K-drama Dream Casting: Who Would You Choose?



A while back, Kathryn, one of our readers, sent me an email asking who our "dream cast" would be. Her ideal was a romcom staring Ha Ji Won, Gong Yoo, SSH (Song Seung Hun?), and Hee Ji Jin with a Yoon Eun Hye cameo where she plays a professional woman for a change of pace.

I have to admit that Kathryn's  selection sounds pretty enticing, and I'm not sure if I can top it. I almost emailed her back right away saying it was too hard and I could never decide with all of my favorites, but now, after spending way, way too much time imagining different pairings, I have come up with the...wait for it...


ULTIMATE K-DRAMA DREAM CAST OF ALL TIME 
(according to the completely biased Vivi)


Are you ready for this?

Here we go...

Since this is my hypothetical dream cast and I can do whatever I want, I'm going to have two main pairings because I can't choose. Think of it as interconnected stories with separate romances instead of a love square with two losers who get dumped and then pick each other as a consolation prize. No consolation prizes here! In fact, there are NO SECOND LEADS ALLOWED in my dream cast scenario. You Are All Surrounded is an example of what we're going for here. Some bromance and friendship between Cha Seung Won and Lee Seung Gi, but ultimately they're involved in their own individual romantic stories.

My two leading men would be Song Joong Ki and Ji Chang Wook. Why those two? Song Joong Ki has been a favorite of mine for a while, and Ji Chang Wook...well, let's just say I've caught a little case of Healer fever these days....



Really, I chose these two because even though they're relatively young, they both have an incredible ability to express volumes with a tiny facial expression or gesture. If you want to see what I mean, watch Nice Guy again. Half of the time, Song Joong Ki is saying one thing, but he'll do the tiniest little things with his face to express how he really feels. I don't necessarily want my dream K-drama to be a super soapy melodrama or anything (NO PEOPLE FALLING IN LOVE WITH SIBLINGS ALLOWED), but I would want to give them roles that allow both actors to stretch a full range of emotions, even if it's under the broader romcom genre umbrella. Oh, and this K-drama might become a musical where Ji Chang Wook belts some songs. I'm just tossing that in there for good measure while we're dreaming big.

So who are the lucky leading ladies? I went back and forth on this a lot, but I thiiiiiink I finally settled on Han Groo with Song Joong Ki and Song Ji Hyo with Ji Chang Wook.


Both of those actresses have an on-screen presence that pushes past the typical wide-eyed Candy girl, and I would love to see more of them. Plus, I secretly want to be best friends with both of them, so casting them in my K-drama is the first step in that secret plan (mwahahahahahahaa).


Now, because I can't just quit at 4 characters and my imaginary K-drama pocketbook is limitless and my script is so amazing that no one would ever say no, I would use Park Seo Joon as Song Joong Ki's wild younger brother (don't they seem perfect as brothers?), and Yoo Ah In and Jung Ryeo Won would be antagonists.



Notice I didn't say "villains" because they would be funny at times, terribly tragic at others, and always magnificently nuanced. You would probably walk away from the show crying buckets of tears over them and still not being sure if they're good or bad.


Add in at least one adorable little child actor who you wish you could kidnap and keep forever in real life.

 Oh, and Lee Min Ho as a murderer. A terrible, irredeemable serial killer who haunts your dreams at night. Just because it's my drama and I can. And I would like to see the fangirls squirm a little.

Via

But he also doesn't have a very big part because we're too busy focused on the other, more interesting and awesome, characters.

So that's my dream cast. I would absolutely and completely watch the crap out of that show. What's yours?

Comments

  1. Great idea. My dream casts would be the ones found in my Dream Drama stories on the Fangirl Verdict. Particularly the "Billionaire Bistro Baby" and "Aurora." :)


    http://thefangirlverdict.com/index/dream-dramas/


    But generally, I'd love to see my favorite actresses Park Si Yeon with Gong Yoo, he is a big-time cold Prosecutor and she is a troubled escort girl that he uses to get info for a huge case, but along the way he starts to regret it and falls in love with her, but then things turn crazy because the baddie finds out that he's being ratted on and has it in for both her and the lawyer.


    Or, I would pair Park Si Yeon with Jang Hyuk, possibly in a sageuk. And I want Chae Rim to come back to Kdrama so I could cast her with Jang Dong Gun again or with actor Yoon Sang Hyun. I would really like to see So Ji Sub and Shin Min Ah. And They should totally pair Lee Da Hae with Lee Dong Gun or Joo Sang Wook in something really funny.

