Yoon-ah cast as Kwon Sang-woo’s jailbait love interest
by javabeans
This is such a bizarre pairing to me — Yoon-ah, actress and singer of pop group Girls Generation (SNSD), is being paired as love interest to Kwon Sang-woo (Bad Love). It’s weird, right?
There’s nothing wrong with either; it’s that they’re from entirely different spheres. The 33-year-old Kwon has been around forever and he’s entering that second phase of his career where he’s no longer the fresh young lead. Yoon-ah, on the other hand, is 14 years younger (at 19, she’s still jailbait) and is more affiliated with the youth and kpop markets.
The role comes in the upcoming drama Cinderella Man, which will follow Return of Iljimae on MBC. The fashion-themed series casts Yoon-ah as a fashion student studying in Paris, who returns to Korea upon her father’s death. She operates a stall in the Dongdaemun market (which is where Kwon’s character also works). The role had initially been offered to Terroir‘s Han Hye-jin, but she dropped out of the project.
If you’re confused because Han Eun-jung was already cast as Kwon’s leading lady, that’s because he’s playing a dual role. Sounds like his main role is the poor Dongdaemun store owner, while the man who happens to look exactly like him is a chaebol/businessman of a major fashion corporation. The poor dude ends up posing as the rich dude in a take on “The Prince and the Pauper.” Hijinks ensue.
Yoon-ah gained some acting cred with her role in the family drama You’re My Destiny, which started strong and then came under fire as one of the worst dramas in recent memory, although opinions remained favorable for her performance. (The writing was what turned that drama insane.) Cinderella Man premieres in April and airs on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Via OSEN
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Tags: Kwon Sang-woo, Yoon-ah
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1 petals
February 11, 2009 at 12:23 AM
Seriously, YAMD's storyline sucked major towards the middle. It had so much potential. I was surprised it got really high ratings (highest was 40%~). Good luck to Yoona~ I really liked her acting in YAMD. She has a lot of potential.
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2 michi
February 11, 2009 at 12:23 AM
oh duh!!! why her??
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3 charitee
February 11, 2009 at 12:47 AM
i also really liked yoonah in YAMD. for a while, i couldn't pick a favorite in snsd since none of them really stood out to me, but after YAMD, yoonah really caught my attention. her acting, i thought, was pretty good for a newbie. and yeah, the problem with YAMD was more the writing than the acting [although the dude playing hose was kind of ehhh a lot of the time]. i think the problem with YAMD [which i'm trying to finish right now] was that the plot just gets kind of ridiculous at times and the supporting characters become a bit annoying. and it seriously seemed like all that could go wrong in saebyuk's life went wrong, making the plot seem very unrealistic [not that it was that realistic to begin with]. i want to blame it on the fact that it was a daily drama and they had to somehow drag the plot out for 150+ episodes, but then there ARE daily dramas that are able to keep a decent plot for that many episodes. btw javabeans, did you watch the entire series or just parts of it or none of it or...?
anyways, it is an odd and very out there pairing (ksw and yoonah), but it'll be interesting to see how yoonah acts opposite kwon sang woo and han eun jung. plus, i'm excited to see yoonah in another drama.
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4 nhoki
February 11, 2009 at 1:12 AM
no way.... Kwon sang woo is too handsome for her... arg and of course too old...
why them together ? why ?????
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5 Ishida
February 11, 2009 at 1:49 AM
Great news for Yoona's fans like me! Cheesy drama is generally not my cup of tea but with Yoona I don't care ^^
Like charitee, I have no interest with SNSD but I love Yoona as an actress, in YAMD she did very well (and she get 2 awards!) and I also agree that the writing in YAMD was completely insane and confusing.
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6 belleza
February 11, 2009 at 2:50 AM
The best storyline in YAMD really revolved around the Ban family. And, if this were a MBC daily drama, that would have probably been the focus of the show.
