"The Frog" Actors Dish on the Reason They Chose the Work, Behind-the-Scenes Process and More

Netflix's original The Frog unveiled character stills.

The Frog is a suspense thriller that tells the story of people whose peaceful lives are upended due to a mysterious guest who arrives in the middle of summer. 

The stills of Young Ha (Kim Yoon Seok), who operates a pension located in the forest, capture his deep gaze, piquing curiosity about what might have happened to him. Young Ha is a character who, in accordance with his wife's wish, left Seoul and now runs the pension alone, which contains memories of his wife. One summer day, an unexpected guest, Seong Ha (Go Min Si), comes to his pension and pulls him into a whirlwind of uncontrollable events. 

Kim Yoon Seok shared, "Young Ha experiences conflict throughout the drama. Seong Ha continuously provokes him. I wanted to convey and express the battle between Seong Ha, who aims to put a put and conquer a monster within Young Ha's heart, and Young Ha, who resists this." This series marks Kim Yoon Seok's return to series work after 17 years, and he expressed, "This is my first Netflix project and a long-awaited series. I believe this work will resonate both domestically and internationally. I hope many works with such powerful narratives will be produced."

Sang Joon (Yoon Kye Sang), wearing contrasting expressions of smiling and deep worry, also draws attention. Sang Joon is the owner of a motel with a lake view and the head of a family who faces a crisis of losing everything due to a guest he receives by chance on a rainy summer day. Yoon Kye Sang said, "I wanted to express the essence of being a sincere and good person, so I focused on stripping away any embellishments and trying to be pure." He added, “There are heavy moments when a person who has lived hard and has a lot of love suddenly experiences a huge shock and cannot naturally express their emotions. I wanted to adjust that gap well." 

The character Seong Ha, who suddenly appears in midsummer and upends the tranquil life of Young Ha, is played by Go Min Si. Seong Ha becomes obsessed with Young Ha's pension and unleashes chaos in his life. The actress revealed, "I remember getting chills all over my body every time I read the script. I was deeply immersed in the story's flow and the power of the character relationships that I couldn’t help but focus so much," sharing the behind-the-scenes of how she became absorbed in the project. She also mentioned, "The character Seong Ha was the most challenging [one I have ever played]. I didn't want to make her a simple or predictable character; I wanted to create her as a character that was new to me."

Lee Jung Eun will play Bo Min, a former ace of the violent crimes unit, who is driven by the instinct to catch criminals. Having worked at a village police station 20 years ago, Bo Min leaves the violent crimes unit in Seoul and returns to become the station chief. She keeps a close eye on Young Ha whom she met by chance. Lee Jung Eun said, "I saw a detective in a documentary saying how a detective needs to read a criminal to catch them and the thrill of doing so. Accordingly, I approached [the character of] Bo Min with the mindset that the desire to catch someone drives her actions." She added, "I've often played impulsive and emotional characters, but Bo Min is different. I worked with the director to learn and develop new aspects such as driving and shooting scenes."

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