'The sweat is real': Actress Han So-hee takes on action in K-drama 'My Name'

Actress Han So-see trained for three months before filming began. Photos: Handout

Before she was cast in the new Korean series My Name, actress Han So-hee had apparently never done Pilates, let alone high-intensity exercises.

But after training three months to build up her stamina, strength and fighting skill – and gaining 10kg in the process – Han not only ended up doing 99% of the fight stunts in the series but she has become a completely changed person where exercise is concerned.

“After the series, I have developed quite a lot physically. I never actually counted, but I think I can do 30 sit-ups in one go. And I’m learning kickboxing these days,” the 26-year-old beauty revealed to StarLifestyle and other media during a virtual press conference held in Seoul, South Korea, on Oct 5.

Han – who became a household name after playing a seductress in mystery-drama The World Of The Married and a delicate young woman in melodrama Nevertheless – signed on to My Name for the very reason that it’s an action genre and that she would get to play an action lead in a series.

Despite the rough road ahead, Han indicated she was excited to take on the new challenge.

“It was a genre that I hadn’t experienced before where I would have to use my body to express emotions. That’s why I wanted to try it,” she said.

My Name centres on a young woman named Yoon Ji-woo (Han) who sets out to find her father’s killer with the help of Choi Mu-jin (Park Hee-soon), leader of a criminal organisation.

After learning to survive in the harsh underworld of organised crime with her fist and determination, she’s sent by Mu-jin to be his spy in the police force where she is partnered up with Detective Jeon Pil-do (Ahn Bo-hyun) from the narcotics division.

Admittedly the description for Ji-woo is a far cry from Han’s previous characters – where her soft elegance came into play.

Can the star – who started out as a model and made her acting debut in 2017 – actually pull off action sequences?

Director Kim Jin-min (Extracurricular) shared why he decided to cast Han anyway despite the odds stacked against her: “An actor’s appearance and characteristics set a lot of limitations for them. For me, when actors are able to break through those limitations, they become potential.

“(When I met Han) I asked her two questions: do you want to take on this role?; and are you willing to train for it? And she said yes, right away, without any hesitation and without even consulting her manager.

“She promised me that she was going to train really hard, and that’s what she did.

“She was all in for the role and she put in so much effort and ultimately became the driving force behind the series.”

The actress is known for playing delicate characters in series like 'The World Of The Married' and 'Nevertheless'. Photo: Zoo Yong-gyun/Netflix

Although Han mentioned that she didn’t feel graceful in how she moved her body at first, she became motivated when she started seeing gradual changes in her body, movements and gestures as she continued training every day for three months.

Other than basic drills to build her foundation, her training routine included bare fist fighting as well as combat training using knives, guns and batons, which Korean police officers use.

“Both director Kim and the action director wanted the actions to be real,” Han explained.

“I would describe the action scenes in My Name as desperate, where the characters are just trying to stay alive and survive in every fight.

“If you watch closely, the expressions and the sweat are not made up, but real.”

Kim concurred: “Most of the action scenes are done without a stuntman or a stuntwoman. I avoided using computer graphics as well.

“I really wanted the action to be realistic and because there’s a lot of action, there has to be some variety.

“Most of the main cast members had action scenes with So-hee, and I didn’t want viewers to feel like they were seeing something for the second or third time.

“I am confident the viewers will be fascinated by the brutal raw action executed by the cast members in My Name.”

Han So-hee gave her all to play her role in 'My Name', says the director.

Han’s dedication in getting into top physical shape and perfecting all her action choreography during filming wowed her co-stars as well.

Park commented: “It would not be an exaggeration to say that My Name was made for and carried out by Han So-hee. She actually started training a month before the rest of us.

“She prepared for it so well and poured her heart and soul into it. And both the emotional and action scenes reflect her painstaking efforts.”

Ahn added: “I met Han So-hee for the first time at an action school instead of at the script reading session.

“I saw her training really hard and breaking a sweat. I was so impressed by that because she was so passionate.”

Han’s physical transformation is crucial in order to fully explore My Name’s subject matter – revenge.

While the director agreed that vengeance is a widely used theme for many action series, he stated that these shows are dominated mainly by men.

The fact that My Name focuses on a woman seeking revenge was what drew him to direct the eight-episode series.

Kim elaborated: “Some films have had female leads, but I’ve yet to come across a drama script in Korea with a strong female lead.

“I thought watching a female character on her journey to avenge her father’s death will definitely be original and thrilling.”

According to Han, she understood why her character Ji-woo felt like she had no choice but to walk on this road of revenge after witnessing her father’s death at a young age.

“I feel for her,” declared Han. “But at the same time, I admire her determination and the strength that she carries.

“The series looks at what (Ji-woo) does and what lengths she goes to for the sake of her belief. And how much she destroys herself to fulfil that conviction.”

Pil-do confronts his partner in a scene from 'My Name'.

With any story about vengeance, the line between justice and retribution is very thin, and sometimes almost non-existent. It is the case as well with My Name.

Han remarked on her character: “From the social perspective, you might not think of Ji-woo as a just or a righteous person. But, in her mind, she strongly believes that what she does is a righteous act and that she’s a just character.”

As Ji-woo plunges headlong into her mission, she realises that this path has many twists and turns.

Actor Park confirmed that while the earlier episodes are packed with action sequences, the latter part of the series features a lot of “emotional swirls” as the characters become entangled in a complex web of relationships.

“A lot of psychological games are going to unravel,” he promised.

All eight episodes of My Name is available on Netflix today (Oct 15).