Goblin actor Lee Dong-wook as well as Squid Game breakout star Wi Ha-joon, have teamed up to play an unlikely pair in new action-meets-dark-comedy K-drama Bad and Crazy, which centres on corruption in the police force.
Lee takes on the role of Ryu Su-yeol, a capable and ambitious cop with dubious ethics who has to partner with righteous but erratic ‘K’ (Wi Ha-joon), who isn’t afraid to resort to any means to uphold justice. In a press conference, the two male leads, together with cast members Han Ji-eun, who stars as hot-headed narcotics police officer Lee Hui Gyeom, and Cha Hak-yeon, who plays junior police officer O Gyeong-tae, share more about their roles in the action-packed show, challenging aspects as well as tidbits about themselves.
Bad and Crazy premieres Dec 17 on iQiyi, with new episodes on Fridays and Saturdays.
For Lee Dong-wook, he shared frankly that this is a side of him that viewers have never seen. “He’s also very easy-going,” he added.
As for his character K, Wi Ha-joon said “I don’t think you can have a clear idea of who he is but he’s a tough guy, and he likes to call himself a hero. But he’s innocent and child-like in a way, but he’s also an intense character.”
Meanwhile, Han Ji-eun relished her role as the spunky narcotics police cop Lee Hui Gyeom. “She’s very confident and is a go-getter who doesn’t turn away from a crime scene. It was a new challenge for me, as I’ve played roles that were more quirky and cute.”
And on his junior officer character, O Gyeong-tae, Cha Hak-yeon shared that he is “down-to-earth and sweet but has lots of perseverance.”
Originally stark opposites, Ryu Su-yeol and K wind up working well with each other, with a bromance of sorts brewing between the two.
Speaking about how they built their chemistry, Wi Ha-joon expressed that their characters could not stand each other at the start. He also revealed that his on-screen chemistry with Lee Dong-wook was very strong and they were able to work together perfectly even without detailed coordination.
“I trained a lot for the action scenes. He is very different from the roles I have played. There are comical aspects, and I wanted to bring that to life. I watched comedies, movies, and films. I’m not very funny in real life, but I tried to break that mould and tried to make jokes on set to bring about that transformation.”
Fellow star Cha Hak-yeon also hung out with actual police officers to find out more about their daily lives. On the other hand, Lee Dong-wook confessed to not having put too much effort into the prep work. He said, “The script itself was entertaining and I wanted to stick to it. And I had the freedom to express the character as I wanted. I tried to have many conversations with the director regarding the details.”
When asked about the challenges and prep they had to go through for the numerous action scenes (think motorcycle chases and crime-busting scenes) through the series, Lee Dong-wook shared, “I didn’t practice at all. I seem to be the one who put in the least effort (laughs). Our action team was impeccable, as long as we followed their guidelines, we were safe. But instead of using stunt doubles, Ha-joon initially volunteered to do his own stunts.”
“That was at the beginning and I was passionate about doing more,” Wi Ha-joon admitted. “My character goes through a lot and he knows how to move his body. But I had to wear leather clothes, as well as a helmet while shooting those action scenes in mid summer, so it was quite uncomfortable.”
Han Ji-eun chimed in, “I always wanted to shoot action scenes so I signed up to train myself. I always had to push myself, I had great expectations because I wanted to be like Ha-joon. But he’s far above the average actor. He is a natural and excellent at action scenes.”
The cast was also quizzed about the “bad” and “crazy” sides of their personalities. Wi Ha-joon revealed, “I’m a huge fan of mixed martial arts (MMA). I don’t do it myself but I love to watch it. Sometimes I go down to MMA fights, and I did actually get my hands. So my friends thought I was crazy. The mma athletes put so much into their sport. I tear up during fights. I can relate to the hard work they put in.”
Meanwhile, Lee Dong-wook is a self-professed sports fanatic who would stay up to watch sports events even though he was falling asleep. “I was very exhausted during the Olympics.”
You might be surprised to know that Han Ji-eun is a major foodie and mukbang fan. The actress revealed, “A lot of people think I’m crazy about food. I love to eat. I have to restrain myself because I eat a lot while watching YouTube.”
“I watch a lot of mukbangs. I’m always on my (food) delivery apps, and always have something to munch on. I keep a bucket list of things I want to eat. Even if it’s 3am and I’m drowsy, I have to eat before going to bed.”
Bad and Crazy premieres on iQiyi on Dec 17, with new episodes airing every Friday and Saturday.
This article was first published in The Singapore Women’s Weekly.