‘It felt like climbing a big mountain right at the start’: Nam Ji-hyun and Jang Na-ra on playing lawyers in new K-drama Good Partner

The currently airing K-drama Good Partner has been clocking high ratings and positive reviews since it premiered in July, with one Reddit user saying the series get their “logical and emotional sides spinning”.

In the series, South Korean actresses Jang Na-ra and Nam Ji-hyun play divorce attorneys in one of the countries’ top law firms.

Some minor spoilers ahead.

In a recent interview with AsiaOne, Ji-hyun, who plays rookie Han Yu-ri, revealed the scene she found most difficult to film.

“The courtroom scenes in the first episode were the most challenging. I think that was the longest courtroom scene in the entire drama. A lot happens within just one scene, and the lines were both long and technical, so I made sure to prepare thoroughly,” said Ji-hyun, 28.

“Thankfully, everyone on set was focused and well-prepared, so the filming went more smoothly than I expected. It felt like climbing a big mountain right at the start, and I was really happy once it was over.”

In the debut episode, Yu-ri has to defend a man accused of adultery by his wife who is deemed jealous and delusional.

Na-ra plays Cha Eun-kyung, a seasoned celebrity attorney who finds herself in the limelight for the wrong reason when her husband cheats on her.

The 43-year-old veteran actress told us humbly: “These days… everything feels difficult. The scenes where Eun-kyung has to juggle her personal struggles while continuing her work were particularly challenging.

“Balancing her emotional expression related to her personal life with the smooth progression of the cases was tough. Finding the right balance wasn’t easy.”

The two lawyers often have disagreements due to their differences in values and experience, and upon looking up Na-ra and Ji-hyun’s respective MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator), we found that they are vastly different in real life as well.

When asked about their dynamic in real life compared to the drama, Na-ra said the differences “made it better”.

“On set, Ji-hyun was a great colleague who introduced me to new things and had many conversations with me,” she explained.

Ji-hyun, however, doesn’t think there’s much difference in their personalities as her MBTI results tend to vary.

“For reference, ENFJ is the most frequent MBTI result for me at the moment. I have great conversations with Na-ra sunbae (senior), and we can chat about a wide range of topics in a fun and engaging way,” she said.

“During the short moments when the shooting set is being adjusted, we often chat about little things. These conversations are so enjoyable that they keep things lively and make shooting a lot of fun.”

Her personality differs from her character as well.

Ji-hyun, unlike strong-headed Yu-ri who challenges her senior due to her beliefs, usually “listens carefully to what more experienced people have to say”.

“However, if I have doubts, I cautiously ask questions. I don’t prefer conflict, but when necessary, I like to express my opinions honestly and resolve issues,” she added.

To play her role realistically, Ji-hyun said she intentionally portrayed “a sense of awkwardness and uncertainty” in the beginning.

“As the story progressed, I wanted to show her getting used to her job, so I made subtle adjustments to my acting in the recurring courtroom and consultation scenes,” she shared, adding that the dialogue was “quite challenging” which made her put in extra effort to memorise her lines.

Na-ra chose to focus on the essence of Eun-kyung’s personality.

“After discussing with the director, we decided to portray the character more as a ‘drama lawyer’, so I focused on finding the right tone. My main effort was in defining the concept of Cha Eun-kyung [as a character] rather than just playing a lawyer,” she explained.

Also in the series are Kim Joon-han as veteran lawyer Jung Woo-jin and Pyo Ji-hoon (also known as P.O) as rookie Jeon Eun-ho. Ji-hyun said the relationships between the four make up an important part of the show.

She added that it’s a “well-balanced” show where some characters build the main storyline, while others “intricately weave in the details”.

Ji-hyun continued: “I hope viewers pay close attention not only to the dynamics between Eun-kyung and Yu-ri but also to their interactions with the other characters they encounter.”

Good Partner is available on Viu, with new episodes out every Friday and Saturday. Due to the airing of the Paris 2024 Olympics, episode six, which was supposed to drop on July 27, will be released on Aug 16.