A lot of attention and buzz has been surrounding Amazon Prime’s newest series Butterfly, starring Hollywood actors like Daniel Dae Kim and some of Korea’s top stars like Kim Tae Hee.
On August 21st, 11:00 am KST, a press conference was held at the Yongsan I-Park Theater in Seoul. The cast, including Daniel Dae Kim, Kim Tae Hee, Reina Hardesty, Kim Ji Hoon and Sean Richards, attended the event to greet fans, promote the show, and share stories from their time filming together.
Butterfly is a spy thriller based on a graphic novel of the same name. The series follows the intense cat-and-mouse game between David Jung (Daniel Dae Kim), a mysterious former U.S. intelligence agent, and Rebecca (Reina Hardesty), the current agent sent to kill him. You can watch the series on Amazon Prime.
From preparing for rigorous action scenes to highlighting the importance of filming the series in Korea, see what the cast had to say about this wonderful show.
When asked about the plot as a whole, Daniel Dae Kim stated, “ I was making a character that parallels my own life. Looks Korean, is Korean, but still not the same as Koreans. I was born in Busan and Korea has never left my heart, but it is different as a Gyopo (Koreans who live abroad). However, I felt Jeong (a bong or loyalty) with Korea. It plays a key role in the series. These are stories from my own life that I wanted to portray. Since there is so much interest in Korea, I felt the time was right to tell this story.”
ZAPZEE had the chance to directly speak with Daniel and ask him what Jeong means to him, and if he ever felt or experienced it in Korea. Daniel replied, “When I was young, and you can ask my parents about this, I always had the Korean flag over my bed, and my parents always thought, ‘Why?’ I felt connected to Korea. It is hard to describe Jeong, but to me it is a bond. It is something you can see in each of the characters. Jeong isn’t just between people; it is also between places and moments. You can sometimes even feel Jeong immediately with a stranger, and I can’t explain it. It’s a unique part of Korean culture that I want to share with American audiences.”
Reina Hardesty plays the role of Daniel’s daughter, a powerful girl who has mixed emotions regarding her father’s return. When asked about her role, she stated, “I felt immediately connected to the character. She’s layered and has struggles. I prepared for her action scenes with real combat and firearms training for a few months. Learning the choreography was challenging but fun, and I enjoyed telling the story through the choreography and exploring the father-daughter relationship through this physicality.“
When Kim Ji Hoon was asked about his role, Daniel Dae Kim called him a warrior, referencing the amount of action and fights that occur between the two characters. “I studied with a native English teacher to improve my English for the performance,” said Kim Ji Hoon.
Kim Ji Hoon further stated, ”Daniel taught me how to be cool. How to be a ‘bad-ass’ as they say in America. We studied for months to prepare the action scenes. I was feeling nervous, but we trained a lot with Daniel and he made us feel comfortable. There are a lot of actions that differ from Korean dramas. I personally felt I needed to stretch more because there were things I wanted to do, but my body couldn’t so it felt like a pity. I need to stretch more!”
When Sean Richards was questioned about his experience working with overseas actors, he stated, “I was so impressed with Daniel Dae Kim’s acting. I also felt inspired and worked hard in my role. I learned a lot from this show.”
Perhaps the most anticipated role and actress was Kim Tae Hee. Kim Tae Hee plays the pivotal role of Kim Eun Ju, a character who holds the key to a dramatic plot twist. This project marks her Hollywood debut.
When Kim Tae Hee was asked about her Hollywood debut, she was more than ecstatic, saying, “There are a lot of expressions and appearances I want to show global fans.” When asked about working with Daniel Dae Kim, Kim Tae Hae said, “The first time we met was through a Zoom casting meeting. Daniel Dae Kim, as a director, expressed his interest in working with his favorite Korean celebrities and although there were some language barriers, he came very prepared, even with translators. Our first impression was great, and I felt he is such a genuinely good, warm-hearted person.”
When asked about shooting scenes and working on the show, Kim Tae Hee revealed, “We used a lot of technology and re-recorded our voices in the studio in order to perfect our English and to make a perfect result. We spoke a lot about making some scenes flawless and feeling more natural while using both Korean and English in each scene. We worked together in many ways like this and became quite friendly.”
Kim Ji Hoon added by saying, “Right, we also did a Soom meeting when meeting for the first time. I thought the audition would be awkward, but it was so comfortable and Daniel made everything feel easy. You could feel his warmth and kindness.”
Daniel Dae Kim butted saying, “This is the benefit of being the director, I can choose who I want to work with. It is a rare thing to see in Hollywood – an all-Korean staff despite it being produced in America. If we all look friendly, it is because we are. We like each other and have become so close. Everyone loves this show.”
>> Kim Tae Hee Stuns Fans With Fluent English at ‘Butterfly’ World Premiere
