Stars of Netflix comedy Love to Hate You, Kim Ok-vin and Yoo Teo, on their enemies-to-lovers roles
- A lawyer who hates losing to men and an actor who doesn’t trust women are thrown together in this K-drama comedy, and their hatred soon turns to romance
- Kim Ok-vin talks about taking her first comedy role in the series, while Yoo talks about his struggle to pronounce his lines in Korean
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Netflix series Love to Hate You is an unusual romantic comedy with elements of romance, drama, action and comedy. It has an enemies-to-lovers dynamic, and reminds viewers that love can be found in unexpected places.
Directed by Kim Jung-kwon, the series follows the loathing-to-loving sparks between Yeo Mi-ran (Kim Ok-vin), a rookie lawyer who hates losing to men, and Nam Kang-ho (Yoo Teo), an uptight actor who does not trust women.
As they spend more time together under contract, their initial hatred and bickering turn into romance.
“Love to Hate You is a genre-bending drama about two quirky people, and it’s really their love story. Viewers will be able to relate to the characters who eventually reconcile with their pasts and put their relationship on a new path,” director Kim says.
Kim Ok-vin, known for her roles in thrillers such as Thirst (2009) and The Villainess (2017), chose to star in a lighthearted romantic comedy because she was getting tired of serious roles.
“It was a drag playing serious roles,” she says. “The script for Love to Hate You caught my attention because it made me laugh. It is perhaps the most relatable and humorous role in my acting career.”
In the series, Yeo is depicted as a skilful martial artist who is also capable of riding motorcycles. “I wondered if screenwriter Choi Soo-young wrote the story thinking of me because Yeo and I have a lot in common,” she explains.
Yoo, whose latest film, Past Lives, was selected for the 73rd Berlin Film Festival, says the series is as charming as it is weird.
“The plot is original and unusual in a manner distinct from typical romantic comedy dramas. However, it remains charming and deeply relatable,” he says.
“I’m really curious how international viewers will react to our story.”
Growing up in Germany, the US and the UK, Yoo says that he struggled to pronounce Korean words correctly.
“I think practice is the key to success,” he says. “I tried to learn Korean by going to a speech academy and acting academy. Even to this day, I have an acting coach. I try to recite each line about 100 times, so it sounds natural.”
Actor Kim Ji-hoon, known for his role in Netflix series Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area (2022), stars as Nam’s manager and the head of an entertainment agency.
He says the series comes in the middle of an important time for women’s rights. “The concept that women are in control of their own life is inspiring,” he says.
“Yeo is a strong female character that a lot of women would connect to. I think it will resonate with women in their late teens to 30s.”
