The writer of SBS’s upcoming drama “The Judge from Hell” has shared her thoughts on its leading actors!
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“The Judge from Hell” is a new fantasy romance drama starring Park Shin Hye as Kang Bit Na, a demon from hell who has entered the body of a judge. After meeting the compassionate detective Han Da On (Kim Jae Young), who works hard at his job in a reality harsher than hell, Kang Bit Na embarks on a journey to becoming a true judge.
Expressing her immense satisfaction with the drama’s casting, writer Jo Yi Soo recalled, “I first heard the news of Park Shin Hye’s casting over the phone, while I was working on the script. I forced myself to stay calm while wrapping up the phone call, but as soon as I hung up, I let out a scream of joy.”
“I was so grateful to Park Shin Hye for choosing a script by a rookie writer that I can’t fully express it in words,” she continued, “and I became resolute and made up my mind to work even harder on the script so that [the drama] wouldn’t be a blemish on her reputation as an actress. I also remember making up my mind that, since I’d received such a huge blessing, I needed to live my life as an even kinder person.”
Jo Yi Soo went on, “Kim Jae Young left a strong impression on me in the drama ‘Reflection of You.’ Maybe it’s because I was an avid viewer who always tuned in to watch the drama when it aired on television and who became particularly immersed in the character played by Kim Jae Young, but when I heard that he would be playing the role of Han Da On, I was extremely happy and delighted. I thought to myself, ‘Now that the casting is this perfect, all that remains is for me to do a good job.’”
In terms of how the actors fit their respective characters, Jo Yi Soo remarked, “Kang Bit Na is an extremely unusual and multifaceted character. She stands at the center of the story, and she is connected to a wide variety of characters and leads the entire plot. So it was particularly important to cast an actress with exceptional acting talent. Although she is a demon, I wanted there to be something unexpected about her, so I had always hoped that she would be played by an actor who looked kind and pure.
“On the day I first met Park Shin Hye, it felt like I was finally meeting Kang Bit Na, who had always been hazily veiled in a layer of fog when I imagined her in the script. To me, Park Shin Hye is Kang Bit Na, and Kang Bit Na is Park Shin Hye.”
As for Kim Jae Young, the writer commented, “Han Da On is a character who is caring on the outside, but on the inside, he has painful wounds. At the same time, he is constantly suspicious of Kang Bit Na and tracking her down, so he plays an extremely important role in our drama. He also needs to have an energy that, even as a human, enables him to stand up to demon Kang Bit Na. Because of that, he’s a character that’s very tricky and difficult to play. While I was writing the script, I imagined Han Da On’s gaze as sometimes fierce, sometimes warm, sometimes sorrowful, sometimes playful, and sometimes like a rain-soaked puppy.”
“When I saw Kim Jae Young, his gaze was exactly the Han Da On I’d imagined,” she continued. “I myself am really looking forward to the deep gaze of Kim Jae Young, who will express the complicated Han Da On’s feelings in a wide variety of ways.”
“The Judge from Hell” will air its first two episodes on September 21 at 9:50 p.m. KST.
