If you’re a K-drama fan like us, you’d know that our latest obsession is Flower of Evil, a psychothriller starring Lee Joon Gi and Moon Chae Won. The latter plays Cha Ji Won, a detective who’s blissfully married to Baek Hee Sung (Lee Joon Gi). The young married couple has a daughter and they look like the picture-perfect family… until Hee Sung’s past as Do Hyun Soo threatens to catch up with him. The Weekly team managed to catch Hallyu actors Lee Joon Gi and Moon Chae Won to talk about their riveting new drama series. Continue scrolling for the full interview!
Lee Joon Gi: The script was an interesting one, and at the same time, I thought it would be really challenging. As an actor, that’s the kind of challenge that I want to take on. I wanted to express the complex inner thoughts of the characters Baek Hee Sung and Do Hyun Soo well. Also, because it is a genre and a role that I’ve never done before, I wanted to show another side of me through Flower of Evil.
Moon Chae Won: The role or genre that I choose to take on varies — it depends on various factors, such as the kind of experience I have had in my daily life and how I feel at that moment. Flower of Evil contains a considerable amount of elements that I favour, in terms of personal preferences and the genres that I like.
I usually like authentic melodramas, but Flower of Evil is a very attractive combination of romance and suspense. I decided to be a part of the cast because I was attracted to dealing with dramatic and deep topics.
Lee Joon Gi: I did my best to express the restrained yet delicate side of the character Do Hyun Soo. To do that, I referred to the movie Joker and also Javier Bardem’s acting in the movie No Country for Old Men. However, unlike those characters, I had to express to the audience the complicated situation that Do Hyun Soo is facing and the various emotions that he has, therefore I thought a lot about the details of his facial expressions, reactions, and also the character’s styling in terms of appearance.
Moon Chae Won: Ji Won is a violent crimes detective responsible for investigating crime scenes. Elements that are being taken lightly can be a big clue to solving a case, so she can’t help but be sensitive when dealing with cases. But in front of her beloved husband and family, she disarms herself and lets her guard down and smiles a lot. It’s the opposite of working at the police station. What drew me to Ji Won as a character was her unexpected charm, which adds fun to the story; her feelings of love and anxiety, which are essential feelings for human beings; and the subtle conflicts presented in the story.
Moon Chae Won: I was very excited to meet Lee Joon Gi again! No matter what character he plays, Lee Joon Gi makes the public fall in love with his charm, the way he works, and how he creates a narrative for his character with his meticulous acting. Because of that, I was very curious about how he would play Baek Hee Sung/Do Hyun Soo, who possesses conflicting characteristics such as kindness and cruelty (laughs).
Not only is his acting outstanding, he is also a great person on set. Even after filming an emotional scene, or an action sequence, he’s still very upbeat and doesn’t lose his laughter but instead, boosts the morale on set. I always receive good energy from his energetic performance. I am very lucky to be bale to work with such a good partner.
Lee Joon Gi: It was a pleasure to meet Chae-won, who I had previously met as a colleague [in Criminal Minds] and now as a couple of 14 years [in Flower of Evil]. There’s a sense of familiarity but we have to present a new performance.
During Criminal Minds I said to her: “Let’s meet in a melodrama next time.” I was thankful that such an opportunity came earlier than I thought. We’ve already worked together once, so we’re trying our best to produce good results this time too.
Moon Chae Won: It’s a production filled with great crew members, a good director and also great actors, so every moment is worth remembering. However, I can’t forget this particular moment with Seo Yeon, who is my daughter in the drama. One day, Seo Yeon smiled and handed me a piece of folded coloured paper. When I opened it up, there was a message saying, “Moon Chae Won and Flower of Evil, fighting (all the best)♡♡”. I was thankful and really moved because I felt that she was so considerate towards me. The weather then was quite cold but thanks to Seo Yeon, I was able to finish filming with a warm heart.
Lee Joon Gi: I remember every day of our shoots. I’m active on set, and the crew members and I are always there for each other. This way, I believe that we can turn the tiring shoot into a fun memory filled with smiles. I always have nothing but pleasant memories.
Moon Chae Won: First of all, thank you so much for thinking highly of the chemistry between Lee Joon Gi and I! (Laughs) I think the biggest reason why we have such good chemistry is because Lee Joon Gi is a good actor and person. He takes good care of me when we’re filming. Thanks to him, I can focus more on my acting. This kind of consideration and understanding is well-reflected in our chemistry, so I think that’s why many people are in favour of it.
Lee Joon Gi: Chae Won and I have opposite personalities. If I’m the type to approach a production by exchanging energy with everyone on set, then Chae Won is the type to be calm and delicate. I think the process of us approaching the production in different ways makes the work better. We are both currently going through the shoot with good synergy.
Lee Joon Gi: The two biggest things I felt while reading the script for Flower of Evil were “truth” and “love”. I think it is a great production that depicts the various emotions that a loving couple feels when faced with a truth they want to turn away from, as well as their psyche. I hope viewers will immerse themselves in the characters’ emotional changes, and realise the meaning of truth and love in the process.
Moon Chae Won: Rather than letting you know what the key points of Flower of Evil are, it would be great if you can feel closer to the essence of love after watching it. There are times when I personally think, “As a person, I would want to be saved by someone I love.” Whenever I think of that, many questions come to mind, such as “Is it possible for one person to be saved entirely by another?” and “Can two people be the salvation for each other?” I hope you can find answers to these questions through this drama.
New episodes of Flower of Evil are available on Viu.