The highly anticipated Korean series premieres exclusively on Prime Video on October 19 across more than 240 countries and territories, with new episodes released weekly. The adaptation brings together Yim Siwan, known for Squid Game Seasons 2 and 3, Run On, and Strangers from Hell, and Seorina, who has appeared in Oh My Ghost Clients, Twinkling Watermelon, and Business Proposal.
With its mix of romance, comedy, thrills, and mistaken identities, Love in Disguise gives both actors the opportunity to step into characters different from some of their previous roles. We spoke to Yim Siwan and Seorina about bringing beloved web novel characters to life, making the roles their own, and navigating the expectations that come with an established fan base.
Q: When an adaptation has a passionate fan base, there is often a perfect version of a character in fans’ minds. Do you feel any pressure stepping into roles that already had a following, and how did you make these characters your own?
Yim Siwan: It could come across as pressure, but I just hope that viewers who were fans of the original web novel and are excited about our series won’t focus solely on how faithfully we adapted the original IP. Rather than sticking to the original story 100 per cent, we focused on creating vivid characters who feel like they live and breathe. We put a lot of effort into that. If you’re open to that approach, I think you’ll really enjoy and love the series. We hope you’ll look forward to it and that it will live up to your expectations.
Seorina: I thought about that, and the pressure was definitely there. It’s something you can’t ignore. But we still tried our best to create characters that are uniquely our own – Yoon Yi-jun and Kang Jae-hee. I hope how hard we tried will really show through, and that you’ll be able to watch the series in a more fascinating way.
Q: [For Seorina] What was the most interesting challenge about playing Jae-hee’s disguise?
Seorina: The interesting part was how people around me kept telling me that I literally looked like Jae-hee in disguise. Some people even mistook me for a guy. And sometimes, even when I’m disguised as a man, I still have to use the ladies’ room, right? One time, I even forgot that I had the disguise on and just walked into a ladies’ room, and some people there started screaming. That was definitely a memorable moment. As for the difficult part, nothing really comes to mind right now – I just had a lot of fun overall.
Q: [For Yim Siwan] You’ve played a wide range of characters. What made you want to explore Yoon Yi-jun, and what felt most different about him compared with your previous roles?
Yim Siwan: If I were to compare Yi-jun with the other characters I’ve played, I’d say he is the most multifaceted. He has so many sides and colours to showcase, and so many charms to offer, so he was really fascinating in that aspect. When I first read the script and saw this character, I felt that if I could pull him off properly, he could turn out to be one of the most charming and attractive characters I’ve ever played. That’s why I wanted to explore this character and decided to join the project.
Q: [For Seorina] You’ve portrayed characters with strong personalities in previous works. What was a new challenge for you when bringing Kang Jae-hee to life?
Seorina: Early on in the show, I tried to dial it back as much as possible, especially in certain scenes. In my previous roles, I mostly played bubbly, perky characters, but Jae-hee is not like that. It was my first time trying a character like this, so it was a new challenge for me. I really wanted to bring a detailed and nuanced quality to that understated acting, so I asked the director, the writer, and Siwan for advice.
Q: [For Yim Siwan] Yi-jun has everything from power to status. What do you think he lacks the most?
Yim Siwan: At first glance, Yi-jun might look like a person who has everything he needs, but my understanding of him is that, once you look closely, he lacks a lot of things – much more than anybody else. Aside from the fact that he is wealthy, I think he is deprived in many ways. He’s thirsty for love, both love for humanity and connection with others, and I think he’s really struggling to protect himself. I would say what he lacks the most is emotion. He’s emotionally deprived.
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Images courtesy of Prime Video.