Netflix’s “When life gives you mandarins” He is gaining praise not only for his moving narrative, but also for the subtle and improvised brilliance of the actor Kim Seon-Ho, whose performance has drawn an applause from both fans and cast members, including IU.
In particular, in a video behind the scenes released on April 3 via the YouTube channel “Netflix Korea“, The main cast and director Kim Won-Seok shared their thoughts and memories of the recovery process.
IU, who plays Geum-Myeong and AE-Sun, reflects on the sweet and sour relationship of his character with the young man. “A first love that could not become reality.” He underlined the layered link between the characters and the way he deeply influenced his performance.
Remembering the plot with the young being, he said, “The writer is a little part. They made sure that the young Gwan-Sik and Yeong-Bebro continued to say similar lines, which made their parents think of the similarities between the two. But the drama showed that this was not true in a turning point, which was fun.”
“It was a murderous part from the beginning to the end,” he said on the scene of the breaking of the couple of Geom -myg and the young Beom, revealing that both she and the co-protagonist Lee Jun-Yung cried heavily during the filming. Director Kim Won-Seok added that the drama approach was not previous in the Korean narrative: to interpret someone who fully loves both a past and a partner present without resorting to tragedy.
Among the most spoken scenes there was one in which the character of Kim Seon-Ho, Chung-Seob, stumbles while approaching Gwan-Sik (played by Park Hae-Joon), capturing a chair. Iu could not help but laugh as he raised him during the comment, stating, “Did you do an excellent job with improvised acting. Wasn’t it in the script?”
To this, director Kim confirmed that he was not, affirming, “That was the idea entirely of Seon-Ho. “ Park Hae-Joon also praised Kim’s ability to add spontaneity to each scene, saying: “He did not let anything slip and has an incredible instinct. It reminded me of my younger, sick but in a free sense.”
Director Kim concluded by highlighting the subtle brilliance of Kim Seon-Ho, referring to a now memorable line, saying: “When he says, “Should I peel the shrimp for you?” And move his tone briefly: he added that detail alone. His acting is so refined and precise.”
