"Golden Cross" PD Explains Why He Didn't Cast Any Idols

It’s pretty hard to find a drama these days that doesn’t involve an idol in some form or another. That says a lot about how much idol acting has improved over the last couple years. However, in an interesting twist, KBS’s new drama series “Golden Cross” features a total of zero idols in its whole cast. The reason for that was that the PD believed having an idol on the cast could affect viewer immersion.

On April 7 a press conference was held for KBS’s new Wednesday-Thursday drama series “Golden Cross,” featuring a cast list that comprises of Lee Si Young, Kim Kang Woo, Han Eun Jung, and Uhm Ki Joon. An interesting note about this drama was that there was not a single idol amongst the cast. Main PD for the drama, Hong Suk Goo, explained that he “Doesn’t have any negativity towards idols; however, after considering the effect it may have on immersion, we decided to go without idols on this drama.”

Besides the lack of idols, the rest of the cast is a strong list of proven actors and actresses. In regards to how he ended up casting for this drama, Hong Suk Goo PD explains that “When we cast for roles, we want actors to be seen for their characters, so we avoid those that have a large halo effect [external to their acting].” Because of this, he “unknowingly just ended up not casting any idols.”

Hong Suk Goo PD is quite confident about his cast, stating that “All the actors that appear on our drama are great actors” and that “Personally, I believe the quality of a drama depends on their acting abilities and from what I’ve seen so far from recording, I believe they are doing a great job.” 

“Golden Cross” is a drama about temptation and revenge as the main protagonist tries to get revenge for the death of his father and sister. Penned by Yoo Hyun Mi, famous for scripting the hit KBS drama “Bridal Mask,” and led by Hong Suk Goo PD, the drama premiered April 9 following the conclusion of “Inspiring Generation.”