“Bon Appétit, Your Majesty” Actor Slammed For His Acting Reveals Truth Behind The “Atrocious” Mandarin Scenes
While Bon Appétit, Your Majesty swiftly became one of Netflix‘s most adored K-Dramas as soon as it premiered, some viewers struggled with a handful of the episodes featuring the grand cooking competition between the King’s chefs and the Ming chefs.
One viral Reddit post called it “awful, inaccurate, and unnatural,” with a lot of fellow viewers agreeing that the “atrocious” Chinese-speaking scenes made them “almost want to stop watching altogether.”
Bon Appetit Your Majesty's Mandarin-speaking scenes
byu/capuletoo inkdramas
Comment
byu/capuletoo from discussion
inkdramas
Comment
byu/capuletoo from discussion
inkdramas
Comment
byu/capuletoo from discussion
inkdramas
Comment
byu/capuletoo from discussion
inkdramas
That said, a new interview with actor Kim Hyeong Mook who played the role of envoy Yu Kun has since revealed the obvious reason behind such butchered pronunciations: It was, in fact, his first time speaking Mandarin ever.
I played Minister Yeom Heung Jip in last year’s MBC series, Knight Flower. The director liked my work enough to contact me. At first, I thought it was just a cameo. About a month before the shoot began, it was decided that I would deliver all my lines in Chinese. Practically, I had only two weeks to prepare.
— Kim Hyeong Mook
Given the short amount of time he had to get his lines mastered, Kim Hyeong Mook admitted that, at one point, he thought about giving up. Understandably, although the production team offered language guidance, there simply wasn’t enough time to fully apply it to acting.
The pressure was immense. I’d never spoken Chinese before. Moon Seung Yoo, who played Ya Feixiu, and Park In Soo, who played Kong Wenli, either knew Chinese or had experience acting as Chinese-speaking characters. I barely slept some nights. At times, I thought, ‘Should I just not do this?’ But deep down, I knew I wanted to push my limits. At first, I focused on the basics: the script, pronunciation, and foundational skills.
I slept 4–5 hours a day, dedicating 12, sometimes up to 16 hours. I memorized the portions [my mentor] recorded, applying tones carefully, and incorporated what I learned on my own.
— Kim Hyeong Mook
Still, Kim Hyeong Mook gave it his best—losing sleep for practice, dedicating his life off camera to memorizing the massive script in a completely foreign language.
View this post on Instagram
Bon Appétit, Your Majesty. Had the honor of playing the role of Ming Dynasty envoy Yu Kun. These are some of my Chinese practice notes and recordings. This record covers a total of 40 days, excluding performances, movies, and filming, within the deadline I was given. Due to scheduling, I only began seriously memorizing my Chinese lines two weeks before the first shoot. I was far from perfect, but I hope you’ll kindly watch. I’ll keep it as a cherished memory.
— Kim Hyeong Mook
While it was quite a challenge to take on, the experience was “perspective-changing” for the actor. He now takes Mandarin lessons, in hopes of taking on even more Chinese-speaking roles!
It was a lesson-filled, perspective-changing experience. The biggest realization was that even the difficult or lazy moments can be overcome if you push yourself. Now, whenever I feel lazy while preparing for acting, I try to recall that moment. I’ve gained confidence, and I’m now attending a Chinese language academy to really learn to speak. Someday, I hope to work on projects in China or Taiwan and communicate directly with people in that language environment.
— Kim Hyeong Mook
Read more about the supporting characters in Bon Appétit, Your Majesty:
“Bon Appétit, Your Majesty” Actor Has The Funniest Reaction To Getting Shibal Saekkiya-ed
