'Casting meddling' claim stirs musical scene

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

Entertainment & Arts

Thu, November 30, 2023 | 09:25

Theater & Others

'Casting meddling' claim stirs musical scene

Posted : 2022-06-24 09:07

Updated : 2022-06-26 14:58

From left are musical actors Kolleen Park, Choi Jung-won, Nam Kyeong-ju and Lee Gun-myung during a press conference for the musical "Next to Normal" in May in Seoul. Newsis

By Dong Sun-hwa

The nation's musical scene is under a cloud of confusion and internal squabbling, following allegations that a big-name actress made producers cast her close acquaintances in a popular musical.

The chaos has driven veteran musical actors to issue a statement to call on actors to refrain from meddling in the casting process.

The controversy was sparked when it was revealed that actress Kim So-hyun would not appear in "Elisabeth," a story about Austrian Empress Elisabeth (1837-1898), which will hit the stage from Aug. 25 to Nov. 13 at the Blue Square in central Seoul to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its Seoul premiere.

Both Kim and singer-turned-musical star Ok Joo-hyun assumed the role of Elisabeth in the past, but Kim's name was not on the cast list this time. Instead, Lee Ji-hye, who has never played Elisabeth before, was announced as the actress who would alternate the role with Ok.

Numerous online users insisted that Kim was snubbed because Ok helped her close friend Lee take the role. Then, on June 14, actor and Ok's co-worker, Kim Ho-young fanned the flames, uploading an Instagram post presumably aimed at Ok.

"A rat race is a thing of the past," his post read. "Now, we are seeing an 'okjangpan.'" In Korean, okjangpan refers to an electric heating pad made up of jade, but in this case, Kim is believed to have used the word to slam actress Ok by equating her with a heating pad that treats people warmly only if they are her friends.

Musical actors Ok Joo-hyun, right, and Kim Ho-young / Capture from Instagram

Ok claimed it was a "groundless speculation" and that she has not been involved in the casting. She also filed a complaint against Kim Ho-young for defamation, June 20. That prompted Kim's management company, PLK Good Friends, to announce it would also "take strong action."

Against this backdrop, three veteran musical actors ― Kolleen Park, Choi Jung-won and Nam Kyeong-ju ― co-released a statement on Wednesday.

"We can no longer turn a blind eye to the ongoing legal issues," the statement reads. "Actors need to concentrate on acting without being involved in casting or other processes that production companies are in charge of. Production companies must treat all actors fairly, while staff members strive to guarantee the safety of actors on stage."

The three added that they feel a strong sense of responsibility for what is happening.

"To protect our musical stage, we will tackle injustice and join forces to right the wrong," they said. "We will be able to create a good piece only if we can self-correct ourselves."

A legion of big-name musical stars, including Cha Ji-yeon and Jeong Sun-ah, have shown their support for the three by sharing their statement on their social media accounts as well.

As the casting controversy grew, Ok dropped the complaint against Kim, Friday, denying her involvement through a statement. Then Kim called Ok and they "straightened out the misunderstanding" and agreed the two "will not make any further comment about the issue," according to Kim's agency.

sunhwadong@koreatimes.co.kr