Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun has acted in many movies and dramas in his career – including Oscar’s Best Picture Parasite.
But he admitted he was excited to take on the role of a somewhat unfriendly scientist doing a study on “brainwave synchronisation” in the K-drama Dr. Brain.
“My character is someone who cannot empathise with others. He’s very cold-hearted and monotonous at first,” said the 46-year-old star during a global virtual press conference.
“But after doing (a few) brain syncs, he begins to understands other people’s feelings and... he begins to change. I really liked that about my character.”
Based on a popular webtoon, the series centres on the diligent Dr Koh Sewon (Lee) who is figuring out how to access another person’s memory through wires and machines.
After initial success with mice, Sewon secretly begins a human trial by synching his brain with the dead... which leads him down a path he never knew existed.
When asked how Lee approached the scenes where his character synchronises his brainwave with another, the My Mister actor said: “I think the phrase ‘brain sync’ itself sounds unfamiliar and strange.
“So, I focused on how I should express my character’s reaction after a brain sync had taken place.
"The thing about brain sync (in the series) is that it's more than simply obtaining memory; even emotions and the characteristics or habits of the other person is transferred.
"The director and I concluded that when people ask, ‘What is brain syncing?’ the closest metaphor we could find was the AirDrop function on Apple devices.”
The six-episode series, Apple TV+'s first foray into K-drama, is directed by Kim Jee-woon also stars Lee You-young, Park Hee-soon, Seo Ji-hye and Lee Jae-won.
Dr. Brain premiered on Apple TV+ on Nov 4. A new episode is available every Friday.
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