Sea of Ambition (writer: Lee Hee-woo, Choi Seong-shil, director: Lee Gwan-hee) will premiere on July 26th, as the follow-up drama to Sweet Life. Set in a shipbuilding yard, the scale of the drama will be like no other and also bring a realistic portrayal of how a shipbuilding yard operates.

 

Here is the interview we had with the main cast.

 

- Your character is a good guy until something changes his life later on in the miniseries. Could you tell us about that?

- Koh Joo-won: In the beginning, his life revolves around his work and family but then he is betrayed, which deals him a crushing emotional blow. That profoundly alters his view on life and he becomes filled with thoughts of revenge. I don't know exactly how the story will develop from there on but I'm being mindful about the upheaval of my character's personality.

 

- Did you prepare your role as a ship designer?

- Koh Joo-won: I was amazed by many things while shooting scenes in the shipbuilding yard. I think the shipbuilding industry in Korea has grown enormously. I received a lot of support from experts at the ship docks and I had a fun learning experience while asking questions to them.

 

- We were told that your character speaks many languages. Tell us more about that.

- Park Sol-mi: My character speaks several languages. I thought I had to speak briefly in those languages but the script included seven different languages. Memorizing the lines in Arabic was especially tough. I don't know what people will say about my foreign language skills, but I'm kinda embarrassed about it.

 

- You've been frequently injured while shooting dramas. Is that true?

- Park Sol-mi: There was a recent scene where a worker was welding a part. I was keeping my distance from the sparks but it hit my eye. I injured my cornea. Welding is a scary job.

 

- How did you portray your natural charisma through your character?

- Choo Sang-mi: My character is charismatic and filthy rich. I want to bring my character alive. Not just in her outer appearance but also her inner charisma and emotions. I think she will get revenge by using subtle tactics instead of letting her anger get the better of her. I'm working hard to fully understand my character.

 

- There are many scenes where you wear a uniform. How was that like?

- Choi Yeo-jin: My character is a rich kid but she's also a passionate girl who gets engrossed with her work. So sometimes she doesn't care about what she wears. She also wears high fashion. I've played a rich kid before so it's somewhat easy to play my part.

 

- What side of the character will you try to show the most in the drama?

- Choo Sang-mi: When I read the synopsis, I found my character charming. For the last three years, I've played characters who were poor. But appearing in this role makes me feel like I've come full circle. I wanted to play this part. (smiles) I felt the carefree attitude of the character and I wanted to play a different kind of character.

 

- What's it like to play a woman who betrays a man?

- Park Sol-mi: I get a lot of questions like that. Reporters ask me if I feel pressure playing a bad girl. I told the director that I wanted to portray a woman who is heartless and cold. A woman who will never change her ways...

 

- You play the daughter of the founder who wants to inherit the company. That's similar to the role you played in Golden Bride, isn't it?

- Choi Yeo-jin: In Golden Bride, my character wanted to start a business but her in-laws got in her way and she gave up her dreams. In my new role, I'd like to see my character managing some part of the company. I think her life will revolve around Koh Joo-won's character and the shipbuilding business.

 

- How will portray your character?

- Park Jung-chul: Well, I thought I'd give my character an abstract image. But the writer exceeded my expectations by making my character three-dimensional and I'm very satisfied with that. I'll work extra hard to study my character.

 

- The drama is a remake. What will be different in this remake?

- Choi Seong-shil (writer): Love, betrayal, and revenge happen all the time. But I think the love and betrayal that was portrayed in dramas from the 1980s is different than how it's portrayed today. Society has changed and people's values have shifted. So viewers will see how we made the story contemporary and gave the characters a modern makeover. Women in our society have bigger ambitions than before. They're not waiting for a knight in shining armor to sweep them off their feet. They?re working hard to build their careers and some of them want to be the president of a firm. The important factor in this remake is to make it modern enough for viewers.

 

- Did you face any problems during shoots? Were there any incidents that stuck out in your mind?

- Lee Gwan-hee (director): I wanted to shoot scenes in the shipbuilding yard but we weren't able to do that. SPP Shipbuilding Yard rented out their dock to us and they offered us consulting on various technical matters. This drama goes deep into the shipbuilding industry. We did face problems in getting the ships into the scenes because they're so massive. It was a difficult task to shoot the entire length of the ships.