Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Ji Won on their married life in ‘Queen of Tears’

South Korean romance dramas are known to be deliciously addictive for many reasons. For one, audiences love to watch how the male and female protagonists develop romantic feelings for each other and *finally* get together after a squeal-inducing will-they-won’t-they chase. But if you take that out and replace it with an established couple in medias res, will it be just as entertaining? 

Written by Park Ji Eun (Crash Landing on You), Queen of Tears set out to show that watching a seasoned couple—well into their third year of marriage, no less—will not only be just as enjoyable to watch, but also represent a different relationship dynamic not often explored in K-dramas. Traversing relationship slumps and thoughts of divorce, Queen of Tears explores what comes after “happily ever after” and that sometimes, happiness isn’t always something that is guaranteed but to be earned. 

Ahead, we speak to the main cast of Queen of Tears, consisting of Kim Soo Hyun, Kim Ji Won, Park Sung Hoon, Kwak Dong Yeon and Lee Joo Bin, on the realities of married life and what makes the show the rom-com of the year.

 

What aspect of Queen of Tears attracted you the most to be a part of it?

KSH: I would say among the charms that Hyun Woo ha— the seriousness, the way he’s so detailed, smart, the fact he can also be loser-like and trivial— I really loved the clash of these two different sides to this character and I think that’s what really spoke to me and why I was drawn to the Queen of Tears. 

Another reason would be the very drastic juxtaposition between the two different families coming together. I really wanted to take on the challenge of living with in-laws. I think viewers will find that very entertaining once they see what we have in store for them.

KJW: Of course, I really looked forward to the chance to work with the excellent staff and cast. At the same time, I was so intrigued by the story surrounding the characters while reading the script. It first started with curiosity and led to anticipation about how this piece would end. It was inevitable for me to take part in this piece because of this curiosity. I think viewers will also feel the curiosity, questions, touching moments and love that I felt.

PSH: While reading the script, I really couldn’t take my eyes off it because it went in unexpected directions. Furthermore, the two directors have the best reputation in this field. They are well-known for their remarkable directing capabilities and have stellar personalities. I joined the cast late after the other cast members had already been confirmed. Everything from the script to the director and cast was so superb that there was no reason for me not to take the part. I felt that I must take part in this. 

KDY: I also thought the script was captivating. In addition to the five of us here, our family members and surrounding characters are all very attractive. There is a diverse set of characters with various charms gathered and mixed together, and these characters also collide to cause stories to unfold.

LJB: I also felt my heart pound after reading the script for the first time. I was not only attracted to my own character, but I was also fascinated with all the other characters and their circumstances. From the perspective of a viewer, I was a fan of the cast here and the directors, and thus, it was an honour for me to be given a chance to work with them.

 

Please describe the charms of your characters!

KSH: Baek Hyun Woo, the character that I play, is the son of a supermarket in a rural village called Yongdu-ri. He studies hard and puts a lot of effort into becoming a lawyer, and he is hired by a company. He meets Hong Hae In, they passionately fall in love and end up getting married. Three years pass, and he unexpectedly suffers from living with his in-laws. As a result, he decides to get a divorce but is unable to. I would like to ask you to look forward to the processes Hyun Woo goes through to return to being a romantic again.

KJW: I am the third generation of Queens Group. While living a self-centred life, I meet a beautiful and marvellous man called Baek Hyun Woo and fall in love. Unfortunately, we drift apart due to several incidents in between. I tried to portray an exceptional career woman with more intense charisma and cold-heartedness. 

The best way to describe her is a wolf-like woman because she likes working on her own and ultimately only knows one mate. In portraying her, I added a spoonful of loveliness so that she becomes a person who you cannot hate.

PSH: My character, Yoon Eun Sung, is an M&A expert from Wall Street. He is a very competent person who is sought after by many headhunters, and he naturally ends up spending more time with the couple. During the process, he slips in between the couple to stir up a rather subtle tension.