Let's look at this way. Yoona, who just graduated from high school and has claims to have never seriously dated, gets married on You Are My Destiny; a good portion of the show is about her dealing with married life. Her male lead is about 10 years older than her; the male character is supposed to be around 30 . Their chemistry gets better as the show goes, but even after they get married, you actually don't see them kiss. Why? Because, you know, if they actually got romantic, the suspension of disbelief would be, well, expelled, and you'd realize that "Holy crap!! Their relationship is one year away from STATUTORY RAPE!!" Goodness gracious, great balls of fire!! Even the "moody teenager" on the show was older than Yoona. Remember My Little Bride? Yoona is only one year older apart from when Moon Geun Young played a spunky high school girl in My Little Bride, yet her male lead is actually OLDER than Kim Rae Won. Yoona, the Jailbait Icon of The Girls' Generation. AllKpop salutes you!!
That all said, you can also tell that Yoona was born to be an actress. She's very good with lines and she can cry up a storm.
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7 Annie
February 11, 2009 at 3:08 AM
Wow. From Han Hye Jin to Yoon ah. That sounds more like going downhill than up. The plot sounds absurb and so does the casting. Maybe I won't be checking this out afterall.
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8 michi
February 11, 2009 at 3:37 AM
Uh...in fairness to Yoonah, I like her in 9 ends 2 outs :)
But for this project....well...like JiHwan, I won't be watching out for this...
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9 fadfsa
February 11, 2009 at 4:01 AM
I'm still so upset about this.
Yoona and ksw?!.. shes..so young.
ughh I was hoping that this was false news but I knew that if it appeared on your blog it was bound to be true. Netizens will probably go crazy if he kisses her though. First kiss from a married man?? at least sohee got to kiss kimbum jeez
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10 Ivy
February 11, 2009 at 4:15 AM
It is a character and character not KSW and Yoon Ah!
Lets see what they are acting then judging...
Seeing your words, look like a young actress could not be paired with an more aged star??? ridiculous!
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11 chajjye
February 11, 2009 at 5:42 AM
as long she lets her hair down (literally), i think she will look nice. i hated her hairstyle in YAMD...why in the world must she always bun up her hair and look like an ajumma?
YAMD just went from good to bad to ridiculous to totally madness. the predecessor likeable or not was much better. but she is a good actress, never mind the whole thing annoys me.
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12 chasen8888
February 11, 2009 at 6:45 AM
Aren't there any older actresses out there, I'm getting fustrated with this. I'm sure there are quality actresses in their mid 20's to 30's who can play the role just as well especially the romantic interest. Is there a young young girl/teen fixation out there? Yoon Ah is not a bad actress but I think she should act in roles more suited to her age group 19 to 22, in order not to rush her life. As for YAMD, I was enjoying up to ep 118 when it just started to get a bit ridculous for my taste. Don't regret not watching the rest, from reading the summaries and comments from the fans it got very painful to watch.
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13 fiz
February 11, 2009 at 6:58 AM
Weird because I think she's a very good young actress.... she seems to be magnet to jailbait though, like Lee Yeon Hee was... difference this kid can actually erm you know, act.
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14 p3rk3le
February 11, 2009 at 7:23 AM
*depressed* I'm not a Yoona fan.............
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15 sonam
February 11, 2009 at 7:35 AM
This girl is going to make KSW look even more haggard and over the hill. I notice he has the type of skin that doesn't age well. Most Asian men get better looking as they age (more masculine) like Song Seung Hun who I thought was too pretty and feminine in the Hong Kong film So Close but look at him now. That's why I don't like lily white delicate skin on men. They start looking like old ladies when they age.
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16 nyssnisacha
February 11, 2009 at 7:58 AM
hahaha...i am actually looking forward to this..i dont really care what others might think of her, but i think she can act...so i'll give it a try..
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17 Lil
February 11, 2009 at 8:36 AM
The last I heard about this drama was that it is expected to broadcast sometime in April. Wow...with this new cast change and the activities that Yoona and KSW is preoccupied with....I wonder whether they will be ready.
Also, does this mean that he gets to kiss her?? EW!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I thought Park JungJae was too old for her. Will the couple scene be as awkward again too?
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18 LoveWatchingMovies
February 11, 2009 at 9:43 AM
I hope this drama has better writing than some I've seen in recent memory. It has been hard for me to finish so many dramas recently.
