[Current Drama 2022 & 2024] Pachinko, 파친코 - Lee Min Ho, Youn Yuh Jung, Jin Ha, Anna Sawai, Minha Kim, Soji Arai, Kaho Minami - Streaming on Apple TV+ | Season 1 & 2

[imgreatgal]

I’ve missed Lee Gon so actually i was waiting for the premier of this drama to see him again

I have to say this is a good drama and i wasnt really confused with the jumping of of timeline back and forth. 
Anyway i’m here to ask if anyone of you notice in the ‘hot scene’ between Sunja (Kim Min Ha) and Han Soo (Lee Min Ho) its not Lee Min Ho. His side angle looks different from LMH’s 

[backstreetboysfan]

Yup watched Episode 3 today, he is still a jerk wow.

 

Aww poor Sunja, Who is the new guy? 

Spoiler

Will that be her husband?

 

[Thong Thin]

3 hours ago, backstreetboysfan said:

Yup watched Episode 3 today, he is still a jerk wow.

 

Aww poor Sunja, Who is the new guy? 

  Hide contents

Will that be her husband?

 

If you are referring to the priest Ishak, yes he is going to be Sunja husband.

[backstreetboysfan]

3 hours ago, Thong Thin said:

If you are referring to the priest Ishak, yes he is going to be Sunja husband.

Yes I was, okay thanks for the info. I didn't read the book.

[partyon]

EVENT: My Corner of Soompi

 

Spring edition of My Corner of Soompi is here! Do let us know what you've been up to and what you're looking forward to as we're heading towards summer.

 

Bring yourself and some snacks to the thread, as we sip on our tea together.

 

 

Your Event Organizers,

@partyon @agenth @Sleepy Owl @confusedheart

[syntyche]

17 hours ago, confusedheart said:

 

The pace is still zzzz...  I still feel that the novel was better. It had more depth. They are butchering it badly to condense it into 8 episodes. Doing great injustice to a fine story. This is a family saga. It cannot be condensed. The intention is well but the execution is extremely poor, given they had such a large canvas to work on, and no money spared.  

 

 

Hi @confusedheart. The adaptation was actually planned to be done over four seasons. The EP said herself that they won't be able to cover the whole book in just 8 episodes. However, the series has yet to be picked up by Apple beyond its first eight episodes.

 

17 hours ago, Lindyloo421 said:

Synthche- You asked about our comments and thoughts. I really enjoyed it and found it totally engrossing. Even without LMH I would have watched it because I liked the book. I found the flashback/flash forward events ok 

because I had read the book. The only bit I thought people might get confused  with was Solomon’s calls with Hanna and was glad they showed her mother frantically looking for her so viewers would realise who she was.

 

 

Nice insights, @Lindyloo421! With the minimal scenes of LMH, I'm watching this series with my movie/series buff cap on. If I wasn't a LMH fan, I'd still watch the series.

I did wonder about Hanna. Then I got the idea who she was when her mother was shown. 

 

11 hours ago, imgreatgal said:

Anyway i’m here to ask if anyone of you notice in the ‘hot scene’ between Sunja (Kim Min Ha) and Han Soo (Lee Min Ho) its not Lee Min Ho. His side angle looks different from LMH’s 

 

Hi @imgreatgal! Welcome to the thread. I'm glad you liked this series. 

I did read about that double of LMH doing the hot scenes in lieu of him. But I haven't really checked his side angle for myself. 

 

[rocher22]

 

I like Isak's calm smiles     

I wonder if she will  love him as a man.   

 

 

Hansu is jealous but I hope he will not do anything bad to Isak.

 

[syntyche]

MYM IG update

 

"Who is she?"

That guy is...Who is that man? Who is it? Endless charm... Cannot find any flaw... Wondering what will happen after the last scene was completed by actor Lee Minho's intense attraction and feeling! If you're curious about the next episode, check it out on Apple TV+'s Pachinko! 

 

 

 

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

*********************************

  

10 minutes ago, rocher22 said:

 

I like Isak's calm smiles     

I wonder if she will  love him as a man.   

 

Hansu is jealous but I hope he will not do anything bad to Isak.

 

 

Hey @rocher22! Welcome to the thread. Yup, I was afraid Hansu will attack Isak. How the relationship of Isak and Sunja will unfold is something to look forward to.   

 

 

[nina_mitrokhina]

Lee Min Ho and the impressive image of a cold, ruthless man in ‘Pachinko’

 

March 27, 2022

 

Lee Min Ho’s role of a cold rich man who falls in love with a village girl in “Pachinko” is receiving many positive responses from viewers and critics all over the world.
Naver reported that the first 3 episodes of ‘Pachinko‘ starring Lee Min Ho, Youn Yuh Jung, and Kim Min Ha had been aired. The Hollywood Reporter is impressed with its content and artistry. The New York Times also rated ‘Pachinko‘ as an A+. This series also received critical acclaim with a score of 97% Rotten Tomatoes (average 9.1/10), 88 Metacritics.

