Angie Chai faces criticism over hit Korean drama remake, says some actors turned it down for fear of comparisons

(Taipei) Taiwan’s “godmother of idol dramas” Angie Chai is producing and executive producing a Taiwanese remake of Our Blues (《我们的蓝调时光》), directed by Lin Tzu-ping, which relocates the story from South Korea’s Jeju Island to Taiwan’s Penghu. On Tuesday (10 November), the pair attended a press conference with a star-studded cast including Vic Chou, Janine Chang, Chung Hsin-ling, Shin, Wang Po-chieh, Amber An, Lu Yi-ching, Kuo Hong-chih and Chiu Yi-tai. With the Korean original having won widespread acclaim, news of the remake prompted scepticism from some netizens, who went so far as to accuse the team of overestimating its abilities. Chai acknowledged that the criticism had made casting difficult: a number of actors had politely declined roles for fear of being compared with their Korean counterparts.

Responding to the doubts, Angie Chai cited Meteor Garden (《流星花园》), You Are the Apple of My Eye (《那些年，我们一起追的女孩》) and Jin Yong’s novels, saying: “A good story deserves to be interpreted in different ways.” She expressed particular gratitude to the accomplished actors who ultimately agreed to join the cast, saying warmly: “People who are willing to face comparisons and competition are very brave. I’m very grateful that they were willing to take on the challenge.” She also revealed that almost all the actors now in the production had agreed readily, without needing much persuasion.

Explaining why Penghu was chosen as the main setting, she said: “Kinmen has more of a military character, with its soldiers, while Green Island lacks enough coastline suitable for diving and is less accessible than Penghu.” It would also have been difficult for all the actors to spend two months living on an offshore island. After weighing the options, the team settled on Penghu for its combination of beautiful scenery and amenities.

The large-scale production was filmed from August to December 2025, taking a full 120 working days across Taipei, Chiayi and Penghu. Penghu’s intense heat was another major challenge. Chai joked that the cast and crew were like “egg dumplings in a hotpot”, with the surrounding sea resembling the pot’s constantly boiling water — a vivid description of the hardship of filming in the scorching weather.

The 2022 Korean original, Our Blues, starred Lee Byung-hun, Shin Min-a, Cha Seung-won and Kim Woo-bin, among others. Set against the warmth and vibrancy of Jeju and the cold, unforgiving sea, the drama tells the bittersweet stories of its characters’ lives.