Executive Producer/Star Daniel Dae Kim and Actors Reina Hardesty, Piper Perabo and Louis Landau talk to The Inside Reel about protection, primality, environment and intent in regards to their new action thriller series: “Butterfly” on Prime.
00:32I've waited a long time to finish this together.
00:35As a family.
00:45It's such a complex series because it's about the choices we make,
00:49but it's about the things we hold dear.
00:52But also the lives that we live because both these characters
00:55love the different lives they've had, I think, in certain ways.
00:58Could you talk both about approaching it separately,
01:00about psychologically where you needed them to be at the beginning?
01:04But then once you interacted, was there a different energy dynamic
01:08that had to shift in terms of how you approached it in terms of performance?
01:13Really good question.
01:16Yeah, that's a really good question.
01:18Too smart for me.
01:20Well, that's hard to say because even when we're working separately.
01:27Well, really from the beginning we were working together.
01:30But if we were to think of it as if we were working separately,
01:34still the catalyst to both of our emotional journeys in this is because of each other.
01:39So even if we weren't like actually collaborating, we're still carrying each other through our preparation.
01:46Do you know what I mean?
01:47Yeah.
01:48I feel like the human relationship from parent to child and child to parent is so complex
01:55and the root of so many things for all of us.
01:58And it's something that we can all deeply relate to.
02:01And we can all take our personal experiences and pour into these kinds of stories.
02:06And yeah, I don't know if I ever felt like there was a moment where I was like truly alone in it
02:12because I had to focus on feeling alone, but that means there was an absence of you.
02:21You can't keep living this life.
02:25At some point you start to lose yourself.
02:30That's why I came back for you.
02:35Dad?
02:38You let me grow up thinking that you've been killed.
02:42Disappear me was the only way I could keep you safe.
02:45I can't let you live the same life I left behind.
02:48Okay.
02:49So we'll just live happily ever after.
02:52You used to love those.
02:55You should pay for those.
02:58But, you know, what's interesting is sort of the dynamic, you know, fathers and daughters, mothers and sons, protection and primal, you know, that whole idea.
03:08Could you talk about that in terms of the character of June, since she is with Calis in such a bigger idea of what's going on.
03:17But then Louie, Oliver has to live up to expectations and he still wants to protect his mother.
03:23It's a really dynamic thing going on.
03:25And it has to be subtle, too.
03:28Could you both talk about that?
03:30Yeah.
03:31I think that's one of the things that drew me to the show most of all was that basically it's a family drama.
03:37It's set in Korea.
03:39It's super high action.
03:41You know, it's a spy genre show.
03:43But at the core of it, it's really about the difficulties of a family dynamic, of a blended family, of divorce, of having grown kids, of working with your parents, like all these things that I think regular people can relate to are happening inside this sort of high octane genre.
04:02And for me, that made it really interesting.
04:04And that's why I wanted to do it.
04:06Yeah.
04:07And I absolutely second that feeling that it does feel like people will tune in initially, maybe drawn to the action.
04:14But for me, it's the family drama of it that is the sustaining force of the show.
04:19And I think with David and Rebecca and Juno and Oliver, you've got a mirror put up between two parents and two children who are just constantly missing each other and both constantly trying to reach out to each other and have moments of connection and always something gets in the way or fails.
04:40And then added to that, they're all trying to kill each other.
04:43All this time, where have you been?
04:45Nine years of my life, where have you been?
04:50You still haven't put your gun down.
04:52Neither have you.
05:02I owe you answers, I know that.
05:05But right now, we have to get out of here.
05:07I'm not going anywhere till you tell me.
05:08No, we have to leave.
05:09Tell me, tell me why you left when I was 14 years old.
05:12Tell me why you made me an orphan.
05:17How could you do that?
05:18How could you do that?
05:21Everything I did, I did to protect you.
05:25Well, because the thing is, they both have these abilities, and they both have to respect that they have, you know, the instant, the killer instinct, if you will, and how to approach it.
05:34That's why I'm also saying that balance, too.
05:38The unpredictability of that first meeting, I think, was one of the juiciest parts for me.
05:44Because after nine years, who is my daughter?
05:49You know, what kind of person is she?
05:51And, you know, if I know that she's working as an assassin, am I walking into a lion's den, you know, and voluntarily, those kinds of that those kinds of questions made that reunion scene interesting for me to play.
06:12And these are all the things that Raina was touching on.
06:15We did spend a lot of time together, but it's about imagining and determining what happened while we were separated that fuels that moment.
06:26Did you know it was him?
06:29Did you know it was him?
06:31What?
06:32When you sent me after him, did you know it was him?
06:37What are you talking about?
06:38Juno, don't lie to me. Not about him.
06:41Who are you talking about?
06:46My father.
06:47He's alive.
07:02Oh, that sick shit.
07:06Juno, did you send me after my own father?
07:08Tell me the truth, Juno.
07:10Did you know?
07:12No.
07:13Because you mentioned a mirror and the first thing that came to mind was through the looking glass.
07:16Because the thing is, things look different when you look at it from a different perspective.
07:21And the aspect of perspective and perception here about who's trusting who, who's doing what, is key.
07:27But you have to keep it grounded for you guys to play it.
07:30Can you talk about finding those bits within Oliver, within Juno, that really sort of you glommed on to?