The love of a married man and a village girl
Lee Min Ho portrays Koh Han Su, a Korean who works as a henchman for Japan during the Japanese invasion of Korea in the series. Koh Han Su is considered a character with a complex personality. Although at the moment he is a rich man, to get to where he is today, Koh Han Su had to come up from hardship and had to step on others to survive. In Lee Min Ho‘s career, this is his first villain role.

Lee Min Ho didn’t have much screen time in the first three episodes. ‘Pachinko‘ depicts two parallel lives of Koh Han Su (Lee Min Ho) and the main character, Kim Sun Ja (Kim Min Ha), a village girl. She fell in love with Koh Han Su while she was young and later became pregnant with his child. She had two sons when she was older, one of whom went to the United States and struggled to make a living while facing prejudice.

 

https://cdn.kbizoom.com/media/2022/03/27082701/pachinko-lee-min-ho-27032022-1.jpg

 

Lee Min Ho‘s character met the female lead Sun Ja at a young age, so he only appeared in her flashbacks. Despite not having much screen time, Lee Min Ho still clearly portrays the complex personality and the selfish, controlling nature of the character Koh Han Su.

Koh Han Su fell in love with Sun Ja at first sight, when she dared to stand up against him to protect an employee. The second time, Koh Han Su saved Sun Ja from two men who want to rape her. And finally, Kim Sun Ja has gradually opened her heart to the handsome rich man.

Koh Han Su quickly won Sun Ja’s trust with sweet talks and promises. However, when Sun Ja agreed to sleep with him and then became pregnant with his child, Koh Han Su’s evil nature began to emerge. Instead of leaving Sun Ja, letting her keep the last bit of illusion, he frankly said that he had a wife and three daughters in Japan.

Koh Han Su has stated that he would not divorce and created a scenario in which he will force Sun Ja to become his mistress. In return, he promised to provide for her and her family. He even mocked her family background. The cruel words of her lover crushed Sun Ja’s heart and she decided to leave her hometown to follow another kind man.

 

https://cdn.kbizoom.com/media/2022/03/27082658/pachinko-lee-min-ho-27032022-3.jpeg

 

The Hollywood Reporter assessed that Lee Min Ho appeared with an elegant, handsome appearance, but every of his word and his eyes were full of menace. The actor has clearly shown the image of a dangerous businessman who does not give up any tricks to achieve his goal.

“His eyes lit up when he saw Sun Ja indicating a lurking danger in his eyes,” The Pubuminerdi describes Lee Min Ho’s eye acting.

Decider wrote, “Lee Min Ho subtly portrays the character’s complex inner self, in the conflict between love and ambition. This is a different acting style that has never appeared in the actor’s career”.

A delicate and realistic drama
The performance of Pachinko’s cast is highly appreciated. In it, Lee Min Ho transforms into a villain and Kim Min Ha plays the role of an innocent, sensitive but stubborn village girl who does not succumb to the power of evil.

Meanwhile, veteran actress Youn Yuh Jung shows the ups and downs and settling down of a person’s life, especially those who have suffered too much, living in exile from Korea to Japan, then America. Faced with difficulties, she sacrificed her self-esteem to save her family.

 

https://cdn.kbizoom.com/media/2022/03/27082654/pachinko-lee-min-ho-27032022-2.jpeg

 

Every detail in the drama describes the era and fate of people at the time it is set in. It can be seen from the fact that Koh Han Su loves Sun Ja but still despises her background, ready to use cruel words to force her to obey him. She has no name and honor. This detail shows how women in that era were treated and how easily a reputation could be destroyed.

The character Solomon Baek, played by actor Jin Ha, shows viewers the difficulty in the life of US immigrants when being discriminated against, and exploited for their dedication by management companies.

Besides, even Koh Han Su himself had to struggle to survive. Not resigned to his fate, he is loyal to his own desires, willing to use marriage to exchange for benefits. His hands are stained with blood and he even works for the Japanese to achieve power.

 

https://cdn.kbizoom.com/media/2022/03/27082651/pachinko-lee-min-ho-27032022-1.jpeg

 

“The character of Koh Han Su is not entirely a bad guy, he also has his own misery. In Koh Han Su’s era, he didn’t dare to speak up to defend his lover. While filming, I felt the character’s unspokable pain and tried to portray it. The charm of character Koh Han Su lies in the way he managed to survive in the midst of hardship. That’s why I wanted to get this role,” Lee Min Ho said.

