Behind Beautiful Gong Shim

Beautiful Gong Shim (My Fair Lady Kong Shim) 미녀 공심이 is a 20 episode comedic drama that ran from May 14, 2016 to July 17, 2016. It starred Namkoong Min, Bang Minah, On JooWan, and Seo HyoRim in a show which combined many of the drama genres - romance, comedy, family dynamics, suspense, melodrama, fairy tale and even super power elements, into a delightful program.

Synopsis:

A Cinderella part-timer Gong Shim (Minah) who is self conscious about her looks, having grown up with a Miss Korea contestant as her mother, is always coming in second to her older professional sister Gong Ri (Seo HyoRim).

Gong Shim had been living in the roof top room (her sister having taken over Gong Shim‘s room for a dressing room) but decides to rent that out to a stranger Ahn Dan-Tae (Namkoong Min) who seems to have a lot of secrets. They don’t hit it off well at the start but their paths continue to intersect as he begins to help her improve her lot in life. At the time when things seemed their lowest another man, Suk Joon-Soo (On JooWan), appears and thanks to a her luck begins to change (although his interest also leads to more difficulties with her sister). From a wealthy family he too seems to have secrets and uncanny similarities to Ahn Dan-Tae.

Production Notes:

When it aired it had fairly good ratings but some members of the public had trouble seeing Namkoong Min in a kind and comedic role after some of his other dramas like Remember: War of the Son. He was thankful that the producer gave him a chance to get out of the aggressive roles he had been stuck in as he really wanted to avoid being typecast. Minah, member of the group Girls’ Day, had relatively little acting experience so people, including members of the cast, wondered how she would do with the lead role. She quickly showed her ability to learn and earned much praise from the seasoned actors in the cast and took home 2 awards for her role.

There are many memorable scenes in this show and we would recommend it to anyone looking for an all round enjoyable drama. Below are some behind the scenes and NGs which demonstrates the chemistry between Min and Minah.

A good director is also key for the cast to be able to showcase their talent in the best way and for the story be expressed in a way for the audience to connect with it. In this clip we see the director, Baek Soo-Chan, getting wrapped up in his work.

So how did it come together on screen? Check out the clip below.

The main leads became good friends during the filming and still meet up when they can which Namkoong Min and On JooWan posted pictures from in January 2019 just after HyoRim’s birthday.

They also encourage one another often sending food trucks to each other’s sets (this picture Min posted with the hashtags #Gong Sisters #Minah #Hyo Rim #thank you #I’ll give you a reward of a coffee truck sent by the “Gong sisters to the new chief”) or commenting on each other’s social media.

If you haven’t watched it yet I’d enc you to check it out. If you have I hope this brought back some pleasant memories.