‘Master of Melodrama’ Director An Pan-seok returns with a drama about mergers and acquisitions. The card he has presented is Lee Jae-hoon, who has transformed with gray hair. Director An expressed his satisfaction, saying, “The synchronization between the actor and the character is perfect.”
The new JTBC weekend drama ‘The Art of Negotiation’ (directed by An Pan-seok, written by Lee Seung-young, produced by B&A Entertainment, SLL, Drama House Studio) will premiere on March 8 at 10:30 PM, depicting the activities of a corporate M&A expert known as a legendary negotiator and his team.
Director An revealed, “Usually, when choosing or starting a project, I sit down with the writer from a zero base to devise the story,” but he stated that ‘The Art of Negotiation’ was different.
“‘The Art of Negotiation’ is the first project I chose after reading a completed script,” he said, adding, “I thought the story would work and that it would present conflicts worth exploring.” He continued, “So I jumped at the opportunity. This is the first time in my history of making dramas,” sharing the moment he was captivated.
Regarding ‘The Art of Negotiation,’ Director An commented, “Unlike the dramas I have done in recent years, this is a bit of a hard-boiled drama. Rather than dealing with soft romance, it feels like a war over money, and I found it very refreshing to be doing something like this after a long time.”
He holds the belief that “all dramas must be real,” emphasizing that “the starting point of all dramas is realism, so viewers should not feel that the work is fake when watching it.”
He expressed deep trust in the actors who will create the world of An Pan-seok’s M&A. “Kim Dae-myung (playing Oh Soon-young) has a gentle and soft appearance, yet there is a definite intensity. There’s no need to mention how well Seong Dong-il (playing Song Jae-sik), Jang Hyun-seong (playing Ha Tae-soo), and Oh Man-seok (playing Lee Dong-jun) perform. I hope viewers pay attention to the realistic performances of the 20-something newcomers Ahn Hyun-ho (playing Kwak Min-jeong) and Cha Gang-yoon (playing Choi Jin-soo), who are not clichéd.”
In particular, regarding Lee Jae-hoon (playing Yoon Joo-no), who has made a bold style transformation with gray hair, he said, “From the moment he arrived on set until the end, he has been living as Yoon Joo-no. Without a doubt, Lee Jae-hoon is the key point of interest in our drama. Please look forward to everything about his acting and appearance.”
Lee Jae-hoon, who has been a passionate fan of Director An Pan-seok, expressed his overwhelming feelings, saying, “As soon as I heard that the director was directing this project, I wanted to participate immediately. I am grateful and honored to meet the best staff in Korea through this work, and it has been a series of ecstatic moments.”