KDY: The character I play, Hong Soo Cheol, is a person who is suppressed and feels intimidated because he grew up under a very competent and mighty older sister. His ideal woman is one who is the exact opposite of his older sister, Hae In. Luckily, he meets her and his wife gives birth to a son who is the exact resemblance of his wife. His goal in life is to live happily with his family and he is the CEO of Queens Mart.

LJB: Cheon Da Hye grew up in a family of scholars. She is polite, quiet and calm. She is a devoted wife and just the person that her husband wanted. She is beloved by her son, her husband and the elderly members of the Queens family. She is also very attached to her family.

 

As the two main couples of the show, what is the chemistry like for each of you?

KJW: We are a couple filled with anger, but blow off steam and express frustration in a healthy manner. It seems as if communication has been severed, but in truth, they are communicating in a subtle way. 

KSH: There is affection from hatred and love; a layer of bitter-sweetness and saltiness. On top of this, there are twist after twist. 

LJB: In contrast, our couple is married but still cherishes the excitement and innocence of love that is felt while dating. They have a child, but their heart still flutters every time they face one another. I think that would be the charm of this couple.

KDY: Yes, there is no anger between us. Even when we do get angry, the anger goes away when we look at one another. That is how much we love each other, and we are passionately and persistently in love. We don’t even eat alone!

 

How was the set like filming Queen of Tears and were there any memorable moments?

KSH: A memorable moment for me was when we were shooting in Germany. Because it was overseas and one of the first times I was filming for a long period out of the country, I was unfamiliar with my surroundings and had difficulty concentrating on set. But with Ji Won, when she is in character, she really exudes this aura that helps me focus. Her being there as a very strong presence really helped me get grounded and into character again. 

KJW: In the case of Soo Hyun, we can’t leave out his amazing performance as an actor. He’s just a great partner all around. As you can tell just by looking at him, he has this bubbly and positive energy about him, which really helps when I’m nervous or tense. In the beginning, I was rather nervous, so we did get closer to each other slowly and took our time with it. As that developed in our actual relationship, the chemistry on-screen organically came about. Once the chemistry was there, everything else was just smooth sailing.

 

How did you feel when you found out you were paired up as a couple?

KSH: I was very excited to work alongside Ji Won. Knowing that you will be working with someone you’ve only known on screen was very exciting. But at the same time, it induced a lot of nervousness. There were times I stuttered in front of her! 

We’re both also quite introverted and reserved, so it took time for us to get close to each other. But because of the time we took in becoming friends, we were able to not be too overtly expressive with our feelings but just know how each other felt and thought through a mutual understanding.

KJW: When I first knew that I would be working with him, I was excited and had butterflies in my stomach. That’s because I’ve seen all of his works, and I am a huge fan of his. In fact, you can find an interview of me when I first started out my career where I mentioned that I loved My Love From The Star. 

While working with him, he’s so humorous and really lightens the mood with his bubbly personality so people can feel at ease. Earlier, he complimented me on how I’m able to concentrate on set, but really, it’s all because of him. He comes to set so incredibly prepared that I felt I needed to up my game and study my script even more. I think that sort of chemistry between us led to some really great scenes together.

 

In your opinion, what makes Queen of Tears unique compared to other South Korean rom-coms?

PSH: Our story begins with a three-year married couple, which I think is refreshing and different. Furthermore, it focuses on chaebol families that are very prevalent in South Korea.

Looking into the lives of these big conglomerate families as well as how two sides come together and become intertwined with each other’s lives makes for an entertaining storyline. Ultimately, our drama is about love and family so these universal topics will resonate with global audiences.

 

Did you have to do anything special to prepare for your character?

PDY: For this character, he’s married with a kid, so I had to really think about how he would act towards his wife and the love he has for his family. Even down to the way I was holding the child, I wanted to get it right, so I got a lot of help from the crew who were actual fathers. So, I was focusing a lot on these little details.

 

Without any spoilers, are there any specific scenes that audiences should look forward to?

LJB: If I were to choose a scene, I am really looking forward to watching the scenes shot in Germany. There is a fountain scene with our lead couple that I think is amazing, and I want viewers to watch out for that one!

Stream Queen of Tears on Netflix now.

 

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