Disney+ and Hulu recently concluded another ambitious Korean drama, Blood Free, which ended its 10-episode run on May 8. Starring Han Hyo-joo (who previously sparkled in another popular Disney+ series, Moving) and Ju Ji-hoon (who has been a staple in the industry and stars in Netflix’s Kingdom), Blood Free is a thriller centered on a biotechnology company that has perfected the science of artificially cultured meat. Co-founder and CEO Yoon Ja-yu’s (Han) genius puts her life at risk when political forces arm themselves against her, leading her to hire Woo Chae-woon (Ju) as her bodyguard.

Chae-woon, on the other hand, has not ended up working for Ja-yu by coincidence. Blood Free also dives into his desire to investigate her as a suspect in the former president’s attempted assassination attempt against the president, a traumatic event that cost Chae-woon one of his close friends. Though neither can at first fully trust the other, they must soon join forces against the evils that lurk in their company, in the government, and in society at large. Though originally only billed as a single season, the finale threw open the door for season 2 with its massive cliffhanger.

Screen Rant interviewed Han about what drew her to Blood Free, how she collaborated with costars Ju Ji-hoon and Lee Hee-joon, and what she hopes to see in season 2 of both of her hit Disney+ K-dramas.

“Are We Fighting As Lovers?”: Han Hyo-joo Felt The Chemistry With Ju Ji-hoon In Blood Free

Screen Rant: I am a huge fan of your work, so I was very excited when I saw you were in Blood Free. What was it that excited you most about the project?

Han Hyo-joo: I can tell you most of the [reason] that I chose this project is for sure the storyline and writer Lee Su-yeon. She’s amazing, and I’m a big fan of her projects too. Yeah, I can tell [you] that’s the most of the reason that I chose this project

Throughout the show, we see some glimpses of Ja-yu’s past and the family tragedy that has set her on this path, but we don’t get that many answers about who she was before the events of the show. What kind of questions did you ask Su-yeon or the director throughout the filming process in order to understand your character better?

Han Hyo-joo: I think it’s true, especially toward the earlier parts of the script. It doesn’t really tell you what kind of a person Ja-yu is. But as the episodes go on, through montages or throwbacks, you learn some of the things that happened before you meet her at this particular point in time.

I think that after you watch the entire series, I believe that the audience will feel some level of compassion for Ja-yu as well as wanting to root for her as a character. That’s what happened with me as well, and I think because all of it was written in the script, it wasn’t a challenge for me to understand what kind of character she is.

Your chemistry with Ju Ji-hoon was very powerful throughout the series, and I saw many fans hoping there would be some romance. What was your interpretation of their dynamic and how it evolved over the course of the season?

Han Hyo-joo: In the beginning, honestly, I thought there would be no romance at all between the two characters. There wasn’t any romance written into the script, but as we were working on it and shooting the series, we also felt like, “Wait, are we fighting as lovers almost? Is this romance that we feel between the two characters?” Because of the nuances that the character dynamics had, I think romance almost developed organically, in a way.

While it was unplanned, I think there was definitely a sense of romance between the two. It was to the point where even I thought, “I wish there was more between these two characters.” Actually, people around me said that to me a lot as well. They told me that they wished there was more romance between them.

Yun Ja-yu Was “Physically And Mentally Very Draining” For Han Hyo-joo To Portray

One of the most fascinating things about Ja-yu is her eerily calm demeanor in the face of chaos, but that paves the way to seeing how big her heart really is and how much she’s willing to take on for herself in order to help others. What was your way of stepping into that role and merging those two facets of her identity?

Han Hyo-joo: What’s interesting is that when you are working with a script written by writer Lee Su-yeon, it’s not something that I feel like I can add to or something that I create. I try to be as loyal to the script and character as possible, so I will try to do all of the lines verbatim. The way she writes her characters is itself the character, so I don’t think I tried to add anything or take away anything from the script.

This was probably my first time doing that with a script, where I was trying to be 100% loyal to exactly the text that was written. After a day of living in Ja-yu’s shoes, I would return home after the shoot was wrapped, and it almost felt like I had been tied up by a very strong rope and was finally now let free. Ja-yu was a character that was physically and mentally very draining. There was a lot of frustration, and I felt very lonely too, but to portray that character, I had to be as loyal to the script as possible.