07:38You know, I worked with Daniel Day Kim years ago on an action movie.
07:41And he's one of those actors that even when he's in, he's done a lot of shows that have a heightened reality.
07:49But he's the kind of actor who keeps it grounded, keeps it real, wants character to push story, not the other way around.
07:57And even in a show like this, it's character that's pushing action.
08:00So you, it's not just a fight for no reason, you really care about the people, you understand the stakes of what's going on and what they're fighting for.
08:07And so I knew when Dan reached out to me about this, and because he's an EP on the project, that he would make sure that it was a show that was kind of grounded, like you said, in that real meaningful story and character that makes the larger world make sense.
08:23And we were also so lucky with our showrunner, Ken, because he was such a collaborator with us.
08:29I mean, really, we had hours and hours of just talking to him and like, debating lines and really just, you never get that experience on a film or TV, very rarely.
08:41And he was so open to finding, if there was an extra opportunity to explore a character beat or something, he would always be receptive of ideas.
08:52It was a really fantastic process working with him as well.
08:56Say it.
08:58I didn't know.
09:00I swear to God.
09:04Listen, Rebecca, where is David now?
09:07He's here with me.
09:11Are you safe?
09:14Yeah.
09:16Yeah.
09:19We're gonna figure this out together, okay?
09:22You don't have to make any decisions.
09:24You don't have to do anything.
09:26I'm sending a team for you.
09:31And then I'm coming to you.
09:34You're gonna be okay.
09:38I understand.
09:39Could you talk about the balance also between, like, you have these large action set pieces, and obviously the production's fantastic.
09:47You know, but balancing that with those quiet moments, like the quiet moments when, you know, with the soju and everything like that, because those, that comedy, or not that comedy, but that sort of gallows humor sort of creates the stakes and brings it up.
09:59Could you talk about finding those in between moments, both in the movement of the characters, but also in what they're not seeing?
10:08Yeah.
10:09And I loved the combination of those two things that you're talking about, because that's what makes it fun to do as an actor.
10:14You don't want to do the same thing all the time, but you need, you need to have the chops to be able to do a real, you know, emotional scene with stakes that, you know, has moment to moment changes.
10:25And then in that very same scene, you get to kick people's butt, you know, like that, that's a, that's a great, that's a great mix of things for any actor to be able to do if you can do it.
10:38And Reyna was able to do it and I'm still working on it and I'll let you know how it goes.
10:43And my last question, I'll let you guys go.
10:45And we talked about this Piper before is environment, the importance of environment and geography.
10:51And obviously in South Korea, it's a whole different thing, but obviously different units going on.
10:55But can you talk about the power of environment here, whether it be her layer to where she controls everything, the apartment or even out and about.
11:03Can you talk about the importance of environment in this show, particularly because it's so wide ranging and it's so global and yet so intimate at times.
11:12I'll say like thinking about your, my history, like in covert affairs, one of the things I really realized, we traveled to like 23 different countries doing that show.
11:21And when you're in the real place, it really has an effect on the scene.
11:26And I think that that really is shown very beautifully in this series because being in Seoul, in Busan, in the mountains, you feel the world of Korea have an effect on the whole show.
11:38And then with Louis and I and the family that we play, here's this family from another place in their private spaces in this other world.
11:48And it really makes your family all the more important to you when it's just the two of you.
11:57David Jones is alive.
11:59When he died, I trained his daughter to be the most valuable asset in this organization.
12:05They know all our secrets.
12:07I don't care who you have to bribe, torture or kill.
12:10We have to take them out.
12:11I like a challenge.
12:28She won't just let us walk away.
12:30We have to bring her down.
12:32I'm not your asset.
12:33Are you hers?
12:34Could you talk about that to you, Raina, about that finding sort of that balance for you?
12:38Because she has to play.
12:39You have to play her razor thin at some point where she could go one way or the other for sure.
12:44Yeah.
12:45Well, I think just echoing off of what Daniel was saying, I think that makes it more fun and easier almost because sometimes when you feel like your character is so one thing, it can feel very one dimensional.
12:59Like we're not all one thing.
13:00We all have many different layers and sides and to be able to play these different moments, whether it's action or humor, because there's some humor in our show, too.
13:09And the intimate moments, that's what makes it feel like a rich, real person.
13:18And it's easier to connect to a character when they're fully fleshed out like that.
13:22It's a primal thing.
13:23There's such primality in these characters because it's survival, but it's also protection.
13:28Can you talk about sort of those themes and metaphors within the show?
13:32And then I'll let you go.
13:34Yeah, I absolutely agree that it's very primal.
13:38And I worked on an animal for it.
13:41I try to think of like bringing it into the physicality of it.
13:47And I envisioned you as an animal as well.
13:50Right now, I'm not remembering which one I actually stuck with with you.
13:53Armadillo?
13:56A penguin?
13:57No.
13:58No, you were a bear.
13:59You were a bear.
14:00I was a bear.
14:01But I was a big cat.
14:02And that was really helpful in exploring the primal things of like feeling like the fear, but we're both these predators.
14:11It was, yeah, interesting to attack it from that angle.
14:14It's the only thing I know how to do.
14:19You ever throw someone off a roof?
14:21I wonder what that'd feel like.
14:23Why would you wonder that?
14:25I didn't say I'd do it.
14:26When you disappeared, I stayed awake every night waiting for you to come home.
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