Actress Do Ji-won (60) revealed the behind-the-scenes story of her participation in her life work ‘Women of the Dynasty’ after 23 years.
On the 11th, she appeared on the MBC entertainment show ‘Radio Star - Actor’s World’ and confessed, “In fact, I almost didn’t participate in ‘Women of the Dynasty’,” surprising everyone.
‘Women of the Dynasty’ was a national drama that recorded a viewership rating of 49% during its airing, and the character she played, Lady Gyeongbin Park, also made a new history for ‘villains’ and achieved mega-hit success.
Do Ji-won recalled, “Before ‘Women of the Dynasty’, I had decided not to do historical dramas because of the difficult filming of the historical drama ‘Ilchulbong’ in the middle of winter,” adding, “I repeatedly declined the director’s continued offers to cast me. But the director even contacted my mother to persuade me to participate.”
Do Ji-won ultimately decided to meet the director in person to convey her refusal, but after reading the script he provided, she fell in love with it and decided to participate immediately.
She explained, “Originally, ‘Women of the Dynasty’ was supposed to be 50 episodes. I was supposed to die around the 20th episode, but it got extended,” adding, “I expected an extension of 4 to 6 episodes, but suddenly they said they would add 50 more. So I didn’t die until the 100th episode. But then it got extended again to 150 episodes.”
At the time of airing, Do Ji-won received poison and died in episode 123. She shared, “The filming site was crowded with reporters, and there were boxes of cola and herbal medicine stacked for the poison scene,” and added, “After filming the poison scene, I heard a popping sound in my ears.”
Earlier, Do Ji-won also expressed her struggles due to the famous line from ‘Women of the Dynasty’, “What is it?” She mentioned in the past on KBS2’s entertainment talk show ‘Happy Together 3’, “When I first received the script, it wasn’t such a strong role, but I felt like I had to be fierce, so I made Gyeongbin that way,” and said, “As I acted that role for a long time, my personality also seemed to end up like that.”
She continued, “I have an introverted personality, but playing a strong role honestly gives me a lot of stress. I really feel sick. Even when I come home, I have aftereffects. It’s painful because I have to practice.”
Meanwhile, Do Ji-won, a former ballerina, was a direct senior to Kang Soo-jin before her debut. She humbly stated, “I entered school early. Since we practiced together in the ballet company, I saw (Kang Soo-jin) a lot. I entered Hanyang University’s dance department and was lucky enough to join the National Ballet Company. I was fortunate,” and mentioned that she is currently unmarried.
