omonatheydid | Ara eyes lead role in soccer drama (Reply)

After a brief rocky period for the producers, Go Ara’s name has risen as top contender to lead MBC’s soccer drama Heading to the Ground [맨 땅에 헤딩 -- and if anyone has a better translation, I'm all ears!].

The drama production had been imperilled once its lead star Kim Rae-won had to drop out to enlist in the army this year. I read last week that the production was having a hard time finding a replacement actor, and the tone of the news was not good for the drama.

Then, Han Ga-in announced that as a result of Kim Rae-won dropping out, she would not be taking on the lead role, either. She had not been confirmed, but had been seriously considering the role until Kim’s announcement, and now she has decided to decline.

Now Go Ara is looking to be the likeliest actress for the role. If she confirms, perhaps her attachment will help get casting back on track for the vacant male lead spot. DBSK idol singer U-Know Yunho (aka Jung Yun-ho) had been rumored to be considering the role, but almost as soon as those speculations started circulating, the production company came out to deny them as untrue.

I wasn’t too disappointed to hear of Han Ga-in dropping out of the running because she, while beautiful to look at, is a stiff actress at best. Seeing her try to emote opposite Jae Hee in Witch Amusement made me feel sorry for them both — she because her limitations were so clear, and he because he was trying his damnedest to carry them both (when the story could barely carry either one of them). It’s odd because I do like her for some weird reason, but I would not have enjoyed watching her dragging down Kim Rae-won. She has announced that she is still searching for her comeback drama project, hopefully to air sometime in the latter half of this year.

A drama production representative explained, “Go Ara is currently looking positively at this role, and it’s very possible that she will decide to take it.” If she does, she’ll be back on television a year after her last role in the heartwarmingly funny MBC drama Who Are You.

The plot is described as a love story between a soccer player and a beautiful agent. The drama is planning to air in September, although it’s amazing that it’s already the end of July and they’ve still got no main cast — as we know, rushing these productions rarely elicits a good result. Perhaps they’ll decide to take a little more time and give everyone proper time to prepare.

Source: My Daily, Asia Economy
Via: dramabeans