00:00Gangnam B-side has been one of the most talked about K-dramas lately,
00:04thanks to its stellar cast and their great performances in action scenes,
00:07which were often quite difficult to film.
00:09This series is a crime thriller that focuses on Detective Kang Dong-woo,
00:13played by Jo Woo-jin.
00:15After relocating to the Gangnam neighborhood of Seoul,
00:18he finds himself involved in a series of disappearances when Kim Jae-hee,
00:22his daughter's friend, played by singer B.B., goes missing.
00:24To solve the case, he gets help from prosecutor Min Seo-jin,
00:27portrayed by Ha Yoon Kyung, and the mysterious outlaw Yoon Gil-ho,
00:32played by Ji Chang-wook.
00:33As they seek the truth behind the disappearances and aim to save Jae-hee,
00:37they get involved in increasingly dangerous situations.
00:40With this premise, it's pretty clear that the drama relies heavily on action scenes,
00:45and the cast has talked a lot about their experience
00:47and how they underwent intense preparation to film the drama.
00:50Talking about his character, Woo-jin explained that Dong-woo acts without hesitation
00:54and has strong moral values, diving deep into his cases and facing challenges head-on.
01:00However, when the disappearances become a personal matter for him,
01:03he changes and turns into a more emotional character.
01:07Woo-jin confessed that this aspect immediately made him interested in this character,
01:11and he tried to portray the emotional journey of Dong-woo and be convincing in the role.
01:16He added that the first impression of the character was very important,
01:20and he wanted Dong-woo's resolute personality to be reflected in his physical appearance.
01:25For this reason, he started to gain weight as soon as he got the role,
01:28and he increased his weight by 18 kilograms in order to enhance the visual impact of the character.
01:34Sharing his experience, Woo-jin explained,
01:37For the first time since my high school days, I ate a lot and worked out heavily.
01:41I tried all the burger restaurants in the neighborhood to increase my weight.
01:45However, gaining all this weight in such a short time took a heavy toll on Woo-jin.
01:49He confessed that after his weight gain, he struggled to look at himself in the mirror,
01:54and even added that it was almost like he was seeing another person.
01:58This isn't all as Woo-jin also worked hard on many of his action scenes.
02:02This is especially evident in a complex moment in which he fights off his opponent
02:06in a confined space while surrounded by fire.
02:09Despite the difficult conditions, Woo-jin completely immersed himself in the scene
02:13and completed it without any issues.
02:15Knowing that he gained a lot of weight before filming makes his performance in the action
02:19scenes even more remarkable.
02:21In fact, throughout the filming period, Woo-jin's commitment to the role was very apparent,
02:25and he gained the admiration and respect of his co-stars and the production team for his dedication.
02:31Chang-wook even stated that Woo-jin's performance made the filming experience easier and more enjoyable.
02:36Yoon Kyung also worked hard to bring her character to life,
02:39and immersed herself in the role with remarkable dedication.
02:42Her character in Gangnam B-side is much different from her previous roles as she often portrayed bright
02:47and lovable characters in series such as Extraordinary Attorney Woo and See You in My 19th Life.
02:53Unlike her past characters this time, she had to be sharp and cold, so she made a complete transformation,
02:58showing her ability to portray different characters.
03:01An important reason why she immersed herself in the character completely is to repay the director's faith in her.
03:06In fact, director Park Nu-ri explained that Seo Jin was originally supposed to be much older,
03:11but she wanted to work with Yoon Kyung so much that she changed the character's age to make her younger.
03:16So, Yoon Kyung wanted to appear as convincing as possible,
03:20and she revealed that she met with real prosecutors to get advice and gain insight.
03:24She also wanted to show how prosecutors live a tough life and are often overworked,
03:28so she avoided makeup and kept a minimal wardrobe to focus on authenticity and realism.
03:33Yoon Kyung's character is also reserved and firm,
03:35and rarely shows any emotion.
03:37This aspect proved to be another difficult challenge for her, as she confessed.
03:41Acting to suppress feelings is harder than showing them,
03:45so she instead tried to emphasize her character's strength with her gaze and her body language.
03:51Yoon Kyung's professionalism and dedication were really appreciated by the director,
03:55who praised her for her acting and for her ability to perfectly deliver her complex lines
04:00without ever forgetting them.
