Jo Byeong Gyu, Kim Sejeong, And More Talk About First Lead Roles, Action Scenes, And Hopes For "The Uncanny Counter"

Nov 28, 2020

On November 27, OCN’s new drama “The Uncanny Counter” held an online press conference with director Yoo Sun Dong and cast members Jo Byeong Gyu, Yoo Joon Sang, Kim Sejeong, and Yeom Hye Ran.

Based on a webtoon, “The Uncanny Counter” is about demon hunters called “counters” who disguise themselves as employees of a noodle restaurant and hunt down demons who have come to Earth in pursuit of eternal life.

For Jo Byeong Gyu, “The Uncanny Counter” is his first lead role. He said, “It would be a lie to say that I didn’t feel the pressure. But when I was feeling pressured, I met the director, Sejeong, and the senior actors, and felt like I could depend on them. As soon as I depended on them, I felt more natural about taking on the lead role.”

His fellow cast members shared praise for his work. Kim Sejeong said, “His character isn’t 100 percent bright or 100 percent dark. He has to have both sides to his character. He has an innocent face, but he can make it look like he has some trauma in his past, which was perfect for So Moon [his character name].” Yoo Joon Sang said, “You’ll see a new side of him through this drama. I think that this drama will make you think of his performances in his previous work again.”

About playing a school-aged character again, Jo Byeong Gyu said, “I’m still young. I keep telling myself that I still can’t tell the difference when I put on a school uniform. I want to become more known to the public before I get older. It’s an honor to work with a project that combines humanism, fantasy elements, and action. I’m working hard at managing my health.”

Yoo Joon Sang plays a counter whose superpower is superhuman strength. He talked about his rigorous exercise routine and Jo Byeong Gyu chimed in, “He reduced his body fat to 3 percent to get abs. The director suggested that I should work out with him so I also lost about 10 kilograms [about 22 pounds]. To prepare for action scenes, I use a lot of protective gear, wrist bands, and take supplements.”

Kim Sejeong said, We all went to action school together, but when I first went, my first thought was just to avoid causing other people trouble. As I kept going to lessons, I became ambitious about doing well.”

She continued, “Through Do Ha Na [her character name], I like hearing that I’ve become an action star, but I’d like to hear that I’ve met a character who will become a landmark in my career as well. It’s always thrilling and fun to immerse myself in Do Ha Na instead of feeling my own emotions. It’s the first time I’ve felt like that, and it’s so much fun to play her, so I hope that she does become a landmark character for me.”

Jo Byeong Gyu added, “There were scenes with such amazing acting. I was watching Sejeong through the monitor with the director and teared up once. It was an important scene about the past, but I after I saw the scene, I couldn’t speak for a while.”

About their hopes for the drama, the director said he hoped that this “Korean superhero” tale would help people temporarily forget their worries about COVID-19. Jo Byeong Gyu added, “I’d like for people to ask if there’s a second season. It was really fun to film on set.” Kim Sejeong said, “Our drama has a societal message, despite the fantasy genre. There are people who do good works all the time, so I hope that we can spread the news of that to more people.” Yoo Joon Sang quipped, “I hope we do about three to five seasons. I’ll try my best to keep working out to make that happen.” Yeom Hye Ran said, “I want our drama to become an emotional hero story in the Korean style.”