Director Kim Yong-hoon Shares Why Three Actors Were Picked For Mask Girl Lead

South Korean drama Mask Girl has begun streaming on the OTT giant Netflix. Helmed by Kim Yong-hoon, the show inspired by a webtoon, revolves around the life of an insecure office employee who hides her face only to become a masked internet sensation overnight. However, things suddenly fall apart when she gets embroiled in a murder case leading to her serving prison time. What’s interesting is that not one but three actresses came together to play the lead protagonist Kim Mo-mi in the show. Now, during a recent chat with Netflix, the director of the drama unveiled the complex lead protagonist and revealed how Mo-mi can make one feel uncomfortable yet sympathise with her.

The video interaction shared by Netflix begins with the lead protagonist’ plea of wanting “to live a life that’s different from others.” But she ends up living a monotonous life that’s no different from the rest. “I think Mo-mi is quite a complicated character. She could be uncomfortable and eccentric to watch, yet we can sympathize with and understand her,” said the director who was hooked on the show’s plot right from the get-go. He explained, “This series is full of unexpected turns. Each episode has its own protagonist depending on the events the protagonist goes through. We wanted to show different genres in terms of style and tone. That was the plan from the very beginning.”

According to the filmmaker, the narrator changes throughout the course of the series which is likely to help viewers to connect with the characters quickly. “Throughout the story, there were moments where perspective could vary depending on how it’s viewed. I believed those moments would be crucial in deciding the structure of the story. I chose to add more narrative that could delve deeper into why the characters had to be that way,” he added.

The most difficult part of the show was getting three actors to play a single character. Though it was an interesting approach, the director admitted he needed courage to execute it. Actress Lee Han-Byeol appears as the original Mo-mi who is insecure about the way she looks. “Lee Han-Byeol’s Mo-mi was insecure about herself so she wore a mask and became a campgirl during the night,” the director said of her part. But when it comes to Nana she portrayed Mo-mi’s instinctive side after undergoing plastic surgery. Since her part was a bit tenacious, the filmmaker chose a minimalistic approach to portraying Nana.

“I had a feeling that Nana was an actor who could portray the instinctive side of Mo-mi. Nana portrayed the Mo-mi who became tenacious, and on her way to the prison, she changed to the Mo-mi who let go of everything. So I wanted to eliminate all colours from the screen. We even picked minimal music for the concept,” he revealed. The director also felt honoured to work alongside Ko Hung-Jung, the third actress who narrated Mo-mi’s life in prison. “I wasn’t sure if she’d accept three actors playing one character. But she accepted the role gladly, and she ended up enjoying it. With the Mo-mi played by Ko Hung-Jung, I wanted to present a character rising above the others after going through intense events,” he said.

The filmmaker emphasised how each and every character in the show was quite complex as they were all hurt and excluded. For him, “They were characters caught in a gray area and not distinguished simply as good or evil. They were just on the borderline. I thought the viewers would enjoy it the most when the characters acted unpredictably. Different sides of well-known actors for freshness from new actors. The chemistry between the actors could be the element the viewers will enjoy the most. Rather than going into it without any preconceptions, if you watch it with an open mind you’ll be able to see more, and there’ll be many more entertaining aspects. So I hope you find it enjoyable.”

Elsewhere the video shows interesting behind-the-scenes moments where the cast can be seen having a gala time embracing their roles. Besides Lee Han-Byeol, Nana, and Ko Hung-Jung, Mask Girl also features Ahn Jae-hong and Yeom Hye-ran in pivotal roles.