[Yetterview ②] Kim Hee-won "clearly wrong" with Bae Seong-wu's casting controversy for "Drunk Driving"

Director Kim Hee-won (photo = Walt Disney Company Korea)

Actor Kim Hee-won, who debuted as a director, revealed the background of casting his colleague Bae Seong-woo, who dropped out of his work due to drunk driving in the past, in a "light shop."

An interview with Kim Hee-won, the director of the Disney+ original series "Light Shop," was held at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul on the morning of the 20th.

Based on Kang Pul's webtoon of the same name, "The Lighting Shop" is a drama about people who stand at the boundary between life and death who find the only lighting shop at the end of a dark alley.

It is Kim Hee-won's first series director and stars actors Joo Ji-hoon, Park Bo-young, Bae Seong-woo, Um Tae-gu, Lee Jung-eun, Kim Min-ha, Park Hyuk-kwon, Kim Dae-myung and Kim Seol-hyun.

Kim Hee-won was controversial for casting Bae Seong-woo, who caused a stir by drunk driving in 2021. Bae Seong-woo, who appears as a detective in the

play, is a person who has keen observation and intuition, and feels the weirdness of a 'light shop'.

Actor Bae Seong-woo (photo = Walt Disney Plus Korea)

In an interview on this day, Kim Hee-won said, "Of course, driving under the influence was too bad. It will be a lifelong burden to Bae Seong-wu. But since he's only been acting all his life, he can't quit," he said, expressing his honest thoughts.

He also said, "We were very close, so I said, 'Are you crazy?' at the time. And he said strongly, 'If you do it for once, I won't look at you,' and 'It was a stupid thing to do for your life.'

"After that happened, Bae Seong-woo went to a meal, and he didn't drink and just drove, but someone took a picture of him. So, he said he went to the police station on his own and took a breathalyzer test in case he was misunderstood.

"After the drinking incident, Bae Sung-woo walked for 10 hours every day for two years. I personally think I reflected a lot, and it was hard for me when I saw it from the side," he confessed.

"The Lighting Shop," which released all episodes on the 18th, was a box office success as it ranked second in the world wide (based on Netflix Patrol) in the Disney+ TV show category.

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