit the romance to more of an admiration on his part for her or if she is in a one-sided love (her to him), I may be okay.
To be fair, I was ore weirded out with Potato Star 2013QR3 as Yeo Jin-goo was 16 and the female lead, Ha Yeon-Soo, was 23. The age gap was smaller (1990 vs. 1997), but there was a kiss scene between those two that was intense and, well, I had to stop watching after that. Very uncomfortable because he was a minor. That is just my opinion and understand others may feel differently. I will just say this, I would have never allowed this kiss scene as it was filmed to have happened if he was my son. I don't care how much money was paid or even if the age of his character was an adult. The actor was a miner. Plenty of time for killer smooches when he hits 19. Again, this is just my opinion.
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Waiting
March 7, 2016 at 9:24 AM
Dang typo! Minor not miner! ...though they were digging for gold with that kiss... :(
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Gidget
March 7, 2016 at 9:44 AM
How about this: Keep the actress, replace YSY with YJG.
I want a better project for YSY. This one already has trouble written all over it.
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Waiting
March 7, 2016 at 12:02 PM
Gidget,
I like the KSR and YJG pairing, but he is too young to play this role, "...Joseon royal doctor Heo Jun, who wrote the Mirror of Eastern Medicine" and "royal doc". Historians correct me, but would he have achieved this even at 20?
Honestly, I wish all would pass on this and recast with some actors who are a bit older and would be plausible.
Again, MHO.
To borrow from John.. Aigoo...
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Gidget
March 7, 2016 at 1:12 PM
Oh, I thought it's the story of his formative years. How they informed the thought process that led to his achievemeets as an adult. How they caused him to break from old medical traditions based on superstition and turn to science.
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Katie
March 7, 2016 at 3:09 PM
I do understand you completely. Their pairing worked for me because she looked much younger and they had wonderful chemistry (I finished the show, the ending was abysmal and made me hate it). And well...I've seen lots of 23 y old guys dating and making out with 16 year old girls. I'm used to such an age gap -_-
However, the truth is, 16 year olds do kiss like that. And much more. Younger ones too. It was like that when I was 16, and that was 17 years ago, and it's even much more common today.
So personally I'm fine with minors kissing intensively, it's a normal and common fact of life, and you can see it in public places all the time. But I'm fine as long as it's with someone of appropriate age.
So I guess I'm in the minority, but basically I'm fine with her kissing intensively too. But dammit, she's a kiddo, not with a 30 y.old grown a*s man who could (theoretically speaking) have a kid not THAT far from her age.
I know it's not explicitly related (for now at least :P), but whenever I read something of the sort, it makes me remember how in hollywood a 37 year old woman is too old to play the lover of a 55 year old man (maggie gyllenhaal case).
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Waiting
March 7, 2016 at 5:29 PM
Katie,
We all have our perspectives and they can differ. It is nice that we are given the opportunity to voice them here.
Adults and minors are different for me, though I do know the age issue you refer to in Hollywood, etc.
Thanks for the discussion!
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30 junki lover
March 7, 2016 at 9:59 AM
please don't ruin my flower boy yoon shi yoon come back drama.I need to see romance it's gone be AWKWARD if there is kiss scene too come on there are plenty of young cute actress who are more than 19 why her why???please change her before things get awkward for us and ysy he just came back from army.
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31 blind
March 7, 2016 at 10:08 AM
I think Kim Sae Ron can do it though. i know she's young but there is something different about her in acting from her same-ages actresses like kim yoo jung and kim so hyun. watch most of her movies, and i found most of her characters are quiet daring and versatile beside her age is still young. she always play a depth, hardcore dramatic movies with notable veteran actors so no wonder playing an adult is not difficult for her. and in high school love on, she's the only good point on the drama since she always try to match up with her pair but unfortunately woohyun is not good enough actor so people found it bad.
but yoon shi yoon is notable actor though. he's known to have good chemistry with most of his paring (even with stiff shin hye). so i still have an expectation for this.
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Tha
March 7, 2016 at 7:00 PM
Hmm. I see what you're saying. Both awesome actors. And I loved their projects. Could they pull it off? I'd be interested in how they pair up...
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32 earthna
March 7, 2016 at 10:16 AM
Hmm.. It will be really awkward to watch this is if it goes through. Also, I just realized that the lower half of her face looks like Siwon's. Sorry.
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Abbie
March 7, 2016 at 2:26 PM
I actually thought she looked like Krystal from Heirs and f(x). But now I see Siwon's jaw. LOL.
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33 skittles
March 7, 2016 at 10:23 AM
O.O
OO.OO
D :
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34 le
March 7, 2016 at 10:50 AM
please no, she isn't that good of an actress to me and she is so young. in high school love on she looked like a elementary/middle school kid.
btw, this site has ads on the left side that block half of the article. how do i close it?
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Gidget
March 7, 2016 at 1:14 PM
They're the gift that keeps on giving no matter what you do.
