K-drama 'Red Swan' promises an extraordinary love story and high-octane action scenes
South Korean singer-actor Jung Jihoon, also known as Rain, and actress Kim Ha Neul embark on a new challenging role as they headline the upcoming Disney+ original action-drama series Red Swan.
In a press conference on Tuesday, July 2, director Park Hongkyun told the media that the new series, which has a Korean literal title, The Scandal of Hwain Group, is a "provocative" and intriguing drama that comprises stories about mystery, thriller, romance, and action.
The 10-episode series, which will premiere exclusively on the streaming platform on July 3, tells the story of a former professional golfer named Oh Wan Soo (Ha Neul), who now navigates life as the daughter-in-law of a powerful chaebol Hwain family. As she becomes the director of a charitable foundation, a terrorist attack throws everything into jeopardy, putting both her newfound purpose and her life at risk.
Seo Do Yoon (Rain), enters the lives of the Hwain family as a bodyguard who has a personal agenda of wanting to avenge his friend who also lost his life.
As Do Yoon and Wan Soo confront these secrets and face various dangers together, their relationship deepens, and they gradually rely on each other
When asked why she accepted the role of Wan Soo, Ha Neul said her love for the 1992 film The Bodyguard, starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner, prompted her desire to appear in the series.
"It was so shocking to see this concept in quite a while, and I also thought that every single episode was very intriguing," the 46-year-old Korean actress told the press.
Ha Neul added, "I felt like I was really gripped by the script."
Alongside Park, who has also helmed hit Korean series such as A Korean Odyssey and Warm and Cozy, the drama is written by Choi Yoonjung, the writer of Only Love and Three Sisters.
Eyeball acting
Talking about Park's directing chops, Rain revealed that he has been a fan of his works since he was young, inspiring the former K-pop idol to do the project.
"I really admired director Park from when I was young because I sometimes had some opportunities to be part of this project, but actually, it turned out not to really work out in the end," he said, adding that working with Ha Neul fulfilled one of his dreams as an actor.
"I think she's the most beautiful person that you will always dream of acting alongside her and I was really lucky and blessed this time."
The Magnetic singer noted that the script didn't require much from him because he didn't have as many lines as a bodyguard. However, the Korean actor did some training to achieve the "very strong presence" of his character.
"To put that together, the presence, the tone, and the vibes of this bodyguard, I had an instructor that helped me out," he said.
"I did put a lot of thought into how to exactly put this character together. I tried really hard to control my tone of voice and my detailed acting," Rain added.
The Korean actor also admitted that he finds it difficult to have short lines; hence, he was challenged to express those emotions without saying much.
"It was more difficult for me because I had to express those emotions without saying it out loud. It has be done with [my] eyes."
"It's going to be a lot of eyeball acting, and this, you know, I have a quite... my eyes aren't the largest of eyes, and so I would skip dinner because I couldn't afford to have my face swell. That's how passionate I was," he continued.
Director Park, for his part, praised Rain's acting skill in the series, saying despite the subtle emotional acting requirement of his character, he was able to pull it off.
"In terms of the subtle emotional acting, he put so much thought into his role, even at the reading stage. When he read out and saw the script together he surpassed my expectations," said Park.
Rain promises viewers that the series' action sequences will consist of scenes that his fans have never seen before.
"I wanted to do something that looked really impactful, and so I had a lot of conversations with the director, and so the action sequences were something at the top of my mind as we were working on it.
"Rather than doing a lot of cuts, we wanted to do longer takes, this time for the action sequences."
'Intense and fierce'
The series introduces the audience to a thought-provoking dynamic between Wan-Soo and her vigilant bodyguard Do Yoon. Various teasers unveiled the gradual evolution of their relationship, leaving viewers intrigued about the potential twists and turns that await as the series unfolds.
When asked about the most intriguing part of the show, Ha Neul said it was the "intense and fierce action scenes," which also excite her every filming day.
"When we were filming those action sequences, there less clients, so I just screamed and shouted, and I watched people being engaged in that intense action, and that gave me so much excitement."
She added, "The fact that people risking their lives and throwing themselves in front of me to help me, I really immersed in those scenes."
Ha Neul also promised the viewers that the series would have everyone on the edge of their seats, but also have a straightforward yet relatable plot for a global audience.
"What hooked me about the script was how there were a lot of twists and turns. It was so gripping," she said, "I think foreign and non-Korean viewers will also be able to relate to or show very much."
Rain joined saying, "We've done our best in filming the show, so I hope that this will become the most successful show on Disney+ this year."
Red Swan drops on Disney+ on July 3, with new episodes every Wednesday.