Yoo In-na returns to small screen with rom-com 'Bo-ra! Deborah'
A scene from the ENA's new series “Bo-ra! Deborah” / Courtesy of ENA
By Lee Gyu-lee
Actress Yoo In-na picked up her first rom-com in three years with ENA's new romantic comedy series “Bo-ra! Deborah,” following the 2020 series “The Spy Who Loved Me."
Actors Yoon Hyun-min, left, and Yoo In-na pose during the press conference for the series “Bo-ra! Deborah," Wednesday, held at Stanford Hotel in Mapo District, Seoul. Courtesy of ENA
The new series, set to air on Wednesday, follows a best-selling author and a dating coach, Yeon Bo-ra (Yoo), whose pen name is Deborah. She gains popularity, giving witty and honest dating advice, yet her own love life isn't as successful as her career.
She crosses paths with the publisher Lee Soo-hyeok (Yoon Hyun-min), who has a completely different perspective on dating. As the two work together on Yeon's new dating advice book, the two face changes in their views of romance.
The series is directed by Lee Tae-gon, whose previous work includes the romance series, "Hello, My Twenties!" (2016) and is penned by A Kyung, who scripted the comedy series, "Mad for Each Other" (2021).
“It's been three years since I've taken on a rom-com piece. This time, I focused on bringing out down-to-earth portrayal rather than on making it look lovely or cute,” Yoo said during the press conference for the series, Wednesday, held at Stanford Hotel in Mapo District, Seoul.
“In the story, Bo-ra is a rather bold and tough side to her. The director told me that he'll take care of making (the character) lovely and he wants me to be the character as she is. So I tried to portray it as realistically as possible.”
Director Lee noted that the series delves into strategies and rules on dating.
“This is a series about the rules of dating. As Deborah says (in the series), there are certain rules in dating life. The story explores whether you know those rules and if this dating or romance is real. It's a very enjoyable and interesting story,” he said.
“The story will be relatable as it delves into how people should live and love. This isn't a series that will give dating solutions to viewers. But it intends to throw in questions and thoughts on the ways we can solve (dating related issues).”
Yoo shared that her previous experience of hosting the dating reality show “Cafe Amor” helped in creating her character.
“While I was working on 'Cafe Amor,' I read a lot of books about dating. I've frequently given dating advice to my friends but I thought it could've been prejudiced advice. So I felt I should read about others' (opinions). And that learning from texts helped,” she said.
“Bo-ra! Deborah” airs Wednesday and Thursday at 9 p.m.