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| ▲This photo shows, actor Kim Nam-gil during press conference of 'Island.' (Yonhap) |
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| ▲This photo provided by K-Odyssey show actor Kim Nam-gil answering questions during press conference of upcoming south Korean series 'Island.' (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲This photo shows, actor Kim Nam-gil, Cha Eun-woo, Sung Joon, actress Lee Da-hee and director during press conference of 'Island.' (Yonhap) |
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| ▲This photo shows, actor Cha Eun-woo during press conference of 'Island.' (Yonhap) |
SEOUL December 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korean webtoon which drew a lot of spotlight for having interesting topic “Island” has been produced as drama series featuring actor Cha Eun-woo, Sung Joon, Kim Nam-gil and actress Lee Da-hee.
Throughout the press conference, held at the Conrad hotel in Yeouido Seoul on December 22, actors and actresses had similar reasons behind their decision to participate in the production, despite of the pressure coming off from the success of the webtoon, actors and actresses were drawn into the merit of participating in the production of such series.
The drama features, the battle between good and evil within the field of Jeju island.
Actor Kim Nam-gil plays a role of half human and half monster “Van” who has been around for centuries in order to fight off the evil.
“I gently said no to participating in the production twice,” adding “Since the webtoon series is so popular I did not want to let down any fans.” addressed actor Kim Nam-gil who has been fan of the series it was released through webtoon.
Van is characterized as dark, rough and callous character in webtoon, however the upcoming series will feature the behind story of Van.
“In the webtoon version of ‘Island’ the past of Van is not as thoroughly explained therefore we have decided to add some scenes to help the understanding of the character Van within the boundary of not disturbing the originality of the series,” adding “The series will feature where the sadness Van feels will be showcased.” addressed actor Kim Nam-gil throughout the press conference.
Director Bae Jong stated “’Island’ is like a grave for directors,” showcasing the pressure he feels from participating in the production of “Island.” Upcoming series will be director Bae Jong’s first drama series who is widely known for his works “Welcome to Dongmakgol,” “Fabricated City” and more.
Director Bae addressed that he focused greatly on Computer Graphics, and VFXs throughout the production since it is a fantasy series.
“Greatest weapon webtoon possesses is its genre, creature action series,” adding “The hardest part of the production is to create a guardian like figure but at the same time human. I think in the end everything comes down to the battle between time and money, and we have worked very hard to balance those out.” addressed director Bae throughout the press conference.
Most of the filming production was held in Jeju Island where the original webtoon features. According to director Bae, he tried his best to blend in the beauty Jeju Island has throughout the series.
“Jeju island served as a place of incarcerated, and through Japanese colonial period it suffered through incidents such as April 3 uprising massacre, and more” adding “throughout the series we have captured the duality of night and day, western and Easter cultural aspects.” stated director Bae throughout the press conference held for upcoming Tving series “Island.”
When asked of a difference and uniqueness of “Island” between other various zombie and monster related series, director stated “Coming up with something completely new is extremely hard therefore we have decided to twist the genre to provide uniqueness.”
Continuing on, director mentioned “I wanted to incorporate myths Jeju island has,” adding “I am not sure whether those factors will play out to be the beneficial aspect of the series or not but I hope it provides unique experience to the audience.”
Throughout the series, Lee Da-hee plays a role of Won Mi-ho who is not aware of her destiny, also actor Cha Eun-woo appears as an exorcist from Vatican, John and actor Sung Joon will act out Gungtan, half human and half monster character in Tving original series “Island.”
“Won Mi-ho gives off cold and callous vibe however she is very warmhearted and nice character,” adding “Mi-ho who meets, Van slowly show emotional changes, therefore throughout the series, Mi-ho will showcase various emotions.” addressed actress Lee Da-hee throughout the press conference of the upcoming series.
Within the highlight video showcased at the scene of the press conference, actor Cha Eun-woo wearing clergy clothes and white haired Sung Joon also attracted audiences interest.
“John might look very bright on a surface level, however, he as very sad history,” addressed actor Cha Eun-woo, whereas actor Sung Joon stated, “Gungtan is a character which encompasses freedom.”
Upcoming series “Island” consists of part 1 and 2 where the first part will be released on December 30 where as part 2 will be released within the first half of 2023.
(This article is translated from Korean to English by Joonha Yoo)
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