When Life Gives You Tangerines lead stars IU and Park Bo-Gum shared the life lessons they’ve gained portraying their characters, Ae-sun and Gwan-sik respectively, in the series.

Speaking about her experience, IU highlighted the show’s emphasis on community and compassion.

"You know the saying, 'It takes a village to raise a child.' Very similar to that in our drama series towards the later episode, there's a line that goes, 'It takes a village to save one life or one's person's life.' And I think that's one of the very important messages that we want to convey through our drama series," she said in a Netflix interview uploaded by Philippine Star on YouTube.

IU also noted that the story extends beyond romantic love, focusing deeply on deep human connections and the essence of caring for each other. "That's something I truly felt while working on the series, and not just about the romantic love between Ae-sun and Gwan-sik, but also just the human-to-human and heart-to-heart relationships and solidarity is something that our series is speaking about."

Echoing her sentiments, Bo-Gum reflected on the steadfast nature of his character, Gwan-sik.

"I fully agree and I also relate to what IU just said, and I think it's just not about romantic love or love itself but just also about the human-to-human connection, and the way we care for one another truly, the way Gwan-sik looks after Ae-sun and his [unwavering] and undying love for her, and on top of that the diligence that is part of the nature of Gwan-sik, and also the agape love that he expresses to Ae-sun and those around him," he said. 

The actor went on: "Watching that about my character, I just felt like he is such an admirable man, and it also made me learned that I also want to be a diligent and loyal person just as he is."

The lead stars also shared what made them decide to accept the project.

IU shared that the emotional depth and unique structure of the story were key reasons for accepting the role of Ae-sun. 

"I think I was moved mostly by the fact that it is such a beautiful love story,” she said. “And secondly, the fact that I get to portray different stages of life of one character, that was very appealing to me because it was a new challenge that I can take on as an actor."

She added: "Also, of course, the fact that I would be working alongside Bo-gum as my partner, that sealed the deal that is something I couldn't pass up."

Bo-gum cited the series' multi-seasonal arc and timeless quality that drew him to the project. “The fact that we get to portray all four seasons of Ae-sun and Gwan-sik's lives, I think I was firstly drawn to that aspect," he said. 

"Also, how it’s a drama series I would be proud to watch with my family member even quite a lot of time has passed, and also how this was a story that I would proudly suggest to my fans as well. And also of course, the fact that I get to work alongside IU," he added.