4 Takeaways From Choi Min-ho's Press Conference For 'The Fabulous'

Emily in Paris has met its K-drama match with Netflix's latest offering, The Fabulous, starring Choi Min-ho and Chae Soo-bin as exes - and best friends - who still have feelings for one another. Also starring Lee Sang-woo and Park Hee-jung, the show takes viewers inside the gritty yet glamorous world of fashion, promising a spicy love triangle, strong lead characters, and lots of high-drama moments. BAZAAR sat in on the virtual press conference for the show, emceed by South Korean comedian and actress Park Kyeong-rim, to learn more about the inspirations behind the characters, the chemistry between them, and what else viewers can expect from the star-studded show.

Tell us about the characters and the show.

Park Kyeong-rim: Min-ho, you take on the role of Ji Woo-min. I’m very curious to know more about him. Can you tell us about him, please?

Choi Min-ho: Ji Woo-min is my character in The Fabulous. I’m kind of shy to tell you this because there’s so many cameras in front of me, but I am a photographer in the show. A lot of people take my pictures so I tried to study the role of photographer. So I’m a professional photographer in the show and he is actually quite far from me because he has everything except passion. He’s not really eager, he doesn’t have a lifelong goal. But he has a lot of thoughts inside him, and as he meets with Ji-eun, he witnesses some personal growth. 

Park Kyeong-rim: I was really surprised because you are one of the most passionate people in the world, but Ji Woo-min has everything but passion. So, how could you relate to this character?

Choi Min-ho: That’s true. So I thought of him as someone opposite to me, and it was easier that way. So I thought, if this was someone opposite to me, how would he act? But then, because I had so many thoughts about him, it became more challenging. It became entangled and twisted. So I talked a lot with the director, we conversed a lot to try to build this character, Ji Woo-min.

Park Kyeong-rim: And I think Ji-eun and Woo-min are in a very special relationship. How did you act, what did you think their relationship was? 

Chae Soo-bin: They are first love to each other, and they were not frank towards their feelings because they are first love. And they’re also friends. That’s how I thought of their relationship.

Choi Min-ho: I think my character felt difficult because he couldn’t be frank towards Ji-eun. He wanted to be courageous but he couldn’t pull up his courage for Ji-eun. So sometimes, you can’t really do anything about Ji-eun but they felt very at home, being together.

Park Kyeong-rim: So you guys talked a lot through the shoot, right?

Choi Min-ho: At first, we are all very shy people including myself, so all four of us were very shy. So we were together for ten minutes and we wouldn’t say a word because we’re all so shy and introverted. It was in the very very cold winter but I would sweat because I felt very nervous with this new crowd of people. But director Kim helped us out. Director Kim said, you guys are like friends, so you guys should use the casual form of conversation in Korea. And then we became pretty close and we talked a lot together. And director Kim said we shouldn’t talk so much.

Park Kyeong-rim: It might take longer to become closer to people, but once you get close to people, you can really be with them, right?

Choi Min-ho: Yes, exactly. 

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What about building chemistry between the characters?

Reporter: Hello, I’m from OSEN. I have a question for Min-ho, Soo-bin, and Hee-jung. In the beginning, you said that you were very shy and introverted. Then you became friends, right? Min-ho and Soo-bin, you two are ex boyfriend and girlfriend and there are some very hot steamy scenes and kiss scenes. How did you build your chemistry for those scenes and it was your first time working together with one another so how did you feel about that? Hee-jung, you are a model and this is your very first foray into acting. So was it better because your first role was a model? And also, your senior model Jang Yoon-ju is also an actor and a model. Is that the way forward for you, and how do you think about that, director Kim?

Park Kyeong-rim: Wow, a lot of questions from one press member. Now, let’s take the first question about Min-ho and Soo-bin, about your chemistry. 