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19 iu2
February 11, 2009 at 11:03 AM
I really just cast see the pairing working out. She's too young. In reality situations like this (14 year age difference) can work out but this is a drama in which a 34(?) year old married man and a teenager are acting in. There's bound to be lines that can't be crossed which IMO will affect the drama as a whole. Of course there are married people who act and it has never bothered me before but as soon as I heard the pairing it's the first thing I thought. Maybe because she just graduated from high school. I think I'm gonna pass on this drama.
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20 soon2soon
February 11, 2009 at 11:27 AM
are we talking korean age 19 or US age 19?
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21 iu2
February 11, 2009 at 11:33 AM
US age she's 17, Korean age 19. Her DOB is 6/28/91.
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22 Devi
February 11, 2009 at 11:49 AM
actually, her dob is may 30th 1990. so she'd be 18 by US standards and 20 (i think?) by korean standards.
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23 iu2
February 11, 2009 at 11:54 AM
Wow, what was I looking at lol. Thanks for the correction :)
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24 Ishida
February 11, 2009 at 12:05 PM
I will never understand why in korean standards we are 2 years older...
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25 trek
February 11, 2009 at 12:49 PM
I agree, i can't really see this pairing to work out b/c she's far too young. it's going to be too awkward to watch this 34 yr old guy with a 20 yr girl. i'm currently watching Terroir and think Han Hye-jin would have been a far better choice. plus she's gorgeous and i'd love to see her face off against Han Eun-jung.
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26 charitee
February 11, 2009 at 12:50 PM
@ ishida: i think that when you're born, you're technically 1 year old since you were in your mother's womb for 9 months. that's why the korean age is usually 1 year more than one's western age. and then sometimes, if you're born right before the lunar new year, you're 1 and then right after the lunar new year happens you become 2 or something weird like that. i don't know the specifics exactly and i could be entirely wrong, but i know that korean age is more dependent on the lunar calendar than the western [or whatever it's called] calendar.
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27 Brenda
February 11, 2009 at 12:55 PM
This is one odd pairing, I think Yoona should be doing high school dramas, KSW looks way too mature for her, there is a point in my opinion where the age difference is visible but ok, but this couple is too obvios, specially if you think of her background in a kpop group, :( Well I hope it turns ok for both of them.
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28 rainey
February 11, 2009 at 1:43 PM
Now I know I definitely won't watch. I had the misfortune to watch a good 2/3rds of 'You Are My Destiny' before it got unbearable and she is so awkward. She would cringe whenever her love interest so much as hugged her and her arms would remain limp at her side. Her fans also rioted at the age difference so I don't know what they'll do now since KSW is even older.
Poor KSW, I feel sorry for him. The casting directors let him down.
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29 Pretendingtobe
February 11, 2009 at 2:08 PM
I think KSW is extremely flawed as an actor and I havent enjoyed anything he has done since "Once Upon a Time in High School"... that includes his dramas also...
I think Yoona has much potential as an actress but I think she will hit the glass ceiling reeeeeal soon because she is an idol star trying to act instead of an aspiring actress trying to act...
if she gets rid of her "idol star" image and attempt to become a true actress, I think she has shown quite a bit of emotional range already for someone who just graduated high school...
but Han Eun-Jung/Yoona relationship does intrigue me though...
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30 fizzle
February 11, 2009 at 2:23 PM
Uhhh..okaaaay. This is unexpected. I adore KSW and was actually kind of looking forward to this drama. I'd thought Yoon-ah's winning Best New Actress was because of her idol popstar status, not because she actually deserved it. If she proves me wrong I will eat my words. That said, she'd better be good. I think I already mentioned that I adore KSW.
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31 Amy
February 11, 2009 at 2:52 PM
Haha oh my god, SNSD anti's are gonna brew up a sh!tstorm.
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32 Trist
February 11, 2009 at 3:14 PM
I know I'm going to get bitten for this. I don't think Yoonah is such a great actress. In YAMD she always had this nervous quality to her acting. I will admit that she was a better actress than her co-lead who was just stiff. After YAMD I have no interest in watching her acting. A few more seasons and I think she will be a good actress.
