On CNN, Park Seo-jun and Han So-hee detail behind the scenes of “The Creature from Gyeongseong”

This Friday (27), the k-drama “The Creature from Gyeongseong” received seven more episodes on Netflix. THE CNN participated in a round table with actors Park Seo-Jun, Han So-hee and director Chung Dong-yoon, who gave more details about behind the scenes of the production and how their characters are doing in this new season.

In the first season, the plot took place in the last year of the Japanese occupation of South Korea, which took place between 1910 and 1945. Gyeongseong was the name given to the city of Seoul by the Japanese under colonial rule, hence the name of the drama.

But, in addition to the political conflicts already known in storybooks, there is also fiction, which mixes elements of horror and supernatural creatures amid Japanese repression.

In the second season, the story advances to the year 2024. This time, actor Park Seo-jun returns playing Hang Ho-jae, a character who is identical to Jang Tae-sang, his role in the first season. Han So-hee also returns as Yoon Chae-ok, who survived the supernatural events of the previous episodes. Finding Ho-jae shakes her deeply because he is someone so similar to Tae-sang.

In the chat, the actors and the director talked about what to expect from the relationship between the two characters. Check it out:

This is a project that carries a huge dramatic load and the action scenes add more difficulty. After working together on such a demanding series, what did you most admire and learn from each other while filming?

Han So-Hee: I learned a lot from watching him [Park Seo-jun] on set, seeing his concentration and how he deals with the characters. Seo-jun has a lot more experience than me and sometimes I was unsure about how to use my energy. I learned from him where to put my energy and where, sometimes, to save it. And I’ve also learned to really focus when I’m on set and get to know and become my character.

Park Seo-jun: I think So-hee is very good at focusing and immersing herself in the situation. So I could really work with her energy and I really appreciate that. And because we’ve been working together since season one, we’ve spent more time together than on any other project, we’ve grown closer over time, and I’ve cherished every moment on set with her.

What would you say are Ho Jae or Tae Sang’s inner motivations this season and how does he deal with the emotional conflicts arising from his connection to the past?

Park Seo-jun: Ho Jae doesn’t have his memories, so I thought I should approach this as if I were seeing everything for the first time. When he regains his memory, which is a crucial part of the drama, it means that I have to kind of compress and express all the time he spent between Gyeongseong and in Seoul in 2024. There are moments he experienced that are not in the script, so I thought very deeply about that break and what would have happened with it. I tried my best to portray this very complex character. I hope you enjoy watching me in the series.

You have a lot of intense scenes in the drama. Do you have any strategies for breaking character after these scenes, to avoid taking the emotional baggage home?

Han So-hee: Because the filming period is long, it was a little difficult to break out of character. But we don’t just have emotionally challenging or intense scenes, there are other scenes as well. So after we finish filming we have to move on to the next one, think about the next situation. And I would talk a lot with the director and the cast to make sure we can move on to the next scene and not carry so much baggage.

Park Seo-jun: I don’t think it’s that difficult to break character. After giving myself completely to a scene, what really bothers me is the emptiness that follows. It’s really important for me to learn to control this feeling and move on. And I believe that a good way to deal with this is to live your day to day life well.

In the second season, the series explores the bonds of destiny through time. How did you approach this concept and what challenges did you encounter when mixing historical elements with the modern era?

Chung Dong-yoon: There were certain elements from the 1st season that I wanted to keep in the new one. So while the two seasons take place in different eras, there are still commonalities and there are moments, like Easter eggs, where fans can find elements from the first season in the second. In the second season, I wanted to focus more on the melodrama between the two characters. Because in the first one they didn’t end up together, so I wanted this one to be like a melodrama where the two are looking for each other to find themselves.

Now that it’s 2024, do you think the characters would be K-pop fans? If so, which idols would they like?

Park Seo-jun: I think I would be too busy surviving. I wouldn’t mind K-pop too much.

Han Seo-Hee: I think Chaewok would like Aespa.

Park Seo-jun: Because she is “next level”? [Nome de uma música famosa do grupo]

Han Seo-Hee: Yes, she is “next level”.

Chung Dong-yoon: I personally like New Jeans.

Park Seo-jun: But that question wasn’t about you, Director Chong.

This content was originally published on CNN, Park Seo-jun and Han So-hee detail behind the scenes of “The Creature from Gyeongseong” on the CNN Brasil website.

Source: CNN Brasil