As the country’s first sci-fi film, there was definitely a differentiating factor compared to other films of the same genre. When asked, director Jo said, “It’s obvious, but for Space Sweepers, you hear people in an outer space backdrop speaking in Korean. I really wanted to make it seem as less odd as possible and make it familiar for the audience.”

On being asked about the pressure of playing a part in the country’s first sci-fi film, Song Joong-ki shares, “A lot of the pressure was on the director’s shoulders, but it’s also almost like having the Korean flag on our chest. We didn’t want to be pressured by that. On the contrary, I was more excited, I felt like I was a child again. When I first read the script, it seemed like such an amazing adventure film.”

“I’m excited and nervous, I feel almost like I’m playing for the nation as an athlete. I feel like we’re going out into space as representatives,” quips Jin Seon-kyu.

There’s Tae-ho the pilot (Song Joong-ki) who lived all of his life as the Special Troops on UTS. Due to a certain event, he leaves the forces and meets the crew members. 

Captain Jang (Kim Tae-ri) was the captain of an ex-pirate crew, but her comrades got killed, and she ends up putting together this squad. She has a special dream that she wants to fulfill and collects the space debris with her crew members to make money in order to achieve it.

Jin Seon-kyu plays Tiger Park, the engineer who also takes on housekeeping duties.  “Tiger Park looks very tough and ruthless but he is actually very warm. He’s very sentimental and loves children,” says Seon-kyu.

Then there’s the robot Bubs played by Yoo Hai-jin, a lively character whom the actor describes as “warm-hearted and very skilled with spears. He’s very cute and adorable. He also has his own dream he wants to achieve.”

Says Jo Sung-hee, “The pre-production process was quite difficult, compared to other films. We had to prepare a lot and it required a great deal of imagination on the set from all of us. However, there was also a lot of excitement about what it would look like on-screen and that’s what drove us.”

“The supervisors and technicians put in a lot of effort to make sure the quality is impressive. There were two elements; we tried to visualise the light shining on the surface of these objects as best as possible to make them look realistic, and we also tried to visualise the sheer speed of these objects travelling in outer space. We wanted to make it look intense and suspenseful. So we really focused on balancing out these technical aspects.”

Jin Seon-kyu adds on “It was tough at first because it starts with where we should be looking at while doing my lines. But the director gave us very good details. It took some time getting used to, but after going through the whole process, I actually do see outer space when I see it on-screen.”

Jin Seon-kyu who plays Tiger Park says, “Tiger Park does the housekeeping and is also an engineer who takes care of the engine of the spacecraft. For those scenes, we filmed in a ship that was docked on a port. All the staff also had a tough time because it was very loud. Even with the ship docked, the engine had to be left running, so we couldn’t even hear the director’s instructions. I had to rely on my instincts.” 

… who’s also the accounting manager. Yoo Hai-jin adds, “I thought of Bubs as a robot made of metal but he has a warm heart. That’s how I interpreted him to be. He’s also not the typical robot. He is the accounting manager but isn’t savvy with numbers. He’s cute, adorable, very warm-hearted and very skilled with spears. He also has his own dream he wants to achieve.”

It’s also a first for the actor when it comes to motion-capture acting, and one that comes with its challenges. “I had all the sensors attached to my body, and I had to wear the bodysuit, as well as set the zero points for each scene. While I was acting, I was curious to see how it’d turn out on-screen. The staff also had to go through a lot of technical issues.”

In the movie, Kim Tae-ri’s Captain Jang is a brash former pirate captain who puts together the team, and bosses over everyone. Kim Tae-ri elaborates, “But she’s also someone really determined, and although she lives like a pirate, there’s something at her core that holds her. She’s very driven by what lies in her heart.”

The actress tells us, “I asked the director why he chose me – a typical captain tends to have broad shoulders, and is very charismatic – that’s the kind of visual you’d expect. But that’s his style; he moves away from the obvious. He told me there’s great power in avoiding the obvious.”

“When I first read the script and tried to interpret Tae-ho, I pictured him as being devastated and having lost all hope in life. He’s given up and doesn’t think about anything — he’s in this state of void and while I was filming the movie, I was in a similar state when I started shooting,” says Song Joong-ki. 

“He’s devastated by a series of events but manages to put himself together when he meets his crew members. He finds a glimpse of hope and has more enthusiasm about his life again. The crew members helped him get back on his feet, and I tried to show that contrast as best as I could.”

The pair had worked together on 2012 box office hit ‘A Werewolf Boy’.

On reuniting with the director for ‘Space Sweepers’, Song Joong-ki says, “I don’t think anything was completely new and different. In ‘A Werewolf Boy’, I played the role of Chul-soo and people ask me where do you think he is today? That’s a character that’s alive in our hearts, and it’s the same with director Jo. It’s been 10 years, but he’s always been there for me. And he hasn’t lost his own unique characteristics. He’s still as quiet as ever but fun to work with. 

The director shares the same sentiment, saying “Joong-ki, just like he was ten years ago, continues to be such a friendly person and a leader on set. I make mistakes sometimes but he’s always very understanding. I really depended and relied on him mentally, and could put my trust in him. I felt a bit relieved to have him around and there’s not much to worry about.”

Space Sweepers premieres on Netflix on Feb 5, 2021.

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