Actor Uhm Jung-Hwa. Courtesy of CGV Pictures

Actor Uhm Jung-Hwa recalled the moment when she had to swallow her disappointment over the release of ‘Okay Madam’ due to the impact of COVID-19.

In an interview with Sports Kyunghyang held at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 4th, Uhm Jung-Hwa said, “It really feels like the will of heaven that we were able to make ‘Okay Madam 2’.”

‘Okay Madam 2’ is a comic action film in which the family of Lee Mi-Young (Uhm Jung-Hwa), who embark on a luxury cruise, become entangled in an unexpected incident. Following the previous installment, Uhm Jung-Hwa, Park Sung-Woong, Lee Sang-Yun, and Bae Jung-Nam reunite, with Park Jin-Ju, Ryeoun, and Choi Soo-Young newly joining.

Uhm Jung-Hwa recalled how the first film, released in August 2020, lost its box-office momentum as it coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic.

She said, “Within five days of the release, the COVID situation became severe and social distancing was implemented. We reached 1.22 million admissions and, thinking ‘At this pace, we really could meet a lot of moviegoers,’ we even inflated 2-million balloons, but we could not go through with it,” and added, “So in the end, I cried. It was a situation no one could have predicted.”

Regarding having made it to a second season despite adversity, Uhm Jung-Hwa said, “Even when we were doing the first film, I had the hope that ‘if we make it well, it would continue as a series’,” and expressed her affection: “‘Okay Madam 2’ is truly a precious work to me. I think that only if this film does well can we move on to a third installment.”