Actor Lee Je-hoon is so proud to be part of the new drama Move To Heaven that he hopes viewers will watch this series first before his other projects.
“All of my works are important to me but I think Move To Heaven is really something else, ” shared the 36-year-old Korean during a virtual press conference to talk about the K-drama available on Netflix.
One reason why he wishes Move To Heaven has a larger audience is because he feels the series tells poignant stories within its 10 episodes that are relatable to today’s society, where many people lead solitary lives and ultimately go through lonely deaths.
“The disconnection and lack of communication within our society today is prevalent, ” elaborated Lee, the star of critically acclaimed series Signal and the on-going revenge thriller Taxi Driver.
“As a member of the modern society, I think these are issues that we should not overlook.
“I personally felt it while working on the series. I hope the viewers will also relate to the stories and that the message will resonate with them as well. I hope it will make them look around themselves and remember they’re members of the community.”
Move To Heaven is based on an essay collection Things Left Behind by Kim Sae-byul, CEO of a trauma cleaning service business.
Trauma cleaning is an occupation in South Korea that refers to those hired to sort out the belongings left behind by people who either died with no family members to take care of their things, or the death is too tragic for the family members to do the cleaning themselves.
The series centres on one such trauma cleaning service called Move To Heaven, manned by Geu-ru (Tang Jun-sang), his uncle Sang-gu (Lee) and Geu-ru’s friend Na-mu (Hong Seung-hee).
While these deaths they encounter are lonely, sudden and, sadly, neglected, Geu-ru – a young man with Asperger syndrome – tries to make sense of what the deceased had left behind to ensure his or her story stays alive.
It is these re-examinations of those who have died that will tug at viewers’ heartstrings every single time.
Lee confessed that he experienced “a whirlwind of emotions” just reading the script.
“It was amazing how much the stories in the script resonated with me, ” said Lee.
“I don’t think I read a single episode without crying. I felt very connected to the characters in the series.”
Likewise, 17-year-old Tang (Crash Landing On You) admitted he cried when reading the script and sometimes when filming the more emotional scenes.
“Just reading the script left me with a heavy heart, ” disclosed Tang, who is half-Malaysian.
“I’ve lived quite a short span of 19 years only (Korean age). And yet, working on the series made me think back on my life and what happened in my life.”
Tang added: “My tears did come rolling down while filming some scenes. But I tried to control my emotions and get into Geu-ru’s head space, and be as vacant as possible.”
Due to his disorder, Geu-ru has problems with social interaction as his mind works in a more logical manner and is not led by emotions.
This is a good thing as Geu-ru has an unwavering commitment to trauma cleaning without feeling prejudiced or biased towards the living and the dead.
With Geu-ru resolute about his mission to look into a dead person’s past, Sang-gu is somewhat dragged into helping his nephew.
Inevitably, Geu-ru is able to change his uncle, who is wary of everyone around him.
“My character has always been lonely and thought he would remain this way, ” divulged Lee.
“But when he becomes part of the trauma cleaning service, and hears the untold stories left behind by the dead, Sang-gu slowly changes.”
As Geu-ru and Sang-gu encounter a variety of stories in the process of trauma cleaning, audiences will be introduced to an array of characters in the series.
And they are played by familiar faces in the K-drama scene.
Among the actors featured in the show are Ji Jin-hee (as Geu-ru’s father), Lee Moon-sik, Lim Won-hee, Sooyoung, Lee Jae-wook, Kwon Soo-hyun, Kim Cheol-yun, Lee Joo-sil and Lee Eol.
According to director Kim Sung-ho, it was important to feature familiar faces so viewers could empathise with the characters easily and quickly, as these secondary characters only make brief appearances on the show.
“We wanted actors who could portray the deaths and the stories of the deceased in an organic way that would not feel contrived or dishonest so that audiences can find them authentic,” he reasoned.
Kim, a film director who is helming a TV drama for the first time, said Move To Heaven gave him a chance to work with actors that he’s a fan of and those he respects.
“I asked these actors if they wanted to be part of the series and they said yes. So, we were able to assemble an ‘Avengers-level’ cast to create a great series together, ” Kim explained of the seasoned and new actors that make up the series’ impressive talent pool.
The director also revealed the reasons why he took on this project.
“When I was working on my previous film, I was able to truly experience how a film can comfort the viewers, ” stated Kim of his 2018 film Notebook From My Mother, which dealt with dementia in the elderly.
“I was actually unaware of the occupation of trauma cleaners. And when I looked into it – you know, the way these people are able to hear and feel the untold stories of those who have passed on and the amount of power that the stories must have – I was really moved to direct the series.”
He continued: “I know that a lot of content these days have to do with escapism. But I think that it would be a better experience for us if we actually use it as an opportunity to look around our reality rather than to escape it.
“As the series deals with grief and mourning, I feel like it would comfort, and console audiences.
“I truly hope that Move To Heaven will extend a supportive hand to anyone who watches it.”
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