IU on Her Chemistry with Park Bo Gum: “He Was Even More Like Gwan Sik Than Scripted”
In her heartfelt interview on B tv’s Piaakia with Lee Dong-jin, IU offered rare insight into her on-screen partnership with Park Bo Gum, her co-star in the widely acclaimed Netflix drama When Life Gives You Tangerines. While fans praised their emotional depth and natural chemistry, IU revealed that their connection wasn’t just great acting, it was something deeply real.
Speaking about their first day on set, IU confessed, “From our very first scene, I didn’t feel a single bit of awkwardness or discomfort. And that was a first for me.” That debut scene, where their characters get caught by the police, was packed with emotion and physical comedy, yet IU said she felt immediately at ease the moment she saw Bo Gum.
“It was like Ae Sun realizing she had someone she could lean on,” she added. “I always felt so relaxed when I looked into his eyes.”
Interestingly, despite their seamless connection, IU shared that they didn’t engage in much small talk. “We just kept discussing the scenes. ‘What feels more like Ae Sun here? This or this’?” she explained. “When your scene partner becomes someone you can lean on, a colleague but also a source of comfort, that was such a huge gift for me.”
IU went on to praise Park Bo Gum’s uncanny embodiment of his character: “To me, Bo Gum on set felt even more like Gwan Sik than the script described. Seriously, it had to be him.”
She couldn’t help but laugh as she added, “He’s literally got everything. I’m so jealous. Life is really unfair.”
Their dynamic went beyond performance: Park Bo Gum’s quiet strength, genuine kindness, and emotional steadiness shaped Gwan Sik into a living, breathing character. As IU summed it up, “People like Ae Sun are really the luckiest.”
