After the hit tvN drama 'Lovely Runner' ended, director Yoon Jong Ho joined a roundtable interview to talk about his experiences working on the show and with its cast members.
Director Yoon spoke about collaborating with lead actors Byun Woo Seok and Kim Hye Yoon. He said, "The story required the actors to change their tones based on their ages. It was a detailed process. The high school versions of Sun Jae and Sol spoke in higher tones than their older selves. Both Byun Woo Seok and Kim Hye Yoon worked hard to adapt. The entire cast and crew paid close attention to even the smallest details."
He then commented, "Kim Hye Yoon is known for her excellent acting skills. But for the role of Im Sol, she needed to display quick emotional changes. The character also required strong visuals to make the love story believable. I often told her she needed to improve her visuals. To an actress who excels in acting, I asked her to focus on her appearance."
Yoon continued, "Kim Hye Yoon listened and started working on her looks, like getting 'camera massages.' At the start, she felt like a daughter, but by the end, she had a more mature aura. I was proud of her efforts."
Netizens reacted strongly to the director's comments:
"Kim Hye Yoon was the reason this drama did well. Is he being serious right now?"
"Are we in the right century..?"
"No matter how talented they are, female actresses are only judged based on their looks. But if you're a male actor, all you have to be is handsome, and all is forgiven."
"The drama's success gave the director such a big head that he can't make the right decisions about what should be said and what should not be said in public."
"This drama would have tanked if it weren't for Kim Hye Yoon's acting, but he says that good acting isn't enough? Why doesn't he talk about how Byun Woo Seok could have improved his acting in some scenes?"
"OMG why is this director sh*ting on the drama now when it ended so well?"
"The way he said it seriously pisses me off."
"It makes me mad to think that talented and hardworking actresses like her have to deal with this nonsense."
"I've never seen a director who talked sh*t about the female lead of a project that brought him so much success."
"Kim Hye Yoon is literally the definition of 'lovely'."
"Instead of scolding Kim Hye Yoon for her looks, he should have scolded the other male cast members for not being able to keep up with her acting."
Meanwhile, 'Lovely Runner' aired its final episode last week on May 28 KST, recording an average viewership rating of 5.8%.
Source[1]
