| Actress Mun Ka-young and actor-singer Cha Eun-woo pose for photos during an online media conference for the TV series "True Beauty," Wednesday. / Courtesy of tvN |
By Lee Gyu-lee
When news of the TV adaptation of the hit web comic series "True Beauty" broke out, many were eager to discover the cast, hoping they would be the "right fit" for their beloved fictional characters.
The story about a girl's drastic makeover has garnered huge popularity since launching in 2018 and being available in over 100 countries, including the United States, Japan and France. Worldwide, it has accumulated over 4 billion views.
Actress Mun Ka-young and actor-singer Cha Eun-woo, who play the lead characters in the "True Beauty" TV series, spoke about the pressure they were under while working on the adaptation.
"It was a huge pressure to play the character, as the original web comic has been so popular," Mun said during an online media conference for the show, Wednesday. "The least I could do was to take how the viewers see this character and put it into my style of acting."
The series follows high school girl Im Joo-kyeong (Mun), who is the "prettiest girl" in the school. But no one knows that she looks very different without makeup.
| Scenes from the series / Courtesy of tvN |
One day, her double-life is discovered by Lee Soo-ho (Cha), the most popular boy in her school. She finds herself attracted to him as she tries to keep her secret.
Cha said he was also overwhelmed playing his role.
"It would be a lie if I said I didn't feel the pressure because Soo-ho is depicted as such a 'perfect guy' in the web comics," he said. "But I think there are some parts (of the character) that could only be expressed through the TV series."
Mun has to portray two looks with her character ― her gorgeous made-up face and her bare, acne-riddled face. Joo-kyeong used to be made fun of for her appearance, which triggered her obsession with beauty.
"The director and I went through a few tries to carefully decide on the makeup effects that would best suit the character," Mun said. "It was very important to look convincing, so the viewers can understand how important her makeup is to her."
The show is directed by Kim Sang-hyub, whose previous work is the series "Extraordinary You." He said the story has a deeper message than being just another teen romance series.
"When I first encountered the web comic, I thought it was just about a high school girl fantasizing to become pretty through makeup," he said. "But after reading it, I felt that her suffering is more universal, resembling the struggles and unfairness people face in their daily lives.
"This is a cheery, refreshing teen romance but it is also about Joo-kyeong's coming of age through her difficulties."
"True Beauty" is set to air on Dec. 9.