“I have a pull towards the extraordinary. There’s joy in breaking expectations. Even now.”
Actor Seol Kyung-gu (57) reflected on his acting career in this way. After 32 years in the industry, he remains a passionate actor yearning for new experiences.
The Disney+ series ‘Hyperknife’ is a medical thriller that depicts the intense conflict between ‘Jung Se-ok’ (Park Eun-bin), a once-promising genius doctor, and her mentor ‘Choi Deok-hee’ (Seol Kyung-gu), who led her to ruin. It concluded with a total of 8 episodes on the 9th.
Seol Kyung-gu expressed his gratitude for casting offers, whether for films or OTT (online video service) projects, saying, “When I heard that Park Eun-bin was offered the role, I was curious too. It was fun to imagine how she would interpret this role, and it came as a surprise. Later, I found out she had similar thoughts.”
He continued, “It seemed like Park Eun-bin had prepared a lot with ambition. Seeing her dedication made me prepare more intensely and meticulously. We were able to shoot in a really enjoyable way.”
In the series, Seol Kyung-gu plays Choi Deok-hee, a world-renowned neurosurgeon who cruelly rejects his once-favored student, providing a central role that anchors the entire narrative.
‘Choi Deok-hee’ is a professor of neurosurgery at Yeonshin University and the president of the World Glioblastoma Society. He is intelligent, gentle, and an elegant intellectual, but beneath that lies a terrifying character with a murderous instinct. Jung Se-ok, who was the top student at Yeonshin Medical School and called a ‘freak’, possesses a sociopathic duality. Park Eun-bin’s explosive and chilling emotional range stands out.
Seol Kyung-gu shared, “While filming, I became curious about the emotions between Deok-hee and Se-ok. It’s not a romantic love but rather a complex mix of pity and other feelings towards a student. In a way, the two characters had a mirrored personality. I felt emotions like guilt, remorse, and pettiness towards the student who made me reflect on myself.”
The two characters, as brain specialists, required delicate hand skills during surgeries. Seol Kyung-gu mentioned, “Since my fingers are thick, a current professor came to help me during the surgery scenes. I’ve seen real brain surgeries, and they proceed very carefully with minimal movements. I lacked confidence, so I asked the professor for help with the surgery scenes,” adding, “Park Eun-bin, with her small hands, was able to handle the delicate aspects herself.”
He also noted, “It was a unique and psychopathic character that I wanted to portray. However, I was worried that there would be a lot of medical terminology due to being a doctor. Fortunately, there wasn’t much, so we could shoot smoothly.”
Seol Kyung-gu is regarded as a distinguished actor who has portrayed numerous characters. However, the uniqueness of ‘Choi Deok-hee’ was a first for him. He remarked, “I think the protagonist had an unpredictable charm and fun.”
To express the character’s deteriorating health, Seol Kyung-gu lost over 10 kg and even practiced fasting to shape the character. He stated, “I had a desire for a strong ending, so I boldly lost weight. I wanted to portray the process of dying accurately,” adding, “There were quite a few film staff on set, which made it comfortable to shoot.”
Following his first OTT project last year, Netflix’s ‘The Wind Blows’, Seol Kyung-gu expressed his desire to continue communicating with the public through various platforms and content, including ‘Hyperknife’.
[Ji Seung-hoon, Star Today Reporter]
