Director Hur Jin-ho and actors Jeon Do-yeon and Ryu Jun-yeol recently attended a press event for the iQiyi original series Lost, revealing their insights and motivations for bringing the show to life.
Lost is the first TV series by award-winning film director Hur Jin-ho (April Snow, Dangerous Liaisons), and tells the story of how two lost souls connect and help heal each other. Hur Jin-ho said he had never thought about making a K-drama series, until he read the first four episodes of Lost, which were written by Kim Ji-hye (Hope). He specifically had Jeon and Ryu as the series’ protagonists in his mind; and fortunately, they both agreed to be a part of the show.
“I didn’t expect Ryu to say yes,” said Jeon. “I thought actors would prefer grand stories, especially after watching his performances in Money, but he surprised me.” Ryu meanwhile, couldn’t wait to say yes, even before reading the script, as he believes any work that Jeon was involved in would be great, saying, “If Jeon is joining the team, do you need another reason? Of course I wanted to be a part of it!”
Ryu also recalled his first encounter with Jeon in an elevator at an award ceremony five years ago. “As soon as I knew that she will be my co-star, I started to think about the first time we met,” said Ryu. “I remember that she was nervous before The Good Wife premiere, and I still have a clear image of her facial expressions in my mind.” When the event moderator said that this serendipity gave her goosebumps, Ryu jokingly responded: “I am also having goosebumps, but probably because of air-conditioning”. When asked about work experiences with Jeon, Ryu replied, “The heartbreaking scenes I filmed with her made me reflect on how I could polish my performances further”.
In Lost, Jeon plays a ghost writer named Lee Bu-jeong, who aspires to be a writer herself. Even though she is committed to this dream, multiple failures cause her to gradually lose her motivation in life. Jeon said others had questioned her ability to comprehend the feeling of being a failure. “I felt nervous and pressured about playing this character, so I often look around and care about everyone else’s opinons,” Jeon said.
Lost focuses on two people who feel lost; a woman who has lost her motivation in life amid multiple failures, and a man who is afraid of wasting his life life away because he has no achievements. Faced with this dark reality, how can they begin the process of healing each other? Lost is currently streaming on iQiyi, with new episodes premiering every Saturday and Sunday at 9.30pm. Malaysians can now have premium access to Lost, as well as over 4,500 other iQiyi shows and films, with several limited-time giveaways and deals!