omonatheydid | Top and Seung-ri in telecinema project “19″ (Reply)

I kind of love how overly dramatic Big Bang’s TOP and Seung-ri are in these photos from their latest project, the Korea-Japan omnibus telecinema co-production.

Their installment of the ten-segment television-and-film project is called “19″ and had an open set on their Seoul shooting location on May 20.

Seven installments in the telecinema production have been produced, and two more will follow this one. 19 is described as a suspense drama, and the plot focuses on three nineteen-year-olds who run away together following a murder. It will air on SBS in the fall.

19 is written by Inoue Yumiko (of the original Japanese White Tower) and directed by Jang Yong-woo.

At the open set, TOP explained how he’s had good luck with female co-stars thus far in his acting career — Park Min-young (I Am Sam), Kim Tae-hee (the upcoming IRIS), and Kim So-yeon (also IRIS), for example.

Not to be mean — just being honest, honest! — I don’t think the luck extends to 19, because co-star Heo Yi-jae is one awful, awful actress. Not just limited in range or awkward with emotion, but flat-out horrid. I tried to make excuses for her in Goong S because I was committed to finishing that series for some inexplicable reason (although really, her casting alongside Se7en in that one was just a double-whammy of painful forced acting). But she was just as bad in her follow-up (and, I thought, miscast alongside Oh Ji-ho) in Single Papa in Love.

Director Jang Yong-woo explained that both TOP and Seung-ri would be making the project’s theme song. He said, “I usually don’t like rap, but they really did a great job.”

(I recall reading that 19 had formerly attached director Hwang In-roi and Sandara Park, but that must have changed at some point. It’s too bad, because I was looking forward to seeing another PD Hwang project — he turned Goong and Return of Iljimae into lush, cinematically beautiful pieces.)