Lee Min Ho’s Casting in “Gangnam 1970” Was All Thanks to the Director’s Wife?

On December 12, during the press conference for the upcoming film “Gangnam 1970,” (Gangnam Blues) director Yoo Ha revealed the behind-the-scenes story of the reason he cast actor Lee Min Ho for his production.

The director explained, “There was an external pressure to cast Lee Min Ho. It was the same in Jo In Sung’s case, but I had a hard time at home because of the brainwashing and pressure that I have to use Lee Min Ho as the lead. My wife is a huge fan of Lee Min Ho. At one point, after being pestered for two years, I came to accept that it was my fate to work with Lee Min Ho,” causing laughter.

The director also talked about his honest first impression of Lee Min Ho. The actor first shared, “The director actually told me before that he has never liked me,” as he laughed.

Director Yoo Ha then confessed, “To be honest, I thought Lee Min Ho was greasy after seeing ‘Boys Over Flowers.’ He’s so good looking that I thought he needs to have a flaw, but he was like a manhwa (comic) character. He starts off as the role of a junk dealer in our movie. I wondered if the hero of a manhwa would be able to pull off being a junk dealer. But when working with ‘flower boy’ actors, there’s quite a big effect in completely transforming their image. I thought it would be a good idea to drop Lee Min Ho’s second-generation chaebol heir image to the floor as a low-life. That’s why I thought of casting Lee Min Ho.”

Meanwhile, “Gangnam 1970” is scheduled to premiere in theaters on January 21.