Here are a few more things we’ve found out about Sweet Home, a Netflix Exclusive Korean Action Thriller, coming this Dec. 18!
Earlier today, Netflix held a press conference with the cast of sweet home, and Director Lee Eung Bok.
Because of the Covid-19 spike in Korea, the participants joined in via Zoom, from their remote offices and homes in efforts to prevent the further spread of the virus. The pandemic, however, wouldn’t stop us from getting an insider scoop of what to expect this Dec. 18 in this monster-filled thriller.
Together with Lee Eung Bok, were cast members Song Kang, Lee Jin Wook, Lee Si Young, Lee Dohyun, Kim Nam Hee, Go Min Si, Park Kyu Young, and Go Yoon Jung.
The story
The story is about a shabby and tattered apartment building called the Green Home. Inside this Green Home are humans who turn into monsters and fight against each other. Director Lee Eung Bok says that the webtoon—which, by the way, has over 500 million reads so far—intrigued him because of all the elements it had, and the fact that unlike other monsters, these humans turned into beasts based on their earthly desires.
Though on the surface it seems like the story would be talking about the different monsters that roam around the Green House, Lee focused greatly on the “human aspect.” He wanted to showcase that some desires are good and some are bad, and that not all monsters are truly evil in nature. Those were the ideas he focused on when putting the story into picture.
The actors and cast prep
As we all know, the cast might not be the biggest and “household” names in the Korean showbiz industry—just yet. There’s a lot to expect from the freshest set of actors who will be taking on these roles. We’ve seen Song Kang and Go Min Si in Love Alarm, and perhaps many would recognize the lovely Park Kyu Young in It’s Okay to Not Be Okay from earlier this year. Each of the actors prepared so much and were very nervous when they first found out they’d be taking on their respective roles.
Song Kang is a big fan of the webtoon himself, which got him really interested and engrossed in the lead role he plays. Go Min Si who was also with Song Kang in Love Alarm is expected to play a different role compared to what we’ve seen so far.
Lee Si Young underwent intense workout and physical training for 6 months to get her body in shape. She knew she wouldn’t be able to hide her body in the underwear scenes, so she really did her best to prepare herself for that and the fight scenes she had to do for her role. Her back muscles in the trailer footage was a hot topic in Korea recently.
Lee Dohyun, on the other hand, is mentioned by Director Lee as someone quite similar to the role he plays. Dohyun says he’s “about 70 percent similar” to the smart student character he plays in the series. Expect a lot of reserved and calm emotions in Lee Do Hyun’s character, and a lot of “eye acting” from his end. Lee Jin Wook says he wouldn’t be recognized as the Lee Jin Wook people know, and we’re to expect a different side of him this Friday, after months of internal and external preparations.
Kim Nam Hui is recognized as Mr. Sunshine—a bad guy. This is a different role and experience for him. He gets emotional about it during the press conference. This time around, he plays a good guy, which he thinks is a good opportunity for him as an actor. He believes “there are two sides a person,” and he really is glad to have worked with Director Lee to express and explore the polar opposite sides of himself through Mr. Sunshine and his character in Sweet Home.
Lee Kyu Young expresses that she really wanted to play the role of Ji Soo, and the best moment for her was when she was told to “take the script home,” which in Korea means you got the role. The behind-the-scenes footage from Netflix and Kyu Young’s personal Instagram account shows a lot of action, which looks like something worth a binge. Go Yoon Jung on the other hand says she really studied all the new and old monsters in order to prepare hard and act better for her role.
Grand set
Almost every scene in the upcoming series was shot in the Green Home set. A fun fact, the set was a product of a long search by Director Lee and his team. It’s an apartment building that was built back in the 1930s. The whole cast and crew believe that because of how unique and iconic the building is, it’s worth being called “another cast member.”
The set was truly given so much effort by the production team, and the original site itself has so much character that the director even had to highlight a few of its features that help give a deeper message in the storytelling aspect of this production. The cast members also attest that they’ve taken so many photos on set just to brag to their friends about how realistic it is, compared to the productions they’ve worked on before. Go Minsi says that its realism helped her in getting into character, many times in the film.
Visual effects and makeup
Kim Nam Hui couldn’t help but mention how great the makeup team and effects were, that he slipped into saying how they would get scolded for messing up their makeup while filming their action scenes. Director Lee actually didn’t even deny it, but the cast and crew really can attest that it is something world-class, and really worth commending.
In terms of the special visual effects, Director Lee consulted and collaborated with the experts from Hollywood and built a “Korean Dream Team” for visual effects. The team was headed by the same people behind Game of Thrones, and Stranger Things.
The last thing we can highlight from the eloquent Director Lee was that he says, “the production was very expensive, and had a lot of inefficiencies.” He and his team wanted to achieve a product that was never thought about or done, which was “no short of creativity.” After being asked why he would go the distance of risking it all, he says that he and his team just hope that they would be able to create a “good and healthy competition” that would further challenge future productions in and out of South Korea.
Will South Korea set a new global standard of action thrillers? There’s only one way to find out. Enter the world of the Green Home by catching Sweet Home this Friday, Dec. 18 only on Netflix!