Why Kim Soo-Hyun Took A Pay Cut & Other Interesting Facts About 'Queen Of Tears'

The release of the 15th episode of the South Korean romantic comedy series, Queen of Tears, starring actors Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-won has proven to be equally popular as the hit K-drama "Crash Landing on You". With a rating of 21.6 per cent on the 15th episode, the finale which aired on April 28 achieved a record-breaking viewership of 24.85 per cent. Surpassing Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin's drama, "Crash Landing on You", "Queen of Tears" now holds the spot as TVN's highest-rated drama.

Apart from the star-studded casts, tear-jerking scenes and stellar acting skills, the drama has many interesting facts unknown to its viewers! Here are five interesting facts about the show you might not know.

1. IU as the female lead instead of Kim Ji-won

Kim Ji-won plays the role of Hong Hae-in, a cold and aloof heiress in Queen of Tears. The intricacies in her accurate portrayal of the character were well received by viewers, earning her much praise for her outstanding acting skills. However, screenwriter Park Ji-eun revealed that the original cast for the female lead was supposed to be IU, a well-known singer and actress.

Although IU is known for her strong singing abilities, she is also highly accomplished in the acting industry. Famous for her works in The Producers, Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, My Mister and Hotel Del Luna, her acting talents are widely recognised. It was also revealed that in April 2023, IU was in talks with the production team of Queen of Tears. However, her agency responded that "she did receive the offer but chose to decline it in the end".

You might also have noticed that IU and Kim Soo-hyun have acted together three times before in Dream High, The Producers and Hotel Del Luna. Unfortunately, they were unable to collaborate for the fourth time. As the two are also close friends in real life, Kim Soo-hyun attended IU's Seoul concert in March this year and was spotted shouting from the audience, requesting the song "Only I Didn't Know". While his wish was not granted in the Seoul concert, Singapore fans were lucky enough to be treated to a rare performance of the song during her concert in Singapore on 21 April 2024.

2. Kim Soo-hyun took a pay cut out of loyalty

Being one of the highest-paid actors in Korea's show biz industry, Kim Soo-hyun's loyalty is also commendable. According to Korean media reports, Kim Soo-hyun was supposed to be paid a sum of 800 million won (about SGD 790,000) per episode. This would add up to a total of 12.8 billion won (around SGD 12.69 million) for all 16 episodes, amounting to one-third of the production cost which is about 4 billion won or 39.68 million SGD.

However, the production team later revealed that he only took home around 300 million won (about SGD 300,000) per episode which adds up to a total of 4.8 billion won (about SGD 4.76 million) for the entire series. The reason cited for this huge cut is because of his relationship with screenwriter, Park Ji-eun. As they have previously worked together on other works such as "My Love From The Star" and "The Producers", Kim Soo-hyun allegedly lowered his fee voluntarily out of respect for Park Ji-eun and their relationship

3. Kim Soo-hyun pays homage to Kim Ji-won and Suzy Bae in iconic scenes

Remember the first episode when Kim Soo-hyun's character went on a drunk, cute rant about his wife? He was actually referencing Kim Ji-Won's character from the K-drama Fight For My Way. The iconic lines, "Why do I have to be so cute and let Hong Hae-in get to know me", "I've always been known as the cute son from a pear tree house in Yongdu-ri" and "I was born like this", followed by a series of cute gestures, mirrors Kim Ji-won's character from Fight For My Way. This hilarious improvisation by Kim Soo-hyun sure left an impression on viewers.

This line instantly brings viewers back to the scene in K-drama Fight For My Way, where Kim Ji-Won whines to Park Seo-joon in a high-pitched voice telling him that "(she) was born pretty". Kim Soo-hyun also confirmed this intentional reference to Fight For My Way in the behind-the-scenes footage of Queen of Tears.

In episode four, Kim Soo-hyun's character Baek Hyun-Woo tries to win Hong Hae-in over by gifting her a pair of sneakers while flashing a perfect recreation of the 'gummy smile' popularised by Suzy Bae. As many fans might know, this pair were also co-stars in Dream High and the origin of the 'gummy smile' comes from a variety show where Suzy showed off her go-to aegyo moves.

4. The wedding photos were shot after the co-stars' second meeting

Remember the grand wedding of the two characters Baek Hyun-woo and Hong Hae-in? The romantic photos from the wedding were actually shot so early in the filming schedule that the co-stars had only managed to meet twice! In the behind-the-scenes footage, Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-won divulged that "they were still not well acquainted with each other" and had "only met twice". However, the unfamiliarity quickly subsided as the pair became closer and showed off their perfect chemistry even in the behind-the-scenes cuts.

Eagle-eyed fans might notice that the floral decorations used in the wedding drew inspiration from the wedding in Crash Landing on You which starred actors Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin. Another Easter egg that many would have missed would be that the "Queens" group was also previously mentioned in Crash Landing on You by Son Ye-Jin's character Yoon Se-Ri. In the show, Son Ye-jin talked about how her company "Seri's Choice" will be collaborating with "Queens". It seems like the writers of Crash Landing on You had plans for the release of Queen of Tears from the start!

5. Casts from different dramas reunite in "Queen of Tears"

Queen of Tears screenwriter Park Ji-eun is also known for her other works such as Crash Landing on You and My Love from the Star. For Queen of Tears, she managed to bring together casts across the different dramas that she has written. This resulted in interesting crossovers such as the portrayal of Hong Hae-in's aunt, Hong Ban-ja (Kim Jung-ran), and her love interest (Kim Yong-min). Both actors also starred in Crash Landing On You. Na Young-hee also returns as Kim Soo-hyun's mother again, reminiscent of her role in My Love from the Star, adding to the layers of connections between the different characters across other dramas.

Another interesting connection is the portrayal of Hong Hae-in's brother in Queen of Tears as the character is played by Kwak Dong-yeon who acted as the problematic boyfriend of Kim Ji-won's character in Fight for My Way. Additionally, Baek Hyun-woo's brother Baek Hyun-tae (played by Kim Doo-hyun) and his wife (played by Kim Shin-rok), were actually a married couple in The Heirs, making all the connections in the cast rather amusing.

On the topic of cast reunions, Song Joong-ki also appears in the series, portraying the role of Hong Hae-in's divorce lawyer. His character in Queen of Tears reflects his role as a lawyer in Vincenzo making the scene especially memorable for avid K-drama viewers.

This article was originally published on Lianhe Zaobao. Translation: Nikki Low