Suho challenges a new image in a historical drama about a kidnapped crown prince, directed by Kim Jin-man.

Suho of EXO challenges historical drama for the first time. Today (12th), the production presentation of the MBN weekend drama "The Crowned Clown" (written by Kim Jis, Park Chul, directed by Kim Jin-man) was held at the Stanford Hotel in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul. On this day, EXO's Suho, Hong Ye-ji, Myung Se-bin, Kim Ju-hong, Kim Min-gyu, and director Kim Jin-man attended. The drama depicts a tumultuous love story between a man and a woman, triggered by the disappearance of the crown prince (Seja: the king's successor) who is wrapped in a possum (kidnapped by wrapping in cloth) to become a crown princess. Park Chul & Kim Jis, the screenwriters of "Possum - The Man Who Stole Love and Destiny," reunite to create a heartwarming production that moves viewers through works like "Kill Me, Heal Me" and "Rebel: Thief Who Stole the People." In the drama, Suho plays Lee Gon, whose stable life as the crown prince is changed overnight by a possum. He will challenge a new image change through the character of Lee Gon, who has various charms. Hong Ye-ji plays the tough woman Che Myung-yun, the daughter of royal physician Che Sang-rok (Kim Ju-hong), appealing with her lively charm. Suho expressed his thoughts on starring in a historical drama for the first time, saying, "I did feel a burden about the genre of historical drama. The tone of the historical drama is different, and I thought it wouldn't be easy to express the Joseon era. There was pressure, but the script was very interesting." He added, "It's a 20-part series. Since it deals with the life story of this character, I think I can show a more diverse side compared to the works I've done before. I originally had the nickname 'Free Pass Award for Both Families,' but this time, I think I'll be happy if I'm called 'Crown Prince Face.'" Director Kim Jin-man commented on the casting, saying, "It's a lineup that fills you up just by looking at it." He continued, "As Suho said earlier, a 'crown prince face' was needed. The title of this drama itself is 'The Crowned Clown.' There are big changes happening, so the face was literally important, and with a sense of mission and justice, I thought of actor Suho." He also expressed affection, saying, "I don't know much about EXO's music activities personally, but I saw Suho acting in a movie before and have been following him in my head for a long time. He was the first person I thought of as the crown prince, and I had a lot of fun working together. I think I can announce the birth of a good actor." Hong Ye-ji, who appeared with Park Ji-hoon from Wanna One in KBS 2TV's "Love in Sadness," will co-star with Suho in this work. She said, "I'm very honored. The charms of the two are different, so the atmosphere on set was very different." She continued, "Following 'Love in Sadness,' I will be doing a historical drama consecutively. When I received the script this time, the first thing I thought was 'Can I express a different character well?'." She added, "But the character's personality is different from the previous work, and I believed in the screenwriter's writing and the director's direction, thinking that I could bring out a new side of myself. I made a lot of effort to give distinctive points. I'm very cheerful and have a rough way of speaking, so I'm confident that there are no overlapping parts with the previous work." "The Crowned Clown" is currently competing with the popular tvN weekend drama "Queen of Tears," which recorded a 18.9% viewership rating. Suho said, "There are very good dramas airing on weekends, and I enjoy watching them too. They are very interesting." He continued, "When my drama airs, I think I will watch other dramas on OTT (streaming services). I will definitely watch the original broadcast through MBN. I do feel pressure, but instead of thinking about competing with other works, I am always competing with myself. I have no anxiety about that." He also added, "It seems that there have been many historical dramas aired in Korea in the past year. Fortunately or unfortunately, there are no historical dramas recently. There are no historical dramas among the works airing at the same time, so I am looking forward to whether this work can satisfy the expectations of those who want to watch historical dramas." "The Crowned Clown" will start airing in South Korea on the 13th at 9:40 p.m.