Nam Joo-hyuk says ‘The East Palace’ set recreated more than 80% of the ghost world

Nam Joo-hyuk shared behind-the-scenes stories from filming 〈The East Palace〉.

On the afternoon of the 21st in Seoul's Jongno District, Nam Joo-hyuk, the star of Netflix's 〈The East Palace〉, spoke with Cineplay about the series and about returning to work after his military discharge. Released in full on the 17th, the Netflix series follows Gucheon (Nam Joo-hyuk), who can cross between the real world and the world of ghosts (⻤), and Saenggang (No Yoon-seo), a palace maid hiding a secret. After being summoned by the king (Jo Seung-woo), they investigate the curse haunting the East Palace. Nam Joo-hyuk plays a character who moves between the real world and the world of ghosts (⻤), slaying ghosts and taking on supernatural beings in sword-fighting action scenes.

〈The East Palace〉 makes extensive use of VFX to vividly realize fantasy elements such as gwimae and vengeful spirits. That required Nam Joo-hyuk to imagine invisible spirits and an unseen supernatural world while performing. He recalled, "Actually, it wasn't hard to immerse myself in it. Of course there was a lot of CG, but because more than 80% of the ghost world had been built on set, it was easier for me to get into the role." He went on to share an on-set anecdote: "A lot of actors worked really hard in those tight green suits. Then one of them took off his suit and came over like he knew me; when I looked, it turned out to be a dancer I'd trained with for two weeks in the military. He said, 'Why are you here, bro?' so I said, 'Why are you here?'"

〈The East Palace〉 is streaming in full on Netflix.