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35 Dijian
March 7, 2016 at 11:20 AM
I gotta bounce
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36 Lyna
March 7, 2016 at 12:15 PM
Are they out of older actress to cast? I mean when they cast Kim Yoo Jung and (young) Lee Min Ho for Gumiho's Revenge, it was plausible to believe in the two but no matter how YSY has a baby face to him, it's not going to be plausible to believe. I mean, her previous drama - they had tried but it was cringe-worthy to me to actually try to believe the romance.
Please PD, don't ruin YSY comeback drama!
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37 Lord Cobol
March 7, 2016 at 12:48 PM
Very mixed feelings here. In no particular order...
KSR is great and I'll watch her in almost anything, no matter how creepy.
How big was the age difference in A Girl at My Door? New show can't be much creepier than that.
She looks older than 15 in the picture at the top of this post.
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alua
March 7, 2016 at 1:27 PM
No one was romancing a child in A Girl at My Door.
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38 ricky
March 7, 2016 at 12:51 PM
I can see them dropping the romance story line or they might go the Park Shin-hye x Lee Wan route a la Tree of Heaven; no kiss scene, just confessions and hugs.
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39 Abbie
March 7, 2016 at 2:21 PM
If she were cast in a similar role in any other drama, opposite an actor HER OWN AGE, I'd be all for it. Given that that is not the case, I sincerely hope she takes on the villain role instead of the heroine, or at least have their relationship be a platonic, brother-sister kind of relationship with NO romance. Seriously, this is just weird. I love her and think she's a great young actress, and Yoon Shi-yoon is great in whatever he does (loved him best in Flower Boy Next Door). But the people behind this drama need to take a step back and re-think things if they want her in this show.
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Kiara
March 7, 2016 at 5:43 PM
This princess witch sounds more like a villain than a heroine lol.
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40 Jam
March 7, 2016 at 2:33 PM
im already cringing at this pairing... not that i have anything against the 2 as individuals, but as a love line? not up for it :(
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41 amyred
March 7, 2016 at 3:02 PM
To cast someone so young for YSY's first comeback drama after military duty is just plain weird. I have nothing against KSR but she is just 15! Can we do a petition or something? Yoona dropped out of Nodame because of public's opinion no?
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42 toodles
March 7, 2016 at 3:15 PM
How ridiculous!! The man has been a marine for 2 years!!
Give him a romantic lead that is age appropriate!!
Cuz lets face it, the audience for a rom/com wants a little romance first and comedy or drama second.
Don't want to take anything away from her as an actress but please let her grow and mature a bit more unless you want a "Lolita" type story.
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43 themugen123
March 7, 2016 at 3:21 PM
i'm ok with it.
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44 Spring Sparrow
March 7, 2016 at 4:28 PM
This would make me pretty uncomfortable, honestly. :/ It really doesn't make sense, she doesn't look much older then her age and I feel someone closer to YSY's age and with more of a track record should be cast for his first comeback project.. she's so young x.x
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45 Sera The Ms Temper
March 7, 2016 at 5:32 PM
I like her but please no. :( She is still teen, I can accept if it high school drama but not for adult role. I hope her agency realize this.
What happened with dramaland? We have plenty of actresses in 20s who are talented yet underrated. Why cannot give it to Kim Seul Gi, Kim So Eun, Lee Yoo Bi and many others? To add nowadays i discovered Song Ha-yoon (On Wol in Geum Sa Wol) as one of underrated actress.
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46 hanie
March 7, 2016 at 5:35 PM
I cant even watch her drama with Woohyun & Sunyeol because I know their real age, so it was icky.
So, no to this drama too I guess.
I wish KSR just stick to movies tho.
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47 row.an
March 7, 2016 at 7:08 PM
I wonder - since it's a fantasy-romance, and they mentioned a curse - if she remains 15 forever? Like the curse doesn't just turns her into a shaman, but ensures she remains forever young. And one of the things Heo Jun is supposed to do is to figure out how to break the curse and somehow she'll morph into an older person at the end...
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Abbie
March 7, 2016 at 8:19 PM
That's an interesting theory. That would be a great twist.
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48 Vanessa
March 7, 2016 at 8:17 PM
Please thats nothing compared to yoo ah in and that ahjumma ->Kim Hee-ae .
18 years apart !! Plus kim hee ae is married.
#SecretLoveAffair , These two had to kiss and all and kim sae ron and yoon shi yoon are Probably not gonna do the same thing that ah-in and ahjumma did in Secret Love Affair.
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49 Hoang
March 7, 2016 at 8:53 PM
I dont see any problem with this pair. If they make the drama correctly to the historical facts, Heo Jun may have a crush for the girl but doesn't get married to her because he is no son-in-law to the royal family. So the romance will be short and not the focus of the drama. Instead the drama will focus on Heo Jun as a doctor. Moreover, women in the past have to get married at a very young age, some even at 13. if they make the drama the way I said, this is no rom com but a true saeguk
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50 t13ndoank
March 7, 2016 at 9:10 PM
Are they still "condering" or have they given "yes" to this project?
Coz for the viewers and the actors' sanity I wish they would say no.
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