What We Love About K-Drama “The Remarried Empress” So Far

Behold, the royal squad has arrived! Initially slated for a November 4 release, The Remarried Empress surprised K-drama fans across the globe when the production released the first four episodes on November 3 instead, a day before its scheduled premiere and on the same day it held its press conference. 

With a cast led by Shin Min-a, Lee Jong-suk, Lee Se-young, and Ju Ji-hoon, this romance fantasy drama has people setting their expectations high, and the early episode drops prove it delivers. 

Here, we’re breaking down everything we love about The Remarried Empress so far, with anecdotes straight from the cast members and director Cho Su-won. 

There is indeed no better term to describe the cast of The Remarried Empress than powerhouse. 

The unstoppable Shin Min-a has been in the entertainment industry since 1998. She starred in some of the most iconic and well-loved K-dramas like My Girlfriend is a Gumiho; Oh My Venus; Tomorrow, With You; Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha; and Our Blues. And, to this day, she remains at the top of her game. 

And when we talk about Hallyu stars, the list is incomplete without Ju Ji-hoon, one of the most versatile Korean actors who ventured into the industry back in 2003. He brought to life unforgettable characters in series like Princess Hours, Kingdom, Jirisan, Light Shop, and The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call. 

Lee Jong-suk is, no doubt, at the top of the list of the next generation of Korean stars who made waves globally. With a career that began in 2005, he has established himself as one of the most in-demand and likable K-actors. Projects like I Can Hear Your Voice, Doctor Stranger, Pinocchio, W, While You Were Sleeping, and Romance Is a Bonus Book helped cement his place in the industry. 

For some, Lee Se-young might be a discovery now, but she actually began working as a child actress in 1997. In recent years, she has proven her acting chops time and time again with dramas like Doctor John, Memorist, Kairos, The Red Sleeve, and The Law Cafe. 

Bring these caliber actors together, and the project just puts forth a whole new level of excitement. Perfect casting? Absolutely!

This may be a period drama, based on the hit webtoon of the same name, but the core of its story is timeless. 

Plots revolving around scandals, betrayals, power struggles, and love quadrangles often make for good entertainment. But when woven into a grand storyline in an equally spectacular setting, the scope and scale of storytelling are amplified. What’s even better is that The Remarried Empress has all these and more, like a fantasy twist to delight more viewers. 

In the series, Empress Navier‘s (Shin Min-a) seemingly perfect world is shattered when her husband, Emperor Sovieshu (Ju Ji-hoon), demands that she divorce him so he can marry his mistress, runaway slave Rashta (Lee Se-young). But Navier is not one to back down from a fight and makes things difficult for Sovieshu and Rashta when she joins forces with Prince Heinrey (Lee Jong-suk) with the goal of revenge and remarriage. A scandal involving an emperor, an empress, a mistress, and a prince—interesting, right?

The complex relationship among these characters makes the story so much more compelling. If it was a page-turner in its webtoon form, best believe it’s binge-worthy now in its small-screen format. 

“I actually read the script before I read the original webtoon, and I thought the script was very novel,” Shin Min-a said during the show’s press conference. “And I was very curious how this would be translated onto screen. And I also had my worries a little bit because it’s so new. But, you know, the narrative is actually something that is quite familiar to us. So I think it’s a good mix of something that’s new and something that’s familiar to us. So I knew that the series would be a very good one that could capture the hearts of many. The script is very tightly knit. And I play the role of Navier, who is the Empress. And this is a character that I could show a new side of myself with.”

For Ju Ji-hoon, on the other hand, although he starred in regal dramas before and played a prince, the story of The Remarried Empress—which has characters navigating marriage, divorce, and remarriage—feels new to him as well. He said, “When I read the web novel or the webtoon, it was kind of very striking and new to me. So I would take a sip of it. I would take a look at it. And I was like, ‘Should I take this in or not?’ Because this was something that was very different from what I usually do. But my manager and my agency were like, ‘You should definitely take this role.’”

