If you’re a huge fan of horror and slasher TV series, then Netflix’s upcoming original K-drama “Sweet Home” (스위트홈) is definitely recommended to be in your must-watch list!
Based on the popular Naver webtoon of the same name, the 10-episode drama series stars Song Kang (“Love Alarm”), Lee Jin Wook (“Voice” sequels), Lee Si Young (“Liver Or Die”) and also Lee Do Hyun (“18 Again”) taking on the lead roles.
“Sweet Home” tells the story of life-loathing 18-year-old loner named Hyun Soo (played by Song Kang), who just moved into an old apartment complex called Green Home following the tragic death of his family. Feeling hopeless, he decides that the best option to end this is by committing suicide. He sets his plan to end his life at the end of the month and goes to bed – only to wake up in a world full of hopelessness where floating monsters are about to sweep away the entire human race.
To get all of you pumped up for the premier of the action-packed series, we’ve compiled 8 fun facts that fans need to know about the drama “Sweet Home”. Check them out :
1. Director Lee Eung Bok on the concept of the Green Home in the series
The thrilling series is helmed by Lee Eung Bok, famous for his slew of popular K-dramas including “Descendants Of The Sun”, “Mr. Sunshine” and also “Goblin”. In shedding some light about the concept of the fictional apartment building, he dished, “I tried to represent the stage of ‘monsterisation’ with the lights coming from the outside and the destruction as well as the transformation of the building.”
“The building had a shutter at the entrance at first, later replaced by walls, followed by the collapse and an open space. In the process, I tried to portray different stages of the sense of crisis felt by the residents with the changing lights and barricades,” the renowned director further added.
2. The visuals of the creatures in “Sweet Home” are done by award-winning American special effects studio Legacy Effects
As stated in the director’s note, Legacy Effects chose to work on “Sweet Home” despite their busy schedule with other Hollywood projects because the monsters that are present in this drama are different from other creatures. In this case, the design of the monsters was created based on the story of the creatures when they were in their human forms.
3. The cast on what drew them to the horror series
Lead actor Song Kang revealed, “Director Lee contacted me first. As I have been a fan of the original webtoon, I was very much looking forward to seeing the script, and the script was fascinating as well. Reading through the script, I got curious to see how the monsters would be portrayed in the actual world.”
Lee Jin Wook, who starred as Pyeon Sang Wook then shared, “The biggest reason for me was the fact that Director Lee was directing it. After hearing news that ‘Sweet Home’ would be made into a Netflix series by chance, I looked for the original webtoon because the story sounded interesting, and I absolutely enjoyed it. Then, I heard that Director Lee was directing it, which made me want to join this project no matter what, so I expressed my interest very strongly.”
Rising actor Lee Do Hyun, who played the character Lee Eun Hyuk, said, “Since I am a huge fan of the original webtoon, I was very curious to see the script. The webtoon was still on-going at the time, so I wanted to see how the story goes and wondered if the overall storyline would be the same as the webtoon. I was very excited when I received the script. I wanted to participate in the project so bad that I showed my enthusiasm very strongly at the audition as well.”
Last but not least, Lee Si Young (Seo Yi Kyung) commented, “I found the role interesting and fun and was eager to show dynamic action moves. So, I decided to join the project.”
4. Lee Jin Wook on how the shooting for “Sweet Home” is different from others
Lee Jin Wook commented, “The last time I was witnessing a shooting studio was back when I was a rookie, but I felt that again at the gigantic studio for ‘Sweet Home’, which was of a rare size for a TV series and consisted of spaces that are filled with CG effects.”
“The entire space was built in the studio, and everything was set up perfectly no matter which door you open, and every corner that was captured on camera was filled with details. The behavior and movement of monsters designed by choreographer Kim Seol-jin were also impressive!” the seasoned actor was quoted as saying.
5. Song Kang and Lee Si Young on the process of preparing themselves for their roles
Song Kang had to shed the image of his character in his previous drama, “Love Alarm”, with his new role in this drama. According to him, “Since ‘Sweet Home’ is my first genre series, I found everything so new and fun. I started learning and practising basic action moves whenever I had time two months before the shooting began.”
Lee Si Young chimed in, saying, “The character that I portray, Yi Kyung, is a former firefighter who shows a strong survival instinct against monsters. Because she is a former special forces soldier, I began practicing action moves with a martial arts action director six months before the shooting started.”
She then added, “I had to do a lot of weight training to build some muscles, because there were action scenes which required me to show off my body. I became a lot stronger than I expected, and that helped me a lot in doing those scenes.”
6. Lee Do Hyun and Lee Si Young on interacting with the “monsters” in the series
The young actor remarked, “I was totally amazed when I visited the set for the first time. All of the monsters left a lasting impression on me, because I have never seen anything like that before. The lotus root monster was the first and also the most memorable monster I saw. It was amazing how the actor who played the monster performed so well despite not being able to see his surroundings very well. Also, the bloodsucking monster was so real that I thought to myself, ‘That cannot be human!’
Lee Si Young concurred that shooting with the monster was “refreshing and difficult at the same time”. According to her, “Because monsters are several times stronger and more destructive than humans, the reaction required in action scenes was completely different. I practiced a lot on those points, and it felt different because it was not something I have tried before. I think I learned a lot during the shooting of ‘Sweet Home’.”
7. Lee Si Young on some memorable moments during production
“Out of all the best moments, I would have to say working with the director is the most memorable one for me,” the 38-year-old actress shared during the chat. Why the director you asked? She explained, “Just looking at him as well as his facial expressions helped me get back to my strict diet plan.”
She further added, “It was very scary whenever he smiled and said ‘Everything’s okay’ and also ‘You can do whatever that you want’, because I think that I was really daunted by his charisma. In this case, I believe that his charisma was what really guided me throughout my diet plan.”
8. A different look into humanity
Lee Eun Bok told the press, “I wanted to convey the message on how to live like a human. Because of the interesting setting where people’s desires turn them into monsters, I was able to portray those desires owned by each individual to extremes. Villains or bad people might want to live forever as monsters, but I believe most ordinary people would want to ‘be human’ when they are breathing their last breath. Such elements can be found throughout the series and will move the audience’s heart.”
Watch the trailer here:
Mark your calendar, K-drama junkies! “Sweet Home” will be available for streaming starting from 18th December (Saturday) onwards.
Images courtesy of Netflix.
