Young adult horror "Girigo" seeks viewers worldwide.
On the 21st at CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall in Seoul, a Netflix series "Girigo" Highlight screening and press conference was held. The event was hosted by Park Kyung-rim and attended by director Park Yun-seo, Jeon Soyoung, Kang Mina, Hyun Woo Seok, Lee Hyoje and Roh Jae Won.
The Netflix series "Girigo" is the story of high school students who are suddenly foretold of death because of the curse of the wish-granting application "Girigo" and struggle to escape that curse. It is the first main directorial work by director Park Yun-seo, who built solid know-how as assistant director on season 2B of the Netflix series Kingdom and co-director of the drama Moving, drawing expectations.
Also, rising actors Jeon Soyoung, Kang Mina, Baek Sunho, Hyun Woo Seok and Lee Hyoje play the high school students "Sea","Nari","Geonwoo","Hajun" and "Hyeonguk" who become entangled in the curse of "Girigo," delivering spirited performances, and Jeon Sonee and Roh Jae Won will play the shamans "Haetsal" and "Bangul" who work with them to break the curse, showing a strong presence.
That day director Park Yun-seo introduced the work, saying, "'Girigo' is young adult horror: high school students who make wishes on an app that grants wishes are foretold of death by the curse of Girigo, and the story follows their struggle to escape the curse."
Park said, "Because of the nature of the horror genre, the story begins with an unrealistic situation. I paid a lot of attention to expressing that situation in a way that touches reality to make it immersive," and added, "It wasn't planned as a series from the start, but there were things we considered. A film might proceed in a shorter breath, but as a series we tried to lead the narrative to be as plausible as possible and keep viewers immersed until the end." He continued, "We added not only traditional horror but also occult, action and school drama elements so audiences wouldn't get bored."
With many rookie actors in leading roles, when asked about serializing like the film "Whispering Corridors," Park joked, "I want to ask the Netflix people," then added, "Of course I hope it does well and becomes a series that brings out great new actors. Whether it will go with a new story or continue the story into a series is something we're thinking about."
He also spoke about casting. Park said, "In Soyoung's case, because it's a horror series the pacing is long. I thought if we only showed dark sides continuously, audiences would get tired. I basically wanted an actor with bright energy. When she auditioned she fit that part and conveyed a bright, energetic presence, so I chose her. Kang Mina is a more well-known case. Watching her act in the audition I saw a new side as an actor. I was very satisfied to see that in the actual set as well."
He continued, "Sunho valued chemistry with Sea, and their chemistry was good. Though a rookie, his acting was stable so he was cast. Wo-seok's character has that sharp feeling in person? but he's actually a very kind person. That matches the character Hajun. Hyoje's gaze was very close to Hyeonguk's. He seems like someone without much thought normally, but sometimes his eyes give a strange feeling. That felt well expressed. Sonee and Jae Won were considered to help the rookie actors a lot acting-wise. Still, rather than very familiar actors, we wanted actors with stable acting who could show fresh and new sides, so we approached them first. I'm very grateful."
He added about directorial focus, "Rather than worrying about balancing global viewers, I thought about showing things that are Korean. I felt that would be fresher and newer to foreign viewers. Because the curse starts with a modern phone app, it felt like something the world could commonly feel. For details, I tried to show more Korean elements."
Jeon Soyoung said, "'Sea' is a friend so outstanding she was selected as a national track and field reserve. She's a cool character who digs into the curse of Girigo and struggles to protect her friends," and added, "Because she's a national prospect character, I had to adopt a stance like a long jump athlete. For almost two months I trained every day with senior national athletes together with senior Sunho. For the role I also gained some weight though it's not apparent. To look like Sea I cut my hair short and got some tanning. Both external and internal aspects were important, and I consulted with the director to prepare to express Sea's inner narrative well."
Kang Mina explained, "'Nari' is always someone who draws attention at school. She has a very strong possessive style, so if she wants something she will use any method to get it." She continued, "Before filming I had kept my hair short for years. For Nari I prepared long straight hair. Internally, I am actually scared of horror. I'm timid and can't watch well, so I prepared mentally to not flinch at all on set."
Kang Mina also said she was disappointed that joining the group I.O.I, which decided to make a May comeback for its 10th anniversary, fell through because of scheduled acting commitments. Kang Mina cautiously began, "Honestly, not being able to participate in the 10th anniversary project was a very disappointing decision." She added, "But I think focusing on the acting work I had already committed to was my decision. I feel very sorry to the fans. I'm concentrating on my acting to show a better side, so I hope you look on me kindly and support me."
Hyun Woo Seok said, "'Hajun' scores perfect in math and is the top intellectual on the science side. He approaches Girigo app systemically and is the one who deciphers the secret," and added, "I went to set early and learned coding. I prepared by getting basic data and knowledge classes about coding. I practiced typing a lot to type fast. I also thought a lot about the relationship between Haetsal and Bangul and discussed it with the director to figure out how to show that relationship well."
He also added, "Actually it wasn't just me; I don't remember other actors using doubles. Sunho worked hard in scenes where he got dirty. I did too, and others did as well. I recall Sunho and Hyoje practiced more than I did."
Lee Hyoje explained his character: "'Hyeonguk' enjoys hanging out with friends and has an innocent charm. He is the first to discover the Girigo app and introduces it, opening the case." He added, "Before filming there was talk it would be good to gain weight, so I gained about 20kg. I was given enough time. Of course I'm not someone who easily gains weight, so it was hard to eat and gain. But after eating a lot my body changed to one that gains weight easily, so losing it became harder. During filming I also had many blood sugar spikes and twists and turns, but I endured and tried to gain weight."
Roh Jae Won said, "'Bangul' is a shaman. Hajun is my brother-in-law. Together with my girlfriend 'Haetsal' (played by Jeon Sonee) I step forward to break the children's curse," and added, "Although a shaman, it's ambiguous. It's ambiguous to say he's a hugely powerful shaman. I tanned and tried mind control to believe in my own toughness to seem tougher. I also consulted a shaman teacher several times. I wanted to feel closely the area I had been distant from, so after many conversations with the teacher I tried to find my own wonder and senses."
Finally, about viewing points Roh Jae Won joked, "It's sometimes fantastical and has comic elements. I'm a fun character. It's a horror thing you haven't seen before and a fantasy genre piece. Many genres are mixed. When I first read the script it was a new story so I'm curious how people will watch it," The director said, "We are proud this is a fresh work to present to you. Please give us a lot of support," and Kang Mina added, "This is a work mixed with blood, sweat and tears. Please love it and watch it multiple times."
Meanwhile, "Girigo," composed of eight episodes in total, will be released worldwide on Netflix on Friday the 24th at 5 p.m.
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