Therefore, the actor accepted the audition for the opportunity to play Koh Han Su. In fact, after becoming famous with the drama “Boys Over Flowers”, Lee Min Ho rose up among  A-list stars in Korea. For the past 13 years, he had the right to choose his favorite project without going to audition.

To complete the role well, Lee Min Ho read many historical, cultural and social documents dated back from 100 years ago. The actor also learnt about events and images related to the character’s time of life to immerse himself in that era.

 

https://cdn.kbizoom.com/media/2022/03/27082645/pachinko-lee-min-ho-27032022-2.jpg

 

“I always think, if I were at that time, what would I do? Would I make the same choice as Hansu? That made me empathize and sympathize with Koh Han Su”, Lee Min Ho answered in the interview.

In addition, the actor said that he had a good impression of Kim Min Ha from the first time they met, “I think there is a connection between us right from the first time we saw each other. I think that love at first sight happens not only in love, but also in colleagues’ relationships.”

 

https://kbizoom.com/lee-min-ho-and-the-impressive-image-of-a-cold-ruthless-man-in-pachinko/

[imgreatgal]

1 hour ago, syntyche said:

Hi @imgreatgal! Welcome to the thread. I'm glad you liked this series. 

I did read about that double of LMH doing the hot scenes in lieu of him. But I haven't really checked his side angle for myself. 

Thank you @syntyche

The hot scene is at the end of episode2. At first i thought it was only me, that i didnt see properly but when i read about the ‘double’ i’m convince and watch that scene a second time. LMH has a handsome side angle but the ‘guy’ in that scene doesnt. The hair, nose, lips are all fifferent from LMH

[nina_mitrokhina]

Apple's deep pockets made it the only streamer able to fund 'Pachinko' drama

 

William Gallagher's AvatarWilliam Gallagher | Mar 25, 2022

 

 

AppleInsider is supported by its audience and may earn commission as an Amazon Associate and affiliate partner on qualifying purchases. These affiliate partnerships do not influence our editorial content.

Apple TV+ beat four major rivals to get the international drama "Pachinko," but it was also the only one able to fully fund the costly production by itself.

As "Pachinko" premieres on Apple TV+ on March 25, 2022, its producers have revealed how it took many years and Apple's budget to get the show made.

According to Variety, the series was first pitched to TV networks four years ago. Based on Min Jin Lee's bestselling novel, it is a multilingual story spanning 100 years and many countries.

"In retrospect, I think we were insane," executive producer Michael Ellenberg laughs.

It's a Korean drama and when it was first being shopped around the networks, Ellenberg says that it was beginning to be clear that "the Korean wave was already happening."

Nonetheless, fellow executive producer Theresa Kang-Lowe says that unspecified major networks were interested, but the sheer cost of the complex story was a problem.

"As expected, most of the places said, 'Look, this is a chance we're going to take; we love the story. But we're only going to give you X amount of dollars to budget,'" says Kang-Lowe. "'If we move forward to series, we're only going to give you a small budget that's literally too small to produce multiple timelines.'"

Pachinko — Official Trailer | Apple TV+
https://youtu.be/O1r5XXJOYNA

Writer Soo Hugh adapted the linear novel into scripts that juxtapose the past and present. The complexity of the scripts, the cost of the production, and the fact that it was Korean, were all issues regular networks could not surmount.

"Six, seven years ago, a show like this could never have been made," says Hugh. "When I was starting my career, just even the notion of doing a show in Korean would have been like, 'What are you talking about?'"

"Streamers didn't exist," she continues. "And this wasn't even that long ago."

It's normal for dramas to be funded from multiple sources, such as networks and distributors in many countries. So of the five offers the show's producers got, it would still have conceivably been possible to garner extra funding from other firms.

However, Apple TV+ won the bid and reportedly did so chiefly because it was the only streamer or network willing to put up the full cost of production.

The benefit to Apple is of course that it gets a show it expects to be a hit. But it also does so without having to collaborate with any other streamer or network.

This means it does not face the kind of issues that Netflix often does, with rights issues and licence agreements meaning a popular show may have to be removed at some date.

Apple seems to prefer to acquire finished dramas, as it did with "CODA," or to fully fund productions. Although it is also reportedly planning to stream a new children's show simultaneously with Amazon Prime.

 

https://appleinsider.com/articles/22/03/25/apples-deep-pockets-made-it-the-only-streamer-able-to-fund-pachinko-drama

[syntyche]

Behind the Scenes of “Pachinko,” Apple’s Buzzy New Drama

 

 

The best-selling novel Pachinko follows an immigrant family through depressions and world wars, grinding poverty and personal failings, each successive generation facing hardship and bigotry. Since it was published in 2017, Min Jin Lee’s book has become a touchstone for the Korean-American community. 

