Squid Game star Wi Ha-joon and Guardian’s Lee Dong-wook on new K-drama Bad and Crazy and why their bromance is worth a Best Couple award
- Wi Ha-joon and Guardian: The Lonely and Great God star Lee Dong-Wook reveal their perfect chemistry as unlikely partners in the new crime action series
- Director Yoo Seon-dong hopes it will do as well as his previous production, the hit fantasy action series The Uncanny Counter
Actors Lee Dong-wook and Wi Ha-joon are set to bring great chemistry to the screen in Bad and Crazy, a crime action series on Korean television network TvN scheduled to premiere on December 17.
“We hit it off really well [on the set] as if ‘we are one’,” Lee said. “Our bromance chemistry was undeniable.”
Wi, who rose to international fame after starring in Netflix’s smash-hit series Squid Game, also noted that the two showed a real friendship between two men through the series.
“Personally, I am aiming to win the Best Couple award at next year’s Baeksang Arts Awards. That’s how good our on-screen chemistry will be. It’s a real friendship bromance – like we would always bicker over anything, yet we miss each other when we’re not around,” he said.
“There’s nothing that I really did. It’s that Lee is open to my ideas and he has a lot of his own. So when I just followed along with him, we had good chemistry.”
Soo-yeol, a quick-witted and intelligent police officer, is an opportunist who will do anything it takes to be successful. One day, he meets the mysterious K, who is righteous and takes injustices personally. The two form an unlikely partnership as they work together on a missing person’s case. The series is written by Kim Sae-bom, who co-scripted The Uncanny Counter.
Both actors said they took up the roles thanks to the interesting story that unfolds throughout the series.
“I really enjoyed the script. I like how the writer made the lines so interesting,” Lee said. “Then when I met the director, he had specific ideas and plans about how to bring it to life. So I felt I could put my trust in the two.”
Lee noted that this series will show a different side of his image, as he’s previously known for playing romance and romantic-comedy roles.
“It wasn’t overwhelming to portray a different image [than what I had previously] … it was important to show how cunning Soo-yeol is, so I wasn’t reluctant on portraying his character. It’ll be different than those characters that I’ve played before,” he said.
Wi added that taking on the character of K was a challenge for him. “The script was so interesting, so I read through it quickly. I was so curious how it would be depicted on screen,” he said. “Taking the role was like accepting a challenge as I thought the character will allow me to show a wider spectrum of my acting.”
Yoo, the director, expressed his hope to carry on the success of his previous series The Uncanny Counter, whose last episode achieved an 11 per cent nationwide viewership rating, a record for cable network OCN, earlier this year.
“I don’t feel pressure to succeed … but one thing that assures me is that we are working with some of the cast members and production staff from The Uncanny Counter for this series as well,” he said. “Those who enjoyed The Uncanny Counter will also enjoy this series.”
Bad and Crazy is screening on iQiyi.
