In an interview for Money Heist: Korea �” Joint Economic Area, Director Kim Hong Sun explained why character Tokyo in the Korean remake was portrayed somewhat differently from the original counterpart.
Set on the divided Korean Peninsula, about to reunify in 2026, this remake of the Spanish series came up with a worldview unique to Korea.
Of all the characters in the Korean remake, Tokyo is the most different character from the original character. When asked why Tokyo agreed with the belief of The Professor (played by Yoo Ji Tae), the director answered, “It was a natural result. She is a care-free Gen Z from North Korea and interacted most with The Professor. Therefore, she became a calmer person with a more reserved personality. I didn’t intentionally alter her character from the original figure.”
Director Kim talked about what it was like working with Jeon Jong Seo. He said, “She clearly has her style when it comes to acting. I didn’t want her to copy Tokyo from the original work, and I think she did an amazing job of creating her own version of Tokyo.”
Regarding the difficulties he had while brainstorming for the idea of The Professor, he recalled, “The original character is nerdy yet very charming. So we had to decide whether we want to stick with the original character or not. After putting much thought, � Yoo Ji Tae and I decided to create our own version of The Professor.”
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