"It was a script that made my heart race": "Blood Free" Han Hyo Joo Shares

On April 8, a press conference was held for Disney+'s Blood Free, which was attended by Ju Ji Hoon, Han Hyo Joo, Lee Hee Joon, Lee Moo Saeng, and director Park Cheol Hwan.

Blood Free is set in an era where meat is genetically engineered. BF Group is the company leading the genetically engineered meat market. 

BF's CEO, Yoon Ja Yoo (Han Hyo Joo), and Woo Chae Woon (Ju Ji Hoon), a former soldier working as a bodyguard, get entangled in mysterious incidents and pursue the truth behind them.

Han Hyo Joo, who plays the role of BF Group's CEO Yoon Ja Yoo, talked about the reason behind choosing the drama, saying, "When I first read the script, I thought it was a smart theme and a drama perfect for a time like now. So I read the script for parts 1 and 2 in one go. I was so happy that day that I wrote in my diary. It was a script that made my heart race, and made me excited, so much so that I could say, 'A script as good as this has finally found its way to me.'" 

She also shared behind-the-scenes stories of the presentation scene that opens the K-drama. Han Hyo Joo said, "Since it the scene opening the door to the drama, I thought I had to do well, so I watched many TED talks and looked for lectures that could be used as references and practiced a lot. I usually don’t practice well because I like to act with the feeling of going live [acting impromptu on set], but I practiced a lot and memorized all the lines for this scene. Although I could have read from the teleprompter and didn't need to memorize, I wanted to implement it perfectly, so I went to the set after memorizing everything."

Talking about her character, Yoon Ja Yoo, Han Hyo Joo commented, "She is a character who doesn't express emotions to the point where it was unclear whether she is evil or good. ... I even changed my voice tone and things like that, and [while speaking dialogues] I spoke with less volume than I usually do."

Ju Ji Hoon also shared his experiences. During the press conference, it was revealed that the Kingdom actor successfully performed a 17 vs 1 action scene.  

The actor said, "Since it [the drama] is set in the near future, there were some difficult aspects. I thought that to reach the audience [better], it's better to be realistic rather than giving a futuristic feel." He continued, "Instead of flashy action scenes with a lot of effects, we focused on creating actions that felt realistic."

The host, Park Kyung Rim, asked "Don't you have gout?" To this, Ju Ji Hoon chuckled and said, "My uric acid level is a bit high," and expressed, "It's a shame I couldn't show everything [various aspects of my skills], but I had fun filming. I'm satisfied."

Blood Free will be available on Disney+ starting April 10.

Sources (1)(2)(3)