Was there one scene in particular that stands out most in your memory, or that was hardest to take off after the fact?

Han Hyo-joo: In the script, there are many scenes that are one long take with a lot of dialogue, so I had to do a lot of preparation and practice. It’s always an enjoyable process, and after we shoot it, a lot of it stays with you.

It’s very tough to pick out a single scene, but I think just the act of having lived as the character Yun Ja-yu created a sense of loneliness, even more than I had anticipated, and it was quite a challenging process.

There is a scene that I remember, I believe in episode 7, between the prime minister Seon Woo-jae and Ja-yu. It was a relatively long scene, and the conversation that is held between these two characters encapsulates the overall penetrating message of our series. It was very fun and enjoyable to act in the scene, as well as watch it as an audience member.

I love that you said that, because I was actually going to ask you about Lee Hee-joon next. I really love the adversarial relationship between the two of you. Can you talk about working with him and fleshing that out?

Han Hyo-joo: I’ve personally long been a fan of his as an actor, so I was really happy to know that we’d be working alongside each other in this series. I really loved working with him, and on the days that I checked my shooting schedule and saw that Hee-joon was going to be there, I would really get excited going to the set.

I just had so much fun working with him in any scene that we had together, almost to the point where I think of working with him as an oasis for the rather dry or lonely character of Ja-yu. That’s how great our chemistry was, and we had a lot of fun trying out different tones and different ways to approach a particular scene. All in all, I just think that he is an actor with so many charms.

You talked about Ja-yu’s loneliness, but of course, she is surrounded by BF employees. Right now, we’re seeing them in a moment of crisis, so there’s not really time for coffee shop dates or anything. But is there an actor or character you would’ve liked to spend more time with onscreen?

Han Hyo-joo: The actor Lee Moo-saeng, who played the role On San. I think there’s an aura about Moo-saeng that really puts you at ease and makes you feel very comfortable, but at the same time, he is so precise and meticulous about his acting. It’s just unbelievable.

Han Hyo-joo Wants Blood Free Season 2 & A Hilarious Crossover Idea For Moving Season 2

The final moments of Blood Free clearly leave the door open for a second season and have me like, “What happened? Where is Ja-yu?” I don’t know if you can say your interpretation of that last scene, but would you like to come back for season 2 and how can we see you come back based on that scene?

Han Hyo-joo: I wanted to ask the same question to the writer. “What’s going on!?” Because when I first read the script, I was quite shocked myself to read the open ending. I know that the writer started out with this epic storyline in her head, and so I am also very curious to know what will happen. If there is anything that happens afterwards.

You’re also part of another epic storyline in the Disney+ family, Moving. I think we’re getting season 2 for that, but what else would you like to explore about Lee Mi-hyun’s life?

Han Hyo-joo: I have no idea [about] Moving season 2 and Blood Free season 2. But definitely, if I’m going to do Moving season 2, the tonkatsu [pork dish] made by Lee Mi-hyun is going to using the cultured meat. That is just the only [thing] that I know for now.

I love that you’ve been doing a lot of science fiction-esque projects, from Happiness with Park Hyung-sik to Blood Free. Is that a genre that you’re particularly fond of, or are you looking to jump into a different one anytime soon?

Han Hyo-joo: I really don’t think about the genre. I just focus on the storyline. So, that doesn’t matter. But definitely, I want to keep trying to challenging work in other environments, in other cultures – in Hollywood or somewhere. So, yeah, definitely. I’m going to keep trying to knock [on the door of] other projects.

Catch more of Screen Rant‘s interviews with K-drama talent here:

• Ju Ji-hoon Ponders The Philosophical Questions Posed By Disney+ K-Drama Blood Free
• Kim Namjoo, Cha Eunwoo & Wonderful World Cast Answer Burning Questions About Disney+’s Mystery K-Drama
• Ji Chang-Wook Reflects On His Morally Gray Antihero In The Worst Of Evil
• Moving Star Ryu Seung Ryong On Balancing The Doting Dad & Monster Within
• My Lovely Liar Star Kim So Hyun On Connecting With Her Unique Character

Source: Screen Rant Plus