 

Now adapted into an eight-part series on Apple TV+, Pachinko is poised to find an even wider audience. Creator and showrunner Soo Hugh (The Terror) stays fairly true to the novel, focusing on Sunja, the daughter of a boarding house landlady in a modest fishing village.

 

Played as a teen by newcomer Minha Kim, and in her later years by Oscar-winner Yuh-Jung Youn, Sunja is the kind of indomitable survivor who wins sympathy by sheer brute force. Fleeing her Japanese-occupied homeland, she settles in the slums of Osaka, where pigs roam alleyways and shopkeepers cheat Koreans — if they agree to serve them at all.

Sunja’s story unfolds chronologically in the novel, but Soo chose to mix up timeframes in the series. Scenes in a 1980s New York City brokerage house bump up against Depression-era strikes in Osaka. Soo and her team of writers also added characters and entire storylines, notably explaining the gangster Hansu’s background.

 

“What if this was really more of a conversation between time and between generations?” Soo asks during a recent Zoom call with InsideHook. “In bringing this to life on television, I didn’t think telling it linearly was the right way to go.”

 

Soo also decided to split directing duties between indie favorites Kogonada and Justin Chon. Kogonada’s latest film, After Yang, is currently in theaters. A sci-fi drama about what it means to be human, the movie has a calm, quiet pacing that is miles apart from the aesthetic of his co-director. In films like Gook and most recently Blue Bayou, Justin Chon examines the immigrant experience on a deeply personal level. Using minimal lighting and handheld cameras, he aims for an expressionistic style seemingly at odds with Kogonada’s formal compositions.

 

Over Zoom, both directors take pains to praise each other’s styles. Kogonada loves Chon’s expressive camerawork; Chon points to Kogonada’s calm pacing as something to emulate.

 

“When you look at their body of work, why not have two directors?” Soo says. “They’re both so different, the potential that their styles brought to the show was exciting. I think that gamble really paid off.”

Each director was responsible for four episodes. Kogonada took 1, 2, 3 and 7; Chon, 4, 5, 6 and 8. COVID expanded the production from three to eight months, with the two shooting simultaneously on separate sets. 

 

The scope of Pachinko is impressive. Crowds line the Osaka streets as soldiers march past streetcars. An open-air market in Busan is filled with vendors hawking fish and grains. One of the most complicated episodes reenacts the Great Kantō earthquake of 1923.

 

But Pachinko works best in its intimate scenes, particularly those featuring Minha Kim, who won the part of Sunja in open auditions.

“When we saw her audition tape, she just blew us away,” Soo says. “It’s in her eyes, you can see — she was meant to play this role.”

“Minha maybe didn’t have the same acting background as the others, but what she did have was this raw intensity,” Kogonada said. “When she expressed emotion, it wasn’t calculated.”

 

Kim attributes that emotion to her deep connection to her character. “My connection with Sunja is that we are both fragile and resilient,” she says. “She’s confronting a lot of obstacles, she has to fight her fate. I tried to understand her situation, to read her emotions.”

 

Kim credits her costar Lee Minho, who plays the vaguely gangsterish Hansu, for helping develop their onscreen relationship. A huge celebrity in Korea, Lee brings an understated menace to his scenes, whether seducing a teenager, crippling a foe or standing up to Japanese authorities.

 

“Maybe I’m a fighter, I’m not sure, but those scenes were easy for me,” Lee jokes. “What was difficult was the later scenes with my son Noa. There had been a big gap in shooting, and it was really hard to bring up the emotions I had before. Also, I don’t have any kids.”

 

“Yes, like Minho the first time I met with Noa was really challenging,” Kim agrees. “Also, I’m not a mother so it was difficult to figure out how to perform like a mom.”

 

Yuh-Jung Youn, the older Sunja, is one of the treasures of Korean culture. After receiving a Best Supporting Oscar for Minari, she won over American audiences with her disarming but still pointed acceptance speech. Her work here as the older Sunja is nothing short of astonishing.

 

Kogonada compares her to a late-career jazz musician who no longer needs to prove anything. “Whenever we got to do these quiet scenes with her, she was just overwhelming,” he says. “She would hit that one pure note and it would work.”

“Y-J,” as the crew called her, was an inspiration on set, especially with the younger actors. Kogonada points to Jin Ha, who plays Solomon, as someone Y-J reached out to, taking responsibility for him and helping him figure out his role.

The title of the series refers to Japan’s multi-billion-dollar gaming industry. Like casinos in the U.S., pachinko parlors are assumed to be controlled by organized crime. When Sunja’s son decides to run a parlor, he becomes corrupt, no matter how hard he tries to stay away from gangs. In the same way, Korean immigrants are viewed by Japanese as tainted by blood.

 

“This was a special opportunity to be a part of a show that expresses and captures a history that hasn’t often been told,” Kogonada says. “I’ve wrestled with my own feelings of dislocation, so I could relate on a deep level to this family leaving their home and reestablishing themselves.”

