The highly anticipated Korean series, Gyeongseong Creature, debuts on Netflix tomorrow and Dorkaholics attended a press conference earlier this week to hear from actress Han So-hee, a lead on the show as the sleuth Chae-ok.
Q. What made you accept the role?
Han So-hee: I was most drawn by the fact that Chae-ok is a strong, self-reliant character and that the project is set at a historical period in time not many get to experience. I also had a ball watching the director’s previous show, Hot Stove League and that sealed the deal.
Q. Tell us about Chae-ok. What were some things you did to get into character?
Han So-hee: As a single-minded person pursuing one goal, she suppresses many emotions underneath her tough facade. It’s those traits that make her truly shine. I tried to depict her as someone who doesn’t lose sight of her mission and purpose. At the same time, I tried to provide balance so that she didn’t seem one dimensional. For Chae-ok, loving someone is a luxury she cannot afford. It’s not easy for her to open her heart and let Tae-sang in, so I focused on the details of that difficult process.
Q. What was it like being on set? Any memorable spaces?
Han So-hee: The colors were so beautiful, and the contrast between the vibrance of the House of Golden Treasure and the bleakness of the dungeons really put focus on that particular space. The buildings and the people were beyond anything I’ve seen before, and I felt like I was in Gyeongseong during that time.
Q. What was it like working with Park Seo-jun?
Han So-hee: There’s quite a bit of tension between the characters Chae-ok and Tae-sang. Breaking that tension could have easily muddled the balance, but on set, Park Seo-jun was so grounded as Tae-sang. I could really focus on Chae-ok and look upon him through her eyes. We were also constantly running together, which naturally helped us build rapport.
Q. What was it like working with director Chung Dong-yoon and writer Kang Eun-kyung?
Han So-hee: It’s easy to bond over a mutual appreciation of a beautiful picture but quite hard to do so with feelings of the uncanny. In that sense, director Chung and I were on the same wavelength. I enjoyed how we were on the same page regarding things that instinctively made one think, “There’s something wrong here.” Above all, his heartfelt affection for Chae-ok, Tae-sang and all the characters filled me with appreciation for the show. As for writer Kang’s script, I remember thinking, “How did she come up with this?” Her work made me wonder about its origins, and whether she had planned every scene from the beginning. There were many instances when a single dialogue was enough to capture the characters in their entirety, which made for an extremely interesting read.
Q. How does it feel to showcase Gyeongseong Creature worldwide to viewers in 190 countries?
Han So-hee: I’m excited, happy and even a little sad that Gyeongseong Creature will finally see the light of day. Viewers can delight in the unusual blending of the creature and the period genres. They can look forward to how the lives of these characters are affected by the creature, the relationship that develops between Tae-sang and Chae-ok as well as the connections among other characters. We hope you enjoy and love the show as much as we did.
Catch Gyeongseong Creature on Netflix starting Friday, December 22, 2023.
