If you’ve started The Scandal, you already know the cast is a big part of why it works. Honestly, they’re the reason I stuck with it through the slower first few episodes. Here’s a quick rundown of the three leads and how each of them landed for me.
Son Ye-jin as Lady Cho
Most people know Son Ye-jin from Crash Landing on You or The Classic, where she usually plays warm, lovable leads. This role is a lot more mature than that. It’s also her first period drama in 24 years, and it follows her big film comeback in Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice, which won her Best Actress at the Blue Dragon Film Awards, her second win after 2008.
Lady Cho is a woman with way more talent than her era lets her use. Son Ye-jin carries the role through restraint and suppressed emotion rather than explicit scenes, and it works. You can see her holding something back in almost every scene, which is exactly the point.
Ji Chang-wook as Cho Won
Cho Won is “the greatest playboy of Joseon,” and Ji Chang-wook pulls it off perfectly. What got me more, though, is what’s underneath: the sadness and obsession over Lady Cho hiding behind the playboy act. He plays both layers so well. The two grew up as cousins exchanging letters until they lost touch, so there’s a lot of history behind every look he gives her. His acting just keeps getting better over time.
Nana as Hui-yeon
Hui-yeon is a young widow who lost her husband before they were even married and has lived by strict rules of chastity ever since. She doesn’t have a ton of lines, but Nana does so much with what she has. She committed to the boldest scenes in the show without holding back, and honestly, I can’t picture anyone else pulling it off. If you only know her from Mask Girl, this is a very different side of her.
The bottom line
What I keep coming back to is that all three showed me a side I hadn’t seen from them before. That alone made the show feel fresh, even when the pacing dragged. If you haven’t decided whether to watch yet, my spoiler-free review is here: The Scandal: should you watch it?