 

“Part of the DNA of the show, what’s compelling and exhilarating about it, is that it weaves in these historical elements,” Chon adds.

 

Still, readers may be surprised at how much of the novel is missing from the series, including almost all of the actual pachinko scenes. Soo wants to reassure the novel’s fans.

 

“It’s meant to be an ongoing series,” she says. “It’s been such a long journey that right now all we can focus on is season one.”

 

https://www.insidehook.com/article/television/pachinko-interview

[syntyche]

In this thread, discover one of the many incredible places Bong Hoon Cho, Location Manager on #Pachinko, scouted.

 

 

[chickfactor]

Just waiting for American press to interview Lee Minho to ask, "How does it feel to become a star?" Without knowing anything about his career...

[backstreetboysfan]

Pachinko Season One Episode 4 clip - My Blood

 

[nina_mitrokhina]

[Personality] Pachinko ㅣ The transformation that made "actor Lee Min Ho" look forward to again

 

2022.03.28

 

 

"I auditioned for the first time in 13 years."

 

That one word contains Lee Min Ho's relationship to the global online video (OTT) platform Apple TV Plus "Pachinko". It's been 13 years since he appeared in the 2009 drama "Boys Over Flowers," a near-syndrome hit drama. It is said that "even rivers and mountains change in 10 years", Lee Min Ho strengthens his status. What's the secret?

 

Lee Min Ho

 

If you have an eye, you may have noticed Lee Min Ho before Boys Over Flowers. Although he starred in several films as a child, Lee Min Ho put on a pretty impressive performance in the 2008 film Kang Chul Jeong: Society 1-1. As Ha-Yeon Chung, a high school student who wants to become a member of a gang, he showed a figure of death who couldn't even yell at the knife of Moon-soo, a swordsman. At that time, the actor who played Moon Soo was Kim Nam Gil. Although there were few lines, he became another scene stealer of "Kang Cheol Jeong: Public Enemy 1-1" due to his unusual eye play and outstanding looks.

And about six months later, Lee Min Ho returned to Gu Jun Pyo. At the time, this drama, which starred newcomers Lee Min Ho, Kim Hyun Joong, Kim Bum, and Kim Joon, was already dominated by the prospect that she wouldn't be an opponent for "East of Heaven," the most popular Monday-Tuesday drama. However, as the popularity boom subsided, the ratings reversed, ending with the highest rating of 32.9%.

Lee Min Ho, who became Korea's hottest star thanks to his so-called "shell head", has steadily expanded his filmography. After completing Boys Over Flowers, he released new works every year such as Personal Taste (2010), City Hunter (2011) and Faith (2012). This means that I will not get drunk on the popularity of "Flowers over berries."

If I had to pick the top two best-selling postcards on Korean broadcasters, it would definitely be Kim Eun Sook and Park Ji Eun. He is an alchemist who specializes in romantic comedies and can collect the strongest Korean wave fandoms.

Lee Min Ho is one of the few actors who received calls from two screenwriters along with Hyun Bin. Screenwriter Kim Eun-sook's 2013 film "The Heirs" served as an opportunity to infuse a huge amount of oil into Lee Min-ho's fandom, which was born out of "Boys Over Flowers".

Lee Min Ho, who has been working in China since "City Hunter" and "Faith" were already released to the Chinese market, has been resurrected as the most popular Hallyu star in the Chinese-speaking world along with "Heirs". . As of 7 am on the 28th, Lee Min Ho's Weibo account, China's representative social network, had 28.27 million followers. It is definitely number one among Hallyu stars.

Seven years later, Lee Min Ho reunited with writer Kim in The King: Eternal Monarch. It was an unexpected choice for writer Kim, who rarely worked with the male actor he once hired.

Meanwhile, Lee Min Ho appeared in "The Legend of the Blue Sea," the work of Park Ji Eun, who is known for her "My Love from the Star" and "Crash Landing on Love." The opponent was Jung Ji Hyun.

Jung Ji Hyun, 'Personal Taste' Son Ye Jin, 'Heirs' Park Shin Hye, 'Faith' Kim Hee Sung, and 'The King: Eternal Monarch' Kim Go Eun were always allowed to sit next to Lee Min Ho.

 

 

What does "Pachinko" mean to Lee Min Ho?

 

Based on the novel of the same name by writer Lee Min Jin, Pachinko tells the story of four generations of Korean immigrants who lived in difficult situations after leaving their home country for 80 years. Lee Min Ho takes on the role of Han Soo, who greatly influences the life of young Song Ja (Kim Min Ha), the protagonist of the play. How did Lee Min Ho get into Pachinko? He, who auditioned for the first time since “Flowers After a Boy,” said, “The audition offer came from a Korean production. As in the past, I received the script with the soul of a beginner, prepared, listened and watched. survey."