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33 bjharm
February 11, 2009 at 6:44 PM
All I can say is expect one of those year or so later bits in it some place, so she can be 'of age' before anything serious happens. This is Korea after all
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34 santaiah
February 11, 2009 at 7:07 PM
I think, casting Yoona to be paired with Kwong Sang-Woo is an MBC strategy to attract younger viewer since the other cast (which are more older) seems can only attract midle age viewer (a.k.a ahjumma). MBC take this action as an impact from the “booming” drama Boys Over Flower…So, can Yoona act or not is n't important for MBC...IMO...
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35 hapacalgirl
February 11, 2009 at 11:51 PM
I don't think Yoonah is a good actress, semi decent yes, but good/great no. I liked her in 9 ends 2 outs but her acting in YAMD was awkward regardless of the bad writing. She is decent enough that I think with time she may get better but one of the first things she needs to do is learn to act comfortable with older leading males because it is more likely than not that her love interest on dramas will be much older than her. In YAMD, it was hard to believe that SaeByuk and Hose were so in love with each other because Jaejung was stiff as a board and Yoonah looked so awkward even when all they were doing was hugging (not even kissing), she was good at crying scenes but that was it. When subtle emotion was required for the dialogue to be believable, she just couldn't deliver.
I do agree with what santaiah said. I don't think MBC cares about the acting just wants to compete with BOF (and they will probably most likely fail because BOF is awesome flaws and all). I think I will pass on this drama since the two main leads aren't the best actor and actress IMHO and the story seems cheesy to me.
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36 candy
February 13, 2009 at 5:48 AM
emm.. y am i the only one who think kwon sang woo is the one too old, not yoonah is too young?
because i think the story is too cheesy for ksw. they supposed to cast some younger actor, like in his 26 or something. no, i like him, but the cast is just not so right imo.
i usually dont like cheesy storyline. but after BOF, i think i need moooooooooooo.. (wait).....ooooore! XD
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37 TROUBLEME
February 17, 2009 at 2:08 AM
I AM SUPRISED THAT PEOPLE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT REAL LIFE AGE AND THE MOVIE..THESE ARE TWO ACTORS FOR A MOVIE. PLEASE ALLOW THEM TO PERFORM THEIR ROLES WIHOUT SUCH NEGATIVE COMMENTS...AGE, AFTER ALL, IS NOT SOMETHING ANY OF US CARE TO CHEER ABOUT.
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38 jinju
February 17, 2009 at 8:53 AM
can't they find any other actress close (at least) to Kwon's age? if i may suggest there's son ye jin, song ae? (sorry if i am not accurate with her name but she's the actress in Love Letters & April Kiss) and many more who would be closer to KSW's age! I haven't even heard of Yoon Ah till now!
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39 omo
March 20, 2009 at 3:45 AM
hmmm..what an odd ball type of pairing just for viewership. hope it doesn't bomb on MBC. as for the storyline, a little flaky too.
sooory. not really a fan of yoonah. yah..i did watch YAMD...the first and the last episodes.......... and realized that i didn't miss anything in between. hoped to see the x-factor in yoonah's acting but just couldn't see it. just hope she keeps her singing job.
will attempt to watch this drama...i hope it is not one of those dramas that i keep watching just to see how bad it gets ala bad love.
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40 shinhwa_girl
March 28, 2009 at 8:50 AM
this is kinda creepy! physically, you can seriously tell he's, uhhmm, "mature" and she's barely legal. they need to cast Yoona with someone like the F4 guys or someone who at least looks younger than his real age. let's be realistic here! this seems to be a little Lolita-ish!
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41 scoot
June 15, 2011 at 5:56 AM
this drama anyway is not good enough but still watchable
however
a lot of work are needed in the writing
and... yoona's acting is 9/10 so that was good...since most fault lies in the drama and writing itself...
if you really wanna watch this drama, better find the 'yoona cut' only.... at least you can her pretty face ^^
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