AO EXCLUSIVE: The cast of “Wonderful World” talk about their roles and their chemistry on set!

A new revenge drama is coming on our small screens!

Wonderful World tells the story of a mother who gets revenge after failing to get justice for his son’s death.

Ahead of the premiere of the series, an exclusive press conference was held on February 29 with the presence of the main cast, Cha Eun Woo, Kim Nam Joo, Kim Kang Woo, and Im Semi alongside Director Lee Seung Young.

Director Lee Seung Young

According to Director Lee Seung Young, Wonderful World is about all of us who live in this world where we consistently lose something but we want to make the world into a wonderful place. The reason why he named it like that was because he had this thought that when the backdrop of the story is darker, the more beautiful the people we see within that backdrop become. In that way, when you watch the entire drama, rather than the tragedy of it all, you will get the sense that it is a beautiful story.

The Casting

Director Lee stated that Kim Nam Joo is so perfect for the role, and he knows that her performance will be wonderful. He expresses how happy he is that she is now back on the small screen after 6 years. He also shared a backstory behind the casting of Cha Eun Woo. He said that before the casting of Eun Woo, the art director gave him some sketches of Seon Yul and realized that it just looked like Eun Woo. “I think it was destiny that I found him.”

With regards to casting Kim Kang Woo as Kang Soo Ho, Director Lee said that he thought that it was important for the husband of Soo Hyun to have chemistry with Nam Joo, so he cast Kim Kang Woo because he thinks that he would do well with Nam Joo and he is a perfect actor who can pull that character off.

On the other hand, the reason why he chose Semi for the role was because he thought that Semi could give some positive energy to the show.

The main cast and their roles

Kim Nam Joo as Eun Soo Hyun

Kim Nam Joo plays the character of Eun Soo Hyun, a psychology professor and an established writer with a picture-perfect family. Her life crumbles when she unjustly loses her son, she fails to get the justice she wants for her son and decides to pursue it on her own.

When asked about how Nam Joo felt coming back on the small screen after 6 years, she responded that she was quite nervous but the whole process was very enjoyable. She said she loved the cast, the staff, and the director and she thought that it was a great collaboration. Also, her motherly love persuaded her to choose this show.

She said that when she read the script, she felt that it spoke to her, she was drawn to the character, and she felt that she could do this well since she is a mother herself and could represent how all the mothers in the world feel.

Cha Eun Woo as Kwon Seon Yul

Cha Eun Woo portrays the role of a mysterious person, Kwon Seon Yul who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and hits rock bottom when he loses his family and chooses to live a rough life. Having similar trauma as Soo Hyun, they will unexpectedly become entangled with each other.

Eun Woo said that his character has a lot of inner scars and as time goes by, the viewers will get to find out some secrets about him and what those mysteries are all about. The viewers will also be able to see what he would have felt when he goes through all that so, “I think it’s going to be fun for you to look out for the different emotions that he goes through,” he said.

Having recently starred in MBC’s A Good Day to Be a Dog which is a total opposite of his character in Wonderful World, he expressed how pressured he is in taking this role. He said he would think of it as his big transformation per se. He said that when he read the script, he thought that Seon Yul had an inner scar and he loved the way he tried to overcome his inner scars, so he just immersed himself into the role of Seon Yul and tried his best to pull this character off.

Kim Kang Woo as Kang Soo Ho

The role Kang Soo Ho portrays by actor Kim Kang Woo. He is the husband of Soo Hyun who is a reporter turned anchorman. His life completely turns upside down after the tragic death of his son. He is someone who struggles and knows no end in protecting his wife and finding the truth.

He shared that the fact that he gets to work with Nam Joo as her husband in the drama, he didn’t want to become a nuisance or burden to her since she has more experience than him. But to his pleasant surprise, Nam Joo made him feel ease every time they are acting together and according to Nam Joo, Kang Woo is a true adult that she relied on his support.

Im Semi as Han Yoo Ri

Im Semi plays the character Han Yoo Ri who is almost like a sister to Soo Hyun and who owns a luxurious boutique shop.

Semi mentioned that their show is about the humanistic sides of people so if you look at Yoo Ri as a person, she might look positive and bubbly but that is just one facet of her. If you look closely into her, you can see that she has gone through a lot of different things. “Everybody goes through so many things in their life so just look at her as that multilayer, three-dimensional person,” she shared.

Cha Eun Woo and Kim Nam Joo’s chemistry on set

The Cha Eun Woo and Kim Nam Joo shared what their chemistry was like on set.

Eun Woo was the first one to share his experience while working with Nam Joo. She shared that when they had a script reading together and had their meal, he said that Nam Joo was such a nice person and the type of person who would talk to him about things. He enjoyed working with her and whenever he was unsure of something and asked her advice, Nam Joo would give him nice advice.

Nam Joo said that the chemistry with Eun Woo was unexpected and expressed how honored she was to work with him. She shared that he is very flexible as an actor and has a very open mind. He has such a great personality. “In the beginning, it was overwhelming because he looks like a prince who has come to Earth from a different planet but as the days went by, he was like a little brother,” she shared.

Message to viewers

The press conference wrapped up with the cast and director’s heartfelt messages.

Im Semi was the first one who gave her message to everyone. She said that the drama is so tragic but somehow very beautiful. She wants to resonate with everyone and hopes that people will feel therapeutic after watching the show.

Kang Woo said that when he read the script, he cried, so he thought that that emotion would the viewers feel so he hoped everyone would stay tuned.

“It’s getting warmer, I think spring is just around the corner and if you watch Wonderful World in springtime it’s going to be perfect,” Cha Eun Woo’s message.

Kim Nam Joo hopes that the viewers can relate to the characters in the show and enjoy it because they really poured their hearts and soul into this project and spent 8 months in production.

“We have a beautiful script; we have a beautiful cast and together we created a beautiful story,” Director Lee said that he saw the final cut himself and he is very satisfied with the output, and he hopes that the viewers will also enjoy the show.

Wonderful World is now streaming on Disney+!

Watch the teaser trailer here:

All photos are courtesy of MBC