[HanCinema's News] Han Ji-hyun Talks About "Cheer Up"

In a recent interview, Han Ji-hyun described "Cheer Up" as an unforgettable experience. Despite having fairly low ratings throughout its run, and constant preemptions due to various events, "Cheer Up" has been a topic of interest due to the exposure the drama has provided for its younger rising stars. This includes Han Ji-hyun, who became a prominent figure thanks to her role in "The Penthouse" series of dramas as the daughter of the character played by Lee Ji-ah.

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In "Cheer Up" Han Ji-hyun took on the role of Hae-i, a college student embroiled in a love triangle with characters played by Bae In-hyuk and Kim Hyun-jin-I. Despite the light-hearted sounding nature of the premise, Han Ji-hyun thought the script was sincere, and noted many similarities between her character and her own real personality. The only real difference Han Ji-hyun saw was her character's family life, with many of the events feeling like plausible experiences for her.

Despite fans in comments continuing to refer to Han Ji-hyun as the name of her character from "The Penthouse" rather than her real name, Han Ji-hyun was still thankful for that experience. Regarding her "Cheer Up" love triangle, Han Ji-hyun said that her character liked Bae In-hyuk's character from the beginning. Despite his moments, Han Ji-hyun said that Kim Hyun-jin-I's character lacked likable points, and admitted that she put less effort into his scenes than Bae In-hyuk's.

Han Ji-hyun credited the popularity of Kim Hyun-jin-I's character with fans as being thanks to his having a better musical score, also admitting that his character was better in person than on paper. Of course, her big kiss scene with Bae In-hyuk was also popular- and took three hours just for rehearsel alone. The actual scene was quite cold and unpleasant. The focus on realism and romance and getting it just right got bolstered with a real rainbow during filming.

Han Ji-hyun also stated that there were many ad libs during filming. Han Ji-hyun often improvised lines with her mother, who was played by Jang Young-nam. Han Ji-hyun claims that Jang Young-nam taught her quite a bit, was a lot of fun to work with, and very helpful in situations where the best laid plans didn't work out. "Cheer Up" ended on December 13th with ratings of 2.2%.

Written by William Schwartz

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"Cheer Up" is directed by Han Tae-seob, written by Cha Hae-won, and features Han Ji-hyun, Bae In-hyuk, Kim Hyun-jin-I, Jang Gyuri, Lee Jung-jun, Han Su-a. Broadcasting information in Korea: 2022/10/03~2022/12/13, Mon, Tue 22:00 on SBS.