Hansoo is Lee Min Ho's first villain. This is a character who is in conflict between his love for the sage and his ambitions. As he explained, "I was greedy because this character has a different structure and raw feel than the characters I've played before."

The reviews about Hansoo he played can be confirmed by foreign media. First of all, The Hollywood Reporter, which specializes in American films, praised Lee Min Ho's performance, stating, "I was impressed with Lee Min Ho's acting, which went beyond being a stylish and intimidating character and expressed Han's character. -su in a complex and mysterious way. CEATSHEET also added, "Lee Min Ho's fans will see him in a new light when he plays Han Soo."

In addition, famous American media outlet CNET stated, "The character was brought to life with sincerity and delicacy," and everyone praised Lee Min Ho's acting.

Lee Min Ho is an actor on the peak of the Korean wave, traveling all over Asia outside of Korea. And now his steps are directed to post-Asia. To that end, Lee Min Ho was willing to stand on the starting line again, such as volunteering for an audition. He said this in connection with the release of Pachinko.

“It was a new preparation. It was a new experience after 10 years. I personally liked it.

He is preparing his heart again for an audition in a good project. An actor who does not stop at where he is now, but looks to the future. That's why I'm looking forward to Lee Min Ho's next move.

 

Yunho Yoon (Columnist)

Translation from Korean google

https://n.news.naver.com/entertain/article/465/0000005525

[syntyche]

Soo Hugh Interview: Pachinko

 

 

Pachinko, an adaptation of the New York Times best-selling novel by Min Jin Lee, finally arrives on Apple TV+ March 25. Spanning much of the 20th century and traversing cultures, the epic series follows a Korean family forced to immigrated to Japan in the midst of the Japanese occupation of their homeland. Told in Korean, Japanese and English, the historical drama tackles themes as diverse as forbidden love, religious piety, and the crushing weight of poverty and discrimination.

 

Written and produced by Soo Hugh, who previously worked on The Terror and See, the family saga centers on one remarkable woman named Sunja. Opening prior to her both, the story takes us through her teenage years (where she's played by impressive newcomer Kim Minha) and shows her as the matriarch of three generations (a role perfected by Youn Yuh-jung of Minari). Korean drama heartthrob Lee Min-ho will surprise audiences in the role of the dangerous Koh Hansu, whose passion for Sunja is what sets the tale in motion. The first season consists of 8 episodes, with directing duties split between Kogonada (Columbus) and Justin Chon (Blue Bayou),

 

Hugh spoke to Screen Rant about the research that went into grounding the historical settings of the series in authenticity, as well as the spark that each of its leads brought to the important milestones in Sunja's life.

 

Even for those who had not read the novel and were not aware of its importance, I think that the moment that we heard that Lee Minho had to audition for the role, everyone knew it was a big deal. What was it about his performance or his interpretation of Koh Hansu that really spoke to you?

 

Soo Hugh: There's so many things. Hansu is probably one of the trickiest characters in the show, because it's easy to play him all veneer. You can just stand there and look great. But, really, we wanted to probe deeper into that character of how someone like that becomes that way.

 

And knowing that we also have the seventh episode, our departure episode, and how much that was going to anchor on Hansu - I really wanted to find someone who can portray that awesome veneer that he has, but when you dig deeper, you get that vulnerability.

 

Minho, in all of our auditions and conversations, wanted to do it. He wanted to probe himself; he wanted to stretch himself as an actor. That desire revealed his vulnerability, and so there was no question that he was our Hansu.

 

As a book reader, there is a character whose name I will not say, whose absence throughout the story is rather loud. Was that a conscious choice to make the absence part of the story rather than just showcasing that arc early? Or is that more about, if we do season 2, we'll put that there?

 

Soo Hugh: The show is four seasons long, so it was never supposed to be a limited series. So the idea is we're going to watch these characters grow up as well, so that storyline is coming.

 

I think there's no way you can tell the story just in eight episodes; it's impossible. To do it full justice, and to fall in love with the characters and really understand what they live through, it has to be the whole spectrum.

 

Minha gives such a powerful performance as Sunja that I would never expected her to be such a relative newcomer to the screen. What was it like working with her to really anchor Sunja in both those ages, 16 and 22?

 

Soo Hugh: Effortless. That stuff you can't learn, right? You can't go to acting school and get that. She naturally can tap into these feelings and emotions, and what I find much so much work being b.

 

Being behind the monitor and watching Minha, I always say you see the character in their eyes. It's not their voice, it's not even their body - it's in their eyes. It's what is in their eyes. And in her eyes, you just see a depth of feeling. And that's just natural.

 

On the other hand, you have Youn Yuh-jung, who is just a living legend and so prolific. What is it like to collaborate with her on being the culmination of all the Sunjas who have come before?

