Behind the Scenes: 15 Million Viewers of ‘The King and I’ with Jang Hyun-seong and Jang Young-nam

Photo: MBN

[Sports Today reporter Kim Tae-hyung] Actors Jang Hyun-sung and Jang Young-nam served up a masterclass in polished, witty conversation on Kim Joo-ha’s Day & Night.

On the March 28 broadcast of MBN’s Kim Joo-ha’s Day & Night, the pair energized living rooms with an expansive conversation. They shared behind-the-scenes anecdotes from the 15‑million‑ticket hit The Man Who Lives With the King and fond memories of working with Park Bo-gum, Park Bo-young and Hwang Jung-min.

Currently co-starring in the play The French Vault, Jang Hyun-sung and Jang Young-nam are senior and junior alumni of the Seoul Institute of the Arts’ theater department. Jang Hyun-sung explained that he’s been close with director Jang Jin for 30 years and that having veteran actor Shin Goo in the cast made the project something he felt he had to do. Jang Young-nam described Shin Goo as “my tear button,” confessing that his passion often moved her to tears and reflection, a revelation that brought a poignant moment to the program.

Jang Hyun-sung also reflected on long stretches of hardship, recalling how he and director Jang Jin relied on classmate and fellow filmmaker Jang Hang-jun for support during tough times. “Jang Hang-jun is funny no matter what he does,” he said, offering candid and amusing observations about the director’s acting guidance after roughly eight collaborations together.

The two exchanged anecdotes that live up to their reputation as “death-specialist” actors. Jang Hyun-sung, who played a one‑minute death in the 15‑million‑ticket The Man Who Lives With the King, said he had a premonition when Jang Hang-jun called and told him, “You’ll know when you show up,” and he found a life‑sized dummy waiting on set — a moment that had the audience laughing.

Jang Hyun-sung admitted the torture scenes in The Man Who Lives With the King were brutal to film and joked, “He said he wouldn’t let it slide if the film flopped,” before expressing genuine pride in Jang Hang-jun’s box‑office success.

Jang Young-nam described the practical challenges of “playing dead,” confessing that once she couldn’t shoot because her eyes kept moving. On the reshoot, nerves prompted her to take half a sleeping pill; the scene went fine, she said, but she amusingly revealed that she talked in her sleep during the shoot.

Early in her theater career, Jang Young-nam recalled, audience feedback once said, “That actress’s voice is unpleasant to listen to,” exposing a longtime insecurity about her low voice that drew sympathetic comment from host Kim Joo-ha. She said she has played about 30 different mothers onstage and singled out Park Bo-gum and Park Bo-young as among the most beautiful performers she’s worked with. She also credited Hwang Jung-min on Ode to My Father for helping her get into character by affectionately calling her “mom” throughout filming, despite his greater age and experience.

The conversation shifted to personal stories. Jang Hyun-sung described how his wife — a junior from school — initially didn’t appeal to him, but when he realized how much attention she got from other male classmates, he began to see her differently. He said he fell in love when, at a street food stall, she quietly removed the bones from a grilled saury for him.

Jang Young-nam shared a romantic anecdote: at a wrap party for a play, her husband — a handsome company junior seven years her junior — surprised her with a letter that read, “I’m sorry for liking you,” a gesture she described as utterly charming.

Jang Hyun-sung also revealed that the father who once forbade him from acting — warning, “If you’re going to act, remove your name from the family register” — had actually performed in theater himself. He noted that his younger son is now active in his school’s drama club, pointing to a family acting DNA. He said he often drinks with his two adult sons and enjoys being a “dad who’s also a friend.” The pair closed by thanking the three Day & Night hosts for their warm welcome and wrapping the conversation in a congenial atmosphere.

Meanwhile, MBN’s issue‑maker talk show Kim Joo-ha’s Day & Night will air episode 19 on April 4 at 9:40 PM.

[Sports Today reporter Kim Tae-hyung ent@stoo.com]
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