By Lee Gyu-lee
Suho, of K-pop group EXO, has ventured into the period drama genre for the first time in his acting career, with a turn in MBN’s romantic comedy series Missing Crown Prince – which concluded with a viewership rating of 5.1 per cent on June 16.
“That’s how much effort I’ve put into it, so I have no regrets or disappointments. I feel relieved and much lighter at heart. However, it doesn’t mean I’m completely satisfied. I will identify my shortcomings and areas for improvement as I move on to the next step.”
When Yi witnesses a scandal in the palace that jeopardises his position as the crown prince, he is forced to flee, with Choi by his side to assist. Despite their initial misunderstandings, the two develop an unexpected romance while navigating royal politics and dangers to save his father, his throne and their own lives.
The 20-part series was led by famous director Kim Jin-man, who previously worked on smash-hit series like Kill Me, Heal Me (2015) and The Greatest Love (2011).
Suho said the director played a big part in getting him to take on his first period series.
“I initially aimed to tackle historical dramas once I gained more experience, focusing for now on lighter characters. However, when I learned that the director of Kill Me, Heal Me would be leading the project, I became interested,” he said.
Suho also noted that after the series started airing, he began to be recognised by older viewers.
“It appealed to me that the historical genre series has a dedicated middle-aged viewership, which was one of the reasons I decided to join this project … thanks to more [older viewers] recognising me, I believe I will be able to take on more future projects as well.”
The singer-actor said he studied countless period dramas to shadow the tone and dialect specific to the genre.
“I think I watched all the series’ with the crown prince character that came out over the past two years. When I first decided to do a historical series, I felt overwhelmed … I thought of the historical genre dialect as a new language.
“So I recited my lines over 100 times and practised them in different versions, working with the director to find the best tone and delivery,” he says, adding that his character allowed him to experience deeper emotions.
“Yi sacrifices himself a lot. Reading the script, I often thought, ‘Does he really have to carry this much?’ or ‘Could such a person really exist in this world?’ … .
“Because I had to portray extreme emotions in extreme situations, I think my expressions have broadened and deepened. I feel I’ve grown a lot through this project.”