ClickTheCity was invited to attend (virtually) the press conference for Disney+’s new K-drama – their first period drama – ‘The Murky Stream.’ This exciting nine-episode series promises to be an action-packed story set around corruption in the Gyeonggang River, where all trade takes place. It follows the bandits who dominate the ports and illegally impose taxes that put pressure on the merchant class. The drama revolves around a laborer with a secret past (Si Yul, played by Rowoon), the young leader of a merchant guild (Choi Eun, played by Shin Ye-eun), and the newly appointed officer with a connection to Si Yul (Jung Chun played by Park Seo-ham).
Hosted by the go-to MC of these events, Park Gyurim, she leads the actors up onstage one by one for photos. In attendance were Rowoon, Shin Ye-eun, and Park Seo-ham, along with Park Ji-hwan (who plays the bandit leader Mu-deok), Choi Guy-hwa (who plays a corrupt police official), Kim Dong-woon (who plays a mysterious Jurchen warrior), and director Choo Chang-min.
Surprisingly, when posing solo, the three young leads looked a bit awkward as they pose in front of the photographers. But once Rowoon, Shin Ye-eun, and Park Seo-ham were called onstage together, they instantly loosened up and began to have fun. Their cute and playful side suddenly came out, laughing and teasing each other as they posed. They seemed far more at ease and in their element when they are in a group.
Right off the bat, host Park Gyurim remarks about the show’s particular focus. Unlike other period K-dramas, ‘The Murky Stream’ tells a very different kind of story from what we are used to seeing.
Director Choo: “The period piece is usually about the kings and the royal family. What drew me to this script was this was a story about the “low lives.” These groups are essentially bandits. That really drew me in.”
With such a story, it required a certain transformation for its lead star, Rowoon, who is more known for his charm in such roles like ‘The King’s Affection, ‘Tomorrow,’ ‘Extraordinary You,’ and ‘She Would Never Know.’ But here, we see a completely different Rowoon. On the previews and on the trailer, he’s dirty and grimy. He’s always covered in dirt and sweat, and his countenance is marked by facial hair, which may be make-up.
Rowoon: “Director Choo told me that he wanted to take away my “coolness” or my stylishness, which he said was one of my weapons.” Now that he didn’t have that in his arsenal, Rowoon said he had “to bring in something new to the role” that he had never done before.
Park Ji-hwan: “We were playing bandits so we were dirty, and I could just lie on the floor and it would be okay.” He also remarked that he and Rowoon avoided taking baths, “I wouldn’t even wash up,” he said but laughed and said “Rowoon always smelled good.”
Affectionately, Rowoon quickly responded, “You were smelling my soul.”
This was further expounded by Shin Ye-eun who said: “We were under the sun and Rowoon was sweating all the time and he wouldn’t take a fan in-between take. He was so sweaty, but he wanted to keep it. It made it look and feel real.” But Rowoon was quick to point out that his role was that of a bandit, so he had “very little clothing on” but added that Shin Yeeun was playing a merchant and was “dressed in layers and layers of clothes but you’d never see it bring her down.”
This sense of camaraderie was ob full display onstage. The three young actors kept exchanging compliments and were very grateful for the senior cast members for all their generosity and support. Director Choo Chang-min shared that it was important for him to work with a younger generation of actors and “match them with veteran actors” to create a synergy on set. The approach clearly worked for him as he later remarked that “It was a fun set to work in. Everyone was having a good time. People were joking and just enjoying themselves.”
For the show, the grand scale of Choo Chang-min’s vision meant having to build the set on an exterior location. “98% of our shoot was on location,” Rowoon explained. “We had no interior shots (soundstage), and it helped us really immerse in the world,” he added. Choo shares that he “tried to shoot in a soundstage with CGI but we decided to find a location and capture it using minimal CGI and I’m very happy about that decision.” Along with the production design, the action choreography is immense so much so that Rowoon almost threw up while working on a fight sequence because he was working so hard. Seo-han shared that he had to “train in swordsmanship, archery and horseback riding,” which audiences will get to see by Episode 2. Rowoon continues saying, “