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| Actor Lee Jong-suk plays lawyer Park Chang-ho in MBC's crime thriller series "Big Mouth," which ended Saturday. Courtesy of MBC |
By Lee Gyu-lee
Actor Lee Jong-suk has made a successful return to the small screen after over three years with the MBC crime thriller series "Big Mouth," teaming up with actress Lim Yoon-a and reuniting with director Oh Choong-hwan, who directed him in the 2017 romance series "While You Were Sleeping."
The 16-part series, which ended Saturday, follows struggling lawyer Park Chang-ho (Lee), who has a 10 percent win rate for cases. Known for his nickname "Big Mouth," he gets caught up in a murder case and mistaken for a notorious mastermind and con artist known as Big Mouse.
Caught in a dark, corrupt world, he tries to reveal the truth behind a huge conspiracy to save his family and his wife, Go Mi-ho (Lim).
The series, which kicked off on July 29 with a 6.2 percent viewership rating, garnered popularity soon after its premiere with unexpected twists and the mystery of who Big Mouse really is. The ratings soon climbed, peaking at 13.7 percent with the finale.
"I feel like I was able to show sides that I hadn't previously through this series. (Playing) Park Chang-ho was a huge challenge for me," Lee said through his agency, Highzium Studio, Monday.
"Not only does the series contain diverse genres like action, melodrama and noir, but also, the character was multi-dimensional, changing from a struggling lawyer to a genius con artist, to a lawyer fighting for justice, to a caring husband. So I tried hard to put details into expressing each. The time I've spent creating Park will remain special to me."
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| Actress Lim Yoon-a, third from left, in a scene from the series "Big Mouth" / Courtesy of MBC |
Lim, who plays Park's wife who joins his plan to expose the conspiracy, shared that working on this series and taking her first role in the noir genre were special.
"It feels emotional and sad to let go of 'Big Mouth' and Mi-ho. (Working on the series) has given me an opportunity to learn from a wise and courageous character like Mi-ho, both personally and professionally," the actress said through her agency, SM Entertainment.
"It was especially meaningful because this was my first noir genre series. As I've made huge attempts and efforts to express my character, this series will linger in me for a while."
The two actors also thanked the fans and production staff as they wrapped the series.
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