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  2. Gong Yoo + Park Si Yeon would be magic. Also, Park Si Yeon might possibly have been born to play a troubled escort. I mean that in a good way.

    I would absolutely watch Billionaire Bistro Baby in a heartbeat! I remember reading some of the scenarios when you guys first posted and loving them all. Of course, I was way too lazy to actually imagine a full story of my own. It's hard enough whittling down my favorite actors! So I'm sending a slow clap of mad respect your way.

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  3. That lawyer dream drama with PSY and GY in particular has floated around my head for a long time. But I have another fusion idea for PSY and TW actor Peter Ho further down the pike. But I won't forget about it. And I know exactly what you mean about her, she's often cast in those roles, but she has gotten her wish and broke away with some comedies like Coffee House and…well, Greatest Marriage was a train wreck I couldn't stop watching. But she really was good in that. She consistently improves with each drama.


    Oh I was just totally dream casting with BBBaby, from all the ones I wrote I would seriously watch the heck out of that one the most I think.


    Thank you! It is kind of hard to choose! Sometimes very. But that's half the fun. :D

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  4. A not-so-secret hankering of mine is to see Ji Chang Wook and Jaejoong in a drama playing twin brothers. I guess you can tell who I think the evil twin should be, although maybe they could switch halfway through... :-)

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  5. I love your comment on Lee Min Ho.. " Oh, and Lee Min Ho as a murderer. A terrible, irredeemable serial killer who haunts your dreams at night. Just because it's my drama and I can. And I would like to see the fangirls squirm a little." Although I totally loved my first Korean drama ever (Boys over Flowers).... my affections don't go beyond Curly Head (which I named Goo JoonPyo after the fifth episode) .. I'm sorry guys but that's the only drama (besides Personal Taste, which I actually watched for Son YeJin) I've seen him in and appreciated him for.

    This aside, I'd like to say I'm super excited for JoongKi's return to the screen after he returns from the military in.. May? I think he and Han Groo would make a spectacular couple.. !! Wish that would actually happen.

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  6. PolynesiankdramafanfromUSAFebruary 21, 2015 at 2:46 PM

    Part of my comment may be a little off topic but I just wanted to say that this is a testament that I personally have to see talent first in order for me to truly be lured and fangirl about someone and yes I'm speaking specifically about Ji Chan Wook. When I saw this post back in January and your choice of 2 leading men, I recognized Song Joon Ki from Nice guy and I thought yep, I loved him on that show he would totally be awesome. On the other hand, my initial reaction when I saw Ji Chan Wook's name next to it was....wait! that's right, I had no reaction because I totally skipped and skimmed through this whole post or perhaps I could have thought initially, meh, whoever he is. (I explained where I actually stumbled on Healer on your Healer review) a week and a half later after I watched it, I'm still having the Healer fever symptoms, so I just want to let you know that as soon as I'm rich, I will immediately invest in this cast and you will also have to be the writer so yeah you're gonna have your hands full. LOL Even though I've never seen anything with Song Ji Hyo in it, you have my utmost trust in casting her because I know you have great taste; I loved Han Groo in Marriage not dating so yes we have a lot of commonalities when it comes to fav shows and fav actors/actresses. All in all, I am completely and utterly sold on this dream cast especially because of my newly discovered favorite korean actor Ji Chan Wook. And your ideas are absolutely great and sounds so exhilarating that I'm hoping the Korean producers/writers/drama makers sees this blog or they'll just have to wait until I'm rich LOL Hey, it CAN happen right?? hahaha (sigh) Dreams are free!!!

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  7. Love it. All of it. Especially Lee Min Ho as the murderer. I love him, but I would love to see him as a bad guy for the very reason you said. I'll have to think on my dream cast...

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  8. When is Lee kwang Soo going to get a lead role lol Am i the only one? haha.

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  9. LMAO this post made me laugh so hard at the end with the lee min ho casting. I mean I am a big Lee min ho fan girl but this was just too funny. I would LOVE to see this drama. I love the two main leads so much <3

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  10. Yes! Ji Chang Wook and Kim Jae Joong as long lost brothers. it'll have to wait until they both finish military service.

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  11. Shim Eun Kyung (Tomorrows Cantibile and Miss Granny), and Lee Jong Suk! Dream team, right there!!!!

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  12. I'm with you on this!!! Love him!

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