 

Soo Hugh: YJ is, again, so intuitive. So much of the story that she's lived through, and her family's lived through, it's in her bones. And when she says, "I know this character inside and out," why would you ever doubt that? She's YJ.

She is someone that, every time the camera says, "Action," she'll do something different in each take. And you're like, "Oh, that was great," thinking she'll do it again. The next take, she'll do something just slightly [different], and you're like, "That was great!" She's one of these actors who, when you get to the edit room, it's almost impossible to edit her because they're all terrific takes.

 

When it comes to historical events, such as the Great Kanto Earthquake or the other historical settings throughout Pachinko, how do you approach merging the authenticity with what serves the story?

 

Soo Hugh: So much of it comes with just [doing] as much research as possible. We worked with so many historians in the show and read many first-person accounts. At the end of the day, we weren't there. How do you recreate something that is so horrific?

 

As much as we try to do the research, at the end of the day, subjectivity has to be the guiding light for us is. And that's universal, right? "If you were in an earthquake..." We looked at 9/11 in New York City, the footage of that, and that blink of a second when your life changes. How do people react, and how do people respond?

 

I think it's a complicated way of saying that you try to dig as deep as you can, knowing that we weren't there and there's going to be some interpretation to it.

 

Both Kogonada and Justin Chon have such a beautiful way of directing this story. How early on the process did they come on board and what made them right for Pachinko?

 

Soo Hugh: Prep started a few months before shooting, and they were both in it from prep. When we were talking to directors, what made K and Justin stand out was that they're different from one another, and that was really exciting.

 

But also, I always say this is a show that, when I talk to people, you feel it in your bones. And people can respect the show - people can admire the show, even - but you have to feel it. K and Justin felt it, and that's something that comes out in all our conversations.

As soon as I realized these two people know this show, and they feel the show? I knew they were the right people.

 

https://screenrant.com/soo-hugh-interview-pachinko/

[syntyche]

Q: When you learned you landed the role, how did you feel? Did you throw a party?

LMH: I was relieved

 

 

 

[nina_mitrokhina]

K-drama staple Lee Minho on playing Pachinko’s antihero
The star of Apple TV Plus’ multigenerational drama breaks down his most complicated role to date

 

ByShanicka Anderson

29.03.2022

 

 

Lee Minho as Hansu in Pachinko Photo: Apple TV+, Graphic: Natalie Peeples

 

Lee Minho landed his first acting role nearly twenty years ago. Since then, he’s appeared in 12 K-dramas, five films, nabbed multiple awards and distinctions, and firmly solidified his place as one of the most well-known leading men and cultural icons of the genre in South Korea and abroad. Now, thanks to his turn in new Apple TV+ series Pachinko, the veteran gets to cover new acting terrain.

 

The show is a poignant and masterfully crafted period drama that centers on the experiences of one Korean immigrant family, spanning about 70 years and three countries. It’s a deeply moving, necessary watch about the enduring and insidious effects of generational trauma. Minho plays Hansu, a Zainichi Korean fishmonger. (Zainichi are Koreans who reside in Japan, which occupied Korea from 1910 to 1945.) Like many Koreans living under the brutal, oppressive rule of Japan during that period, Hansu is desperate to make a life for himself, an ambition that leads to him to the yakuza.

 

When he meets the show’s protagonist, Sunja (Minha Kim), down by a seaside market, he’s quickly smitten. But their love story takes a turn that completely derails Sunja’s life.

 

Lee Minho: Yes, just as you said, it was my first audition in a long time, so I kind of forgot how I used to prepare. So I had to think back to the time when I did have to prepare for auditions, and I think the preparation process was pretty similar to any other auditions that I had in my life.

 

Ten years ago, I was really busy trying to really memorize the script so that I didn’t make any mistakes. I really wanted to do well. But this time, instead of trying to just memorize the whole script, I really wanted to analyze and go deep into my character. That’s what I focused on the most.

 

AVC: Your Pachinko co-star Jin Ha has explained that his process for memorizing the multi-language script involved a lot of Japanese/Korean/English transliterations. Did you have a similar approach in order to learn the Japanese parts of your dialogue?

 

LM: Yes. Similarly, I would also translate the Japanese lines into my mother tongue, which is Korean. I also tried to listen to the dialogue of a lot of Japanese actors to kind of pick up the accent—and I also liked to listen to Japanese men who have really nice voices [Laughs.] I tried to listen in order to catch how I should go about that.

 

AVC: Avid K-drama watchers are used to you seeing you play the male lead. We’re so used to rooting for you. But Hansu is such a different character. This time around, you’re kind of the villain. So, what drew you to this role?