04:02Yoon Kyung also gained the admiration of Woo Jin,
04:04who described her as honest and upright, and even joked that she almost felt like an older sister,
04:10despite the fact that she's 13 years younger than him.
04:13Meanwhile, Chang Wook's character is much different than those of his co-stars,
04:17since he plays the role of a broker and outlaw,
04:19who has survived alone in the dark alleys of a bustling city,
04:22surrounded by criminals and all kinds of shady individuals.
04:25The director explained that she chose Chang Wook after seeing how he's able to portray a wide range
04:31of characters, and she wanted to see him in a much darker role than usual.
04:34So to show his character's toughness, Chang Wook relied on a lot of his makeup and his outfits.
04:39His striking look as Gil Ho includes long hair, a fur jacket, and flashy accessories,
04:44but the most noticeable features are the large scars on his face.
04:48He explained that the scars were indeed the most important physical characteristic of Gil Ho,
04:52and he spent a lot of time on makeup during each shoot.
04:55What's even more interesting is that it was Chang Wook's idea to add the wounds to his face,
04:59and he also personally selected the most intense outfits, such as the fur jacket.
05:04He also pointed out that his character expresses himself through his gaze and his actions,
05:10rather than with words, so he focused a lot on his movements, admitting that it was a hard challenge.
05:17Another difficult aspect of his character is that he's often involved in fights and intense scenes,
05:23but Chang Wook proved his abilities by filming these scenes without issues.
05:27One of his most notable action scenes in the drama was a thrilling sequence filmed inside a parking lot,
05:32in which he fights off several men and rolls over cars.
05:35After filming this scene, he looked really exhausted, but this sequence turned out great,
05:39so in the end, it was all worth it.
05:41Woo Jin heavily praised Chang Wook's performance, stating that he has improved a lot as an actor,
05:46and even became broader and deeper.
05:48Among all the members of the cast, BB stood out the most for many viewers,
05:53thanks to her incredible performance and her intense action scenes.
05:57This is even more remarkable when considering that this is her first major role in a K-drama,
06:02after she impressed viewers with her performances in the series The Worst of Evil and the movie Hopeless.
06:07In fact, she explained that this had been her first time ever auditioning for a role,
06:11and it went so perfectly that director Nu Rhee chose her for the part of Jae Hee without hesitation.
06:17In Gangnam B-side, she showcases a new side of herself, taking on the role of a character who has
06:22a cold exterior but a pure and passionate heart.
06:25She shared that she put a lot of thought into portraying the character in the best possible way,
06:30and aimed to show Jae Hee as a person who has lived fiercely, but is now tired of life.
06:35This aspect of Jae Hee is reflected in her constant nervousness, and to express this,
06:40BB developed a habit of clenching her teeth. However, she went a bit too far with this,
06:44to the point that she ended up damaging them. BB explained that she always immerses herself very
06:50deeply in her role while acting, adopting a method similar to self-hypnosis, and shared,
06:54when acting, I believe the situation I'm in is real. Her commitment to her role as Jae Hee was
06:59noticed by her co-stars too, and Chang Wook even confessed that BB's performances looked so real,
07:05that he found himself tearing up while watching her. BB's dedication isn't limited to this,
07:10as she also had to film various intense action scenes, some of which proved to be not only hard
07:15to pull off, but also quite dangerous. In one of the most notable moments, BB had to cross a busy
07:20street filled with cars barely avoiding the incoming vehicles. BB's portrayal of this was
07:25extremely realistic. With her character looking frightened by the speeding cars and hesitating
07:30while crossing the street before falling to the ground, the scene ended up looking very raw,
07:34while the sight of BB barely avoiding the cars is almost surreal. Something could have easily gone
07:40wrong, but BB was still brave enough to face this challenge and create a very memorable moment for
07:45the viewers. Despite facing a lot of difficulties, now she looks back fondly at those moments, even
07:51finding some of them numerous. Talking about a scene in which she ran while wearing high heels,
07:56she joked that filming that moment made her realize that she lost some weight, so she was very happy
08:01during the shoot. While some have criticized the plot of Gangnam B-side for failing to deliver on its
08:06interesting premise, the amazing performances of the cast can't be overlooked. Viewers have praised
08:11especially the intense action scenes of the drama, and knowing how hard the cast worked to film these
08:17moments and to immerse themselves in their characters makes their performances even more remarkable.
