Tatler talks to Ok Taec-yeon, Won Ji-an, Park Kang-hyun, and Yoon So-hui about the making of the upcoming Korean vampire rom-com series, 'HeartBeat'
Starring multitalented actor and artist Ok Taec-yeon (Let’s Fight Ghost, Vincenzo, and Blind) and Won Ji-an (Hope or Dope, If You Wish Upon Me, and D.P.) HeartBeat features a thrilling romance between a vampire who yearns to experience heart-throbbing love and a coldhearted woman who doesn’t have time for romance.
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With an unwavering desire to experience love, half-human half-vampire Seon U-hyeol (Ok) sleeps in a coffin for 100 years but narrowly misses the chance to become fully human as he's awakened by Joo In-hae (Won), a temporary high school health teacher who's cold-blooded yet mesmerising. Having to fend for herself at an early age, she developed defence mechanisms which made her hard-hearted and resilient. Her encounter with Seon slowly loosens her inhibitions and an unexpected relationship between the two ensues as they embark on a journey to discover the true meaning of humanity and warmth.
Starring alongside them are actors Park Kang-hyun, who's making his K-drama debut as the sophisticated real estate development expert Shin do-shik and Yoon So-hee, who takes on the double role of Na Hae-won, a modern-day real estate investor from a wealthy family and Yoon Hae-sun, Seon's first love from the Joseon dynasty era.
Ahead of the premiere of HeartBeat, Tatler sat with the cast to discuss the making of the K-drama and here's what went down.
What was the biggest challenge in playing your role?
Ok Taec-yeon (OTY): My role this time is a vampire so expressing that was the biggest challenge. Because vampires only exist in the imagination, it requires a lot of imagining on my end including the supernatural powers of the character and since they don’t really exist in real life, I thought about how I wanted to differently portray this character compared to previous vampires you’ve seen. Another aspect of it is that this vampire is also half-human, so these are what I’m mostly focusing on as we go about shooting.
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What’s the significance of the title, HeartBeat, and how does it relate to the story?
Yoon So-hui (YSH): So the main character, the vampire Seon... his heart doesn’t beat but it begins to beat as he looks for love. That’s all I’m going to give you right now.