 

LM: When I first read the script, I could really resonate with Hansu. Because I think there are certain ways of life and ideas that you have to stick to in order to survive during that harsh time and in those harsh conditions. And I could really relate to him, if I put myself in his shoes during those harsh times. That’s what drew me to pick this character.

 

 

AVC: He really is such a complex character. Though he is pretty cruel to Sonya, we still feel some empathy for him, especially during the earthquake episode. Since you know him better than anyone, what’s the most important thing you want viewers to understand about Hansu?

 

LM: So, I wouldn’t ask for the audience to just understand this character in and of itself, but I think there are bits and pieces of him that people can really relate to. And I think although he is in a much harsher condition than we are in right now, I think we also have to survive in this world.

 

We sometimes have to be cruel and sometimes we have to be strong in order to protect ourselves or our families. But Hansu is just more radical in that regard. I think people can understand that he has to become like this in response to the condition of time. As people watch the show, I think they will understand.

 

AVC: Playing Hansu means your viewers get to see a totally different side of your acting. What was the most surprising thing about playing that character?

 

LM: I wouldn’t say I was surprised by the character of Hansu. But I would say that I was quite surprised at the male characters of that time period in general, because it felt like they weren’t allowed to to have emotions. Or, they didn’t have any time to communicate their emotions or have emotional exchanges. They just had to, you know, earn money to survive and to feed their families. I think it was kind of a luxury for them to have emotions. That was what really surprised me.

 

AVC: For a lot of K-drama newbies, The Heirs and Boys Over Flowers are usually one of their first forays into the genre, myself included. As a pioneer of the genre, what is it like to watch the global rise of Korean pop culture, especially now that we’re in an atmosphere and a landscape that makes something like Pachinko available to so many global viewers?

 

LM: I think this is not just a thing that’s limited to Korean culture, per se, but we now have a lot of platforms. So Korean people will watch Spanish dramas, American and British dramas. I think now we have [these opportunities] that [the cultural exchange] could go back and forth, right? It goes both ways. I think creators and artists in this field, they’re always wanting something that’s new and they also they always want to create something new. So if we try harder, I think more people will enjoy the Korean content.

 

https://www.avclub.com/lee-minho-interview-apple-tv-plus-pachinko-1848682700

[syntyche]

Pachinko Inspired Lee Minho To Audition For The First Time In 13 Years

 

 

There’s a flicker of danger in Lee Minho’s eyes when he first appears in the Apple TV+ series Pachinko. But decked in a dashing cream suit, it’s easy to forget that the longtime Korean heartthrob is playing a villain – a first in his career. “I liked the fact that he’s not really sophisticated,” the 34-year-old actor tells Bustle of what drew him to his character Koh Hansu, a shifty love interest for heroine Sunja (Minha Kim) who has ties to the Yakuza. “He had to really try hard to survive.”

 

Pachinko, ultimately, is a tale of just that: survival. Like Min Jin Lee’s bestselling 2017 novel of the same name, the highly anticipated streaming adaptation is a sweeping, emotional saga of a Korean family’s perseverance through Japanese colonialism. Pachinko takes place between 1915 and 1989 and follows the present-day 74-year-old Sunja (Minari Oscar winner Youn Yuh-jung) as she recalls – in flashback format – emigrating from Korea to Japan; her clandestine and short-lived affair with Hansu as a teenager the impetus for her sojourns.

 

The series’ commitment to Korean history – particularly its depiction of the Zainichi community of ethnic Koreans in Japan – and universal themes resonated so deeply with Lee that he was moved to audition for a role, something he hasn’t had to do in 13 years given his status as a seasoned K-drama veteran in Korea. “When I first saw the show and the script, I thought this was not about a particular history or a particular diaspora,” Lee says. “It’s someone’s mom, it’s someone’s daughter.”

 

Filming also gave Lee the opportunity to connect with his own family and their history. “I really thought about my mom a lot,” he says, adding that he related to Pachinko’s pivotal scenes in which preparing a meal is depicted as the ultimate symbol of love. “My mom always still cooks for me when I’m home.” Remembering his favorite bowls of kimchi jjigae and doenjang jjigae, he says, “I [still] don’t really like eating alone because I’m so used to having these family dinners and lunches. That experience really is a big part of me.”

 

On March 25, Pachinko will become the second Korean-language series to debut on Apple TV+, following Dr. Brain. Though Lee has enjoyed almost two decades of success, it’s only in the past few years that a wider global audience has begun to embrace Korean media with the success of Squid Game and the Oscar-winning Parasite. Lee feels “a sense of responsibility” to make sure audiences can see just how special his country’s art is. “I really want to try my best so that more people could love Korean culture.” Given the overwhelmingly positive early reviews of Pachinko, it seems like he’s already succeeded.

 

https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/pachinko-lee-minho-villain-family-korean-media-culture-quotes