Ju Ji-hoon later likened the material to a soup, the taste of which took him some time to get used to. “I think I had my prejudices and biases,” he admitted. “Because if you think about the Korean soup, that is something that we’re familiar with. But if it’s Western soup, we’re less familiar with that, right? But I knew that it’s the same thing, actually. It’s the soup. So I understood that this is going to be something that is new, but also familiar to a lot of people.”

Among the cast members, Lee Jong-suk is the one who knew about this story way before the plans to recreate it into a series. 

“So I was a big fan of the web novel and the webtoon,” he revealed. “So, I heard that it was being translated onto screen, and I knew that this is something that we haven’t tried before. And I knew that it was going to carve out a new path. And I get to be a prince. So that’s very cool. I wanted to be a prince.”

For Lee Se-young, this project also challenged her to push boundaries with a role she hadn’t tried before. 

She shared, “I think so far in my career, I have not really portrayed sort of a villain character who is sort of adorable, but is also bad. So I really wanted to try out this role.”

For a story like this, it’s either you go big or go home. And the cast and crew of The Remarried Empress stepped out of their home country to shoot scenes in Europe.

In a special look featurette released on the all-new Disney+ PH app, the grandness of the chosen locations was highlighted. 

Director Cho Suwon said, “During production, we probably visited almost every possible location in Europe.”

Europe executive producer Nam Yunseok added, “We first reviewed potential locations across Europe, then traveled to France, Germany, and the Czech Republic to scout 16 castles in person. To convey the majesty and vast scale of the Eastern Empire, we chose Schleissheim Palace in Germany as our primary filming location.”

“There is a long shot overlooking the canal. When I visited the location, I remember thinking, ‘This is it. This is our world.’ We can truly bring our vision to life here.” 

There was also so much thought and consideration put into the sets. From the elaborate details to how the rooms’ color schemes reflect the characters’ personalities, every element was well thought out. And, as a result, the actors were also inspired to immerse into their characters’ world better. Shin Min-a said, “When I read the script, I felt half excited and half worried. However, when I saw the sets, they were so beautiful that I knew the scenes shot there would turn out even better than I had expected.”

The wardrobe is another aspect we can’t get enough of in The Remarried Empress. Regal overall, once you look closer, you’ll notice that each ensemble was not chosen randomly—or, at least, that’s how it appeals to me.

For instance, Empress Navier’s gowns go from black and bold red and blue to ethereal beige and champagne. To me, those shades represent her personality as someone confident and feisty on the surface but lonely and pensive deep within, yet elegant, refined, and composed at all times. 

Rashta, a character often described as pure and childlike, gets a glow-up with gowns and dresses that have romantic, frilly, and playful designs and silhouettes. 

In the same manner, Sovieshu, who is cold and at times brutal, has a darker and more structured wardrobe than Prince Heinrey, who is nonchalant and carefree. 

The script also deserves mention and appreciation because the series wouldn’t be as powerful and impactful as the visuals if the lines don’t make a mark or elicit a “wow” reaction. The lines need to match the romance, tension, and intensity, and in The Remarried Empress, we found ourselves in awe of the clapbacks, especially the ones from Navier. 

One of our favorites from the Empress: “I am the Empress. What my people expect of me is not an empress loved by the Emperor. And the goal of my life is not to be a woman loved by the Emperor, either.” On that line, Shin Min-a said, “Even after receiving a divorce notice from Sovieshu, she makes it clear that being loved isn’t her ultimate goal in life. That feels incredibly forward-thinking, and she never compromises her dignity. That line, in particular, captures Navier’s character perfectly.”

But one short line that was particularly annoying, especially with the way Lee Se-young delivered it as Rashta in her conversation with Navier, was “May I call you sister?” Seriously, Rashta?! 

Well, there are more quotable quotes and sharp comebacks throughout the episodes we’ve seen so far. And we expect more in the coming episodes!