Cha Joo Young And Lee Hyun Wook Talk About Playing Husband And Wife In "The Queen Who Crowns"

Jan 05, 2025

Cha Joo Young and Lee Hyun Wook have shared their thoughts on working together for tvN’s upcoming drama “The Queen Who Crowns”!

“The Queen Who Crowns” will tell the story of the fiery life of Queen Won Gyeong, a kingmaker who dreamed of a new world in the early days of the Joseon dynasty and made her husband, Lee Bang Won, a king with whom she shared the power of the throne. Although she was described in historical records only as “King Taejong’s wife” or “Mrs. Min” without her full name, the drama will reimagine history from the perspective of Queen Won Gyeong, who lived an independent life without losing herself in spite of devastating betrayals and harsh reality.

Cha Joo Young of “The Glory” will star as Queen Won Gyeong, marking her first foray into historical dramas, while Lee Hyun Wook will play her husband Lee Bang Won.

While “The Queen Who Crowns” marked the two actors’ first time working together, they both agreed that they had a lot of fun filming together—and that their teamwork on set was phenomenal.

As the chemistry between their characters is one of the highlights of the upcoming drama, Cha Joo Young shared, “I looked at Bang Won from Won Gyeong’s perspective.” Describing the couple’s relationship, she remarked, “Because they started out as lovers who loved one another passionately, [Won Gyeong’s] resentment towards Bang Won doesn’t just stop at the typical feelings of sadness and disappointment towards a spouse. I think she even ends up feeling like he’s her mortal enemy.”

“However, because she once loved him deeply, I believe she also would have wanted to help him accomplish the things he dreamed of,” continued the actress. “It was hard to define Won Gyeong’s relationship with Bang Won from her perspective.”

In contrast to their characters’ tense and complex relationship, Cha Joo Young couldn’t say enough good things about her co-star.

“It was so fortunate that Lee Hyun Wook was the one playing Bang Won,” she said. “While we were preparing the script and communicating on set, I was able to learn from him in the areas in which I felt weakest. On set, Lee Hyun Wook laughs and talks with everyone right up until the moment we begin filming. I found that sort of thing hard, but thanks to him, I feel like I was able to fill the areas in which I was lacking. I’m sincerely grateful to him for helping me try many new things.”

Lee Hyun Wook also expressed his gratitude to Cha Joo Young, noting, “Won Gyeong and Bang Won had many scenes together, so I remember that we spent a lot of time talking to one another about many different things. Because Cha Joo Young came up with lots of different ideas and opinions, it was a lot of fun creating [our scenes] together, and because she is deeply considerate of her fellow actors, I was able to work even more comfortably with her.”

He went on to add, “Cha Joo Young is the essence of Won Gyeong herself.”