Namkoong Min becomes 'The Husband' who risks everything to save his wife
Ma Dong Seok, aka Don Lee, shares his thoughts on comments about formulaic action.
The press conference for the new fantasy K-drama Twelve was held on August 20th in Seoul. Present at the event were directors Kang Dae Gyu and Han Yoon Sun, along with actors Ma Dong Seok, Park Hyung Sik, Seo In Guk, Lee Joo Bin, Kang Mi Na, Sung Yoo Bin, Ahn Ji Hye, and Regina Lei.
Twelve is an action K-drama about 12 zodiac angels living in human form to protect humanity, battling against evil.
Ma Dong Seok worked both as a planner and the lead actor. While the attempt to present a Korean-style action fantasy inspired by the Eastern zodiac animals is being welcomed, the previously released trailer included some of Ma Dong Seok's boxing action that felt somewhat familiar. The concern is that the action seems similar of what has already been seen in works such as The Roundup, Badland Hunters, and Holy Night: Demon Hunter.
Regarding this, Ma Dong Seok said, "It's true that my action scenes might look similar because I use my fists, but if you look at the context, they're different. For example, in my most recently released film, Holy Night, the character was possessed by a demon. In this drama, aren't we showing the action of a tiger angel?' I tried to incorporate the setting of 'tiger passion,' and I believe as the story progresses toward the latter half, you will feel it’s different from my previous works."
The actor added, "All this time, I've been producing works like The Roundup by putting various characters onto my persona. In fact, I've been planning a fantasy project for a long time. But rather than just leaving it as it was, I tried to adapt it and make it new for the current times. The action, too, has continued to evolve."
"In Twelve, besides me, the angels who appear as the twelve zodiac signs each show action that suits their own character. They all have their own distinctive traits. Rather than me alone shouldering the burden of the action, I tried to blend it all in while balancing it together with them, so I kindly ask for your generous support."
The actor also revealed the efforts that went into making this K-drama. "A simple story is difficult in its own way, but building the worldview for a more complex story is even harder. I spent months staying up late at nights, working on it until my hair fell out by the handful. The diverse and interesting character narratives and the action are the highlights."
Twelve will premiere on Disney+ (select regions) on August 23 and will air a total of eight episodes.
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