Park Jin-young strikes a pose at the production presentation for JTBC’s Friday series ‘Shining,’ held at The Link Seoul Hotel in Guro-gu, Seoul, on the 5th. Courtesy of JTBC
Actor Park Jin-young is moving to cement his status as a ‘first-love icon’.
The production presentation for JTBC’s Friday series ‘Shining’ was held on the 5th at The Link Seoul Hotel in Guro-gu, Seoul. Park Jin-young, Kim Min-ju, and PD Kim Yoon-jin attended.
Premiering at 8:50 p.m. on the 6th, ‘Shining’ is a drama that depicts how youths who once shared a world of their own become the very light that reflects each other’s trust and illuminates the direction of their lives.
Park Jin-young of tvN’s ‘Unknown Seoul’ and Kim Min-ju, a former member of IZ*ONE who has become a first-love icon, take the lead roles, while PD Kim Yoon-jin of SBS’s ‘Our Beloved Summer’ and screenwriter Lee Sook-yeon of the film ‘One Fine Spring Day’ join forces to portray a radiant youth romance.
(From left) Park Jin-young, Kim Min-ju, and PD Kim Yoon-jin pose at the production presentation for JTBC’s Friday series ‘Shining,’ held at The Link Seoul Hotel in Guro-gu, Seoul, on the 5th. Courtesy of JTBC
PD Kim explained, “The writer did not depict Tae-seo and Eun-ha around some major incident, and the characters were ordinary. While visually layering the passage of the seasons, we drew ordinary emotions into private feelings, and I thought that could remain special when the two reunite in their thirties,” adding, “If ‘Our Beloved Summer’ resembled an early summer meeting after spring, then ‘Shining’ will show them going through all four seasons and meeting again in spring.”
Tae-seo and Eun-ha meet again at thirty after the time of nineteen and twenty. As the drama unfolds the four seasons of their youth and love, the chemistry of the two leads at its center is key. PD Kim said he conducted a full ten hours of advance table reads for that narrative, expressing confidence: “I thought an absolute amount of time for the two to grow close was necessary. The actors responded well, so even before filming began, they were already prepared as Tae-seo and Eun-ha.”
In response, Park Jin-young said of his chemistry with Kim Min-ju, “I think it was truly perfect,” adding with a laugh, “The director had us do many readings and said that if the chemistry was off, it would be our problem.”
Park Jin-young (left) and Kim Min-ju pose at the production presentation for JTBC’s Friday series ‘Shining,’ held at The Link Seoul Hotel in Guro-gu, Seoul, on the 5th. Courtesy of JTBC
Park Jin-young plays Yeon Tae-seo, a subway train driver, once again portraying a youth romance following his previous work. However, while his last project focused on character growth, this time he is aiming for the spot of ‘melodrama male lead’ with a classic melodrama.
He said, “The writer wanted Tae-seo to be the same friend in his twenties and thirties. I pondered which aspects should be similar and looked back on my own teens and twenties. Nothing has changed dramatically, but I thought the way I endure difficulties has changed, albeit slightly. While showing those points, I worked with the production team, talking a lot to convey, ‘I wish there were a friend like this,’ as we built the character.”
He continued, “If in my previous work I was responsible for a part that aided the female lead’s growth while growing myself, this time it properly presents a man and a woman’s love as a classic melodrama. So I tried to focus more on the emotions within the characters and situations. It is a story about the small loves that anyone has experienced, and I sought to capture relatable behavioral details.”
Park Jin-young (left) and Kim Min-ju pose at the production presentation for JTBC’s Friday series ‘Shining,’ held at The Link Seoul Hotel in Guro-gu, Seoul, on the 5th. Courtesy of JTBC
Asked whether he felt pressure from the success of his previous work, he said, “It would be a lie to say I do not feel nervous or pressured, but I think setting that aside as much as possible is the mindset for the next project. I tried to let go of the pressure as much as possible and approach it with a touch more cool-headedness.”
Taking on her first lead role, Kim Min-ju said, “I felt pressure and worry, but because it is a good project, I joined with gratitude. Thanks to the many readings we did in advance, the set proceeded comfortably,” and added, “I agonized a lot over portraying my thirties, which I have not yet experienced. I thought there were limits to what could be shown externally, so I talked a lot with the director and Park Jin-young, asked friends around me, and built the character while considering what Eun-ha went through in her teens and twenties.”
Lastly, Park Jin-young said, “It shows the universal subject of love in magnified detail, like through a magnifying glass. Anyone who has been in love will be able to watch with empathy,” asking for viewers’ interest.
