Go Kyung-pyo: I have always been an avid fan of director Takashi and during the entire duration of filming the series, I could sense this tremendous amount of energy. His passion for directing gave me energy on set but he is also very considerate and kind when on set with others. When something needs to be clarified, he makes sure that everyone understands it very clearly. Personally, I found him to be the perfect role model; an example of a great director.
Kim Hye-jun: Like the other two actors, I could feel a great amount of energy from director Takashi when I was on set. I had quite a bit of action scenes throughout the series and when I mentioned that I was struggling with it, he would personally demonstrate to me how to act out certain movements, considering he’s also an expert in action scenes himself. He was so nimble and fast. My only regret is that I could only show the audiences half of what he had showed to me.
Jung Hae-in: I think I connected effortlessly with director Takashi on set. In the series, my character has his eye stolen from him, and that is how he gets connected to Jin-seop, the serial killer. But while filming the series, I felt like I was very much aligned with director Takashi on a lot of fronts for the show. I felt that we were looking in the same direction and shared the same vision for what we want to create. So, working with him on set was truly fascinating to me.
Ha Dong-soo is closely connected with a serial killer through his eyes. How did you try to understand and sympathise with your character?
Jung Hae-in: The first characteristics that came to my mind when approaching this character, Dong-soo, were that of loneliness and solitude. He essentially has a good heart and he slowly figures out his abilities before deciding to use his power for the right cause. I thought a lot about how he would move and what he would be thinking about at every second. When portraying Dong-soo, I didn’t see him as a hero, but more as someone who aspires to be a hero. His journey felt very much like the struggle of a man who is simply preventing bad incidents from happening.
Director Miike Takashi, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Blade of the Immortal, and As the Gods Will are just some of the examples where you used CGI in your work. For this particular project, what did you focus on: the speed, action, or the overall mood of the narrative?
Miike Takashi: Yes, we did rely on quite a lot of CGI. But to me, it was about conveying the theme of this series which was the inherent human “personality” and how vulnerable the human mind can be. There was the question of: “What sets me apart from others and what kind of internal complexes does that bring?” A large part of this story revolves around the theme of humans fighting against this inherent loneliness and finding their will to live. On the surface, we may have many thrilling scenes, but at the same time, I hope that audiences can also see it as a very human drama—which is something I personally focused on.
For the actors, what were the challenges or difficulties you experienced on set?
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