Choi Min-ho: Yes, this is my first time working with Soo-bin. And I said this a lot, you know, she’s such a nice person. We had a lot of shoots in the very cold winter but she never said anything about being dissatisfied or anything. She’s always so nice, to all of us. I want to once again say that I thank her. we are ex girlfriend and boyfriend in the show but there are some steamy scenes as well. I hope that a lot of fans are looking forward to our show, but maybe our best and best of friends should not watch the show because there are some steamy scenes. Director Kim did such a good job of filming those scenes, and that’s about it.

Park Kyeong-rim: Alright, what about you, Soo-bin? What was your chemistry with Min-ho like?

Chae Soo-bin: This was my first time meeting and working together with Min-ho. And as you said before, he was so energetic on set. He was the life of the party and he would lead the atmosphere on set. Sometimes it could be physically challenging but he’s also looking out for others, caring for others. He’s such a nice person, so I felt very comfortable and at home on set. Thanks to him. 

Park Kyeong-rim: The steamy scenes, because it was your first time meeting each other, wasn’t it kind of awkward? 

Chae Soo-bin: Yes, it was awkward, it wasn’t easy. When I read the script, all the way until the actual shoot, I was quite concerned about those scenes. But I think I feel the same way about Min-ho, I hope everyone watches our show, but not my family and my very close friends. Maybe they can just skip those parts. 

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What's special about the show?

Reporter: I am from StarNews. Sang-woon and Hee-jung auditioned for the show, and Soo-bin and Min-ho read the script before being cast. What do you think is the charming point of this show, and how did you prepare for your roles? Hee-jung told us already, but Sang-woon danced to the song Roly-Poly at the audition, but I’m sure he had other charms. Why did you cast Sang-woon? This is a question for director Kim.

Park Kyeong-rim: Why did you choose this show, what do you think is mesmerizing about the show? Soo-bin?

Chae Soo-bin: When I read the script, I felt that it was not conventional. There were some characters that felt very new. And the storyline was also very fresh, that’s why I had so much fun reading the script. And all the characters were so lovable, there’s no character that you’ll hate. I felt that as I was shooting, too. So it was really a no brainer for me. 

Choi Min-ho: I thought the script was totally a page turner. It’s really about the young people so I think the keyword is personal growth. That was what really appealed to me. I’m in this field, the entertainment industry, so I thought this was a true snapshot of this industry. So if I do well and pull off my character, the show is going to be really fun. So I really wanted the part.

And how did you prepare for your roles?

Choi Min-ho: For me, because I’m a professional photographer in the show, I learned photography from a professional photographer, like how to use the computer and camera. And I think the emotions were really important for my character, so I wanted to make sure that the viewers can follow my flow of emotions. Sometimes I could be explicit, sometimes not as explicit. So that’s how I prepared for my character. Please look out for my character.

Park Kyeong-rim: You’ve had your youth, and I’m sure you could really relate to your characters. So let’s hear about that, starting with Sang-woon.

Lee Sang-woon: As I was playing this role, I could really relate to how we all face the challenges and we try to get over them and make it through them on our own. But we have each other in the show, we have tight friends who have our backs. When I was younger, I thought I had to just shoulder all the burden on my own, but I think I changed. Now I rely more on my friends in real life. So that was one thing I could really relate to. 

Chae Soo-bin: We don’t start as seasoned veterans, we start out as novices and we have to go through our trial and error to grow in our career. There are times when things don’t go as we envisioned, and there are those challenges and difficulties we face at work. So I could really relate to that, what this Ji-eun character was going through. And Sang-woon just said that we are not alone and we have people around us who will help us go through and overcome the difficulties. I really liked that part about the character.

Choi Min-ho: As we chase our life goals and dreams, we go through rocky stages, we have to go through numerous failures. And those failures really help us grow, help the characters grow. I could relate to that, and that’s what I wanted to convey to the audiences.

Park Hee-jung: I feel like they already said what I wanted to say. These fresh novices who grow. When you think about youth, I think they often lose themselves. It’s important for them to get a lot of energy from the people around them and learning to protect themselves is an important part of the youth years. I hope the audiences will feel the same way as they watch these characters. 

The Fabulous is now airing on Netflix.