Back in the early days of K-dramas, no one was exempted from the charms of actor-singer Jung Ji-hoon, more popularly known as Rain. His international stardom has propelled him to Hollywood where he starred in films such as “Speed Racer” and “Ninja Assassin.” Today, Rain has marked another chapter in his career, starring in his first OTT series, “Red Swan” on Disney+.
The action-packed drama also stars Kim Ha-neul, Jung Gyu-woon, Seo Yi-sook, and Ki Eun-se. The 10-episode series follows the story of Oh Wan-soo, a golf player who is married to the heir of the Hwain Group and is known for her philanthropy. Meanwhile, Seo Do-yoon is a police-turned-bodyguard who is tasked to protect Wan-soo. He has a hidden agenda of finding out the truth about his friend’s murder.
The cast of “Red Swan” on Disney+ talked about their characters and why they chose the project during the press conference for the series.
Kim Ha-neul, who plays Oh Wan-soo, confesses that she’s a big fan of the 1992 film “The Bodyguard,” which starred Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston.
“I loved the film ‘Bodyguard’ back in the days. It was shocking to see this concept in quite a while. Every single episode was very intriguing and gripping,” she told the press.
For Rain, it was his admiration for Director Park Hong-kyun (“A Korean Odyssey,” “Queen Seondeok”), which made him want to work on “Red Swan.”
“I have really admired Director Park since I was young. As for Ha-neul, I feel like she’s the most beautiful person that you will dream of acting alongside her. I feel so lucky to be working with her,” he said.
‘Red Swan’ on Disney+ is an action-packed romance drama
As the trailer shows, “Red Swan” promises intense action scenes involving Rain, who isn’t a stranger to doing stunts.
“When it comes to action scenes, you have to move your body well. I wanted the action scenes to look impactful. We wanted to have longer takes,” Rain described the high octane scenes on “Red Swan.”
However, aside from the adrenaline pumping scenes, Rain said he had to prepare well for the emotional aspect of his character.
“I don’t have many lines. I had to express emotions without saying it out loud. There’s a lot of eyeball acting. My eyes aren’t the largest. I skipped dinner because I couldn’t afford to have my face swollen,” he added.
Director Park is all praises for Rain. “He is very emotionally expressive. Because Ji-hoon is a master in what he does, when it came to action scenes, compared to my previous works, I felt more at ease.”
Meanwhile, Kim Ha-neul, who plays a golfer-turned-philanthropist, said she focused on how to look the part.
“I monitored what goodwill ambassadors do. They are very confident and graceful. It was also important how I look. I focused on being presentable and how to dress in every occasion. I did play a little bit of golf in the past but Director Park helped me look the best on camera,” she said.
Aside from the mystery and action, the romance aspect of the show is surely one to look forward to.
One of the stills for the series shows Rain carrying Kim Ha-neul, giving a sneak peek of the chemistry between the leads. “I was very satisfied. I was in good hands. Sometimes you get worried if you were too heavy but I felt so at ease,” the actress described the scene.
“Red Swan” is streaming on Disney+ starting July 3, with two new episodes every Wednesday.