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| Actors Kang So-ra, right, and Jang Seung-jo pose during a press conference for ENA's new romance legal series "Strangers Again," held in Mapo District, Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of ENA |
By Lee Gyu-lee
Actress Kang So-ra has picked up her first series in six years with ENA's new romantic comedy series "Strangers Again," since her last small screen piece "Revolutionary Love" in 2017.
"I felt more nervous than when I made my debut. Since I've taken time off (from my career), I was afraid if I could get back on track when I started working again," the actress said during a press conference for the series, held in Mapo District, Seoul, Jan. 18.
The new series, which premiered on the day of the conference, revolves around a successful, celebrity lawyer, Oh Ha-ra (Kang), who specializes in divorce cases. She has gone through a divorce herself with another lawyer, Ku Eun-beom (Jang Seung-jo).
Since the split, she is eager to find a new romance, but luck isn't on her side when her ex-husband ends up becoming her colleague at the law firm she works for.
The series is led by Kim Yang-hee, who co-directed tvN's hit series "Our Blues," and is written by newcomer Park Sa-rang.
Kang said that she was intrigued by the story as it aligns with her philosophy of love.
"When you see romance pieces and read fairytales, they all end with 'the two lived happily ever after.' But in my opinion, the real love is what comes after that," she said. "I don't think the start of true love is about how the love starts and the two get married, but is about how you maintain that love and overcome obstacles. And this series is about that, and it came to me as very interesting."
The director noted that this series intends to send a message about having flaws.
"We tried to set ourselves apart from other romance series centering on a couple who get married and break up. I wanted to portray a couple, who seem to be mature adults, struggling and being imperfect when it comes to love," she said. "We all live as adults but we're also not so mature. I hope this series can send a message that it's okay to be imperfect."
This is the first acting work since Kang got married in 2020 and had a child a year later. She said her experience of married life helped her create her character.
"I came to think more deeply about love (after getting married). Because the impact of breaking up when married is different from that when you are just dating. And I was able to create those details and fall deeper into (the character)," she said.
"Strangers Again" airs Wednesdays and Thursdays at 9 p.m.
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