When Life Gives You Tangerines' Extras Accuse Makers Of Mistreatment: "They Forced Us To..."

NDTV

28-05-2025

New Delhi:
One of Netflix's most popular K-dramas When Life Gives You Tangerines has recently found itself embroiled in a controversy. The prop team as well as some of the extras on set have complained about rude behaviour and ill-treatment.
One of the production members shared a tweet on X, stating how the props were damaged by the makers. When questioned about it, the prop team was met with unacceptable behaviour. Furthermore, an extra also tweeted about how they were treated as slaves and forced to shave their heads. The reason behind such misbehaviour was that the series team did not want to spend any additional money on the well-being of any other cast members, except the lead actors.
What
When Life Gives You Tangerines makers have been called out for their harsh behaviour towards the prop team and extras on set.
A X account shared an instance experienced by the Prop team, "Let me tell you something interesting. Our company staff were stationed on the set to "facilitate" the use of the props (we really were just there to keep an eye on them) because the production team had zero skills to operate the retro buses or large props that we rented or made for them, and they damaged them all. They were either ignorant or irresponsible. Of course, we took photos of it all and made claims later."
아직도 기억난다. 빌린 버스에 철물점 락카스프레이로 스텐실 하다가 걸리니까 그 짓거리 한 놈이 '락카신나로 지워주면 될 거 아니냐'라고 적반하장으로 나왔다가 욕 바가지로 처먹었던 사건.
락카신나가 락카만 선택적으로 깔끔하게 지워주는 무안단물인 줄 아는 모자란 놈이 현장에서 깝치고 다님. https://t.co/1JkJMdsOQZ
— 연장토끼 (@M_RBt_) May 26, 2025
Furthermore, the prop team member alleged, "I still remember it. They were caught trying to use lacquer from ironwork stores to stencil the bus, and the person who did it said that "can't you just use lacquer thinner to remove it?" He was really unrepentant about it that he ended up being cursed out so much. The ignorant brat who thought that lacquer thinner is a magic potion that could cleanly erase just only the lacquer spray went around the set acting a fool."
As soon as the tweets went viral, other members of the crew such as the extras also spoke up.
The extras voiced their concerns for the mistreatment they had to deal with, "There's a detested, yet famous schedule amongst the extras for WLGYT too... They forced extras to shave their heads, and despite being a Netflix production, nothing was provided. They didn't want to spend money on anyone else appearing on the show but the main actors. They even neglected the elderly extras in the cold winter and made people starve without providing a food truck or craft table, throwing us to a random restaurant and telling us to eat within 30 minutes."
The extras added that they were deprived of basic amenities. To add to it, they weren't provided with insulating innerwear in the dead of winter, because the makers said it would ruin the fit of the costumes. They concluded by saying that "they were treated like slaves."
Response Of The Production Team
No formal response has been issued from the production team of When Life Gives You Tangerines, yet. As the tweets continue to go viral, viewers are probing Netflix and the show's producers for further investigation.
The Plot
When Life Gives You Tangerines is a slice-of-life K-drama series which is directed by Kim Won-Seok and led by IU, Park Bo-gum, Moon So-ri, and Park Hae-joon.
The storyline revolves around a poor girl named Ae-sun who wants to become a poet. It is also a beautiful love story between Ae-sun and a young boy named Gwan-si, which spans over five decades in South Korea.
Set against the backdrop of Jeju island, the plot explores the relationship of the lead pair as they combat several personal and historical challenges such as political unrest and changing family dynamics.
It is a testament to the power of everlasting love and the importance of family and community through changing times.
In A Nutshell
The viral tweets from the prop team and the extras from the When Life Gives You Tangerines sets, have veered the focus on the makers of the show. The production team has been accused of misbehaviour and harsh treatment while filming, which include being deprived of basic necessities like warm clothing, food trucks, craft tables, or any sign of comfort. An official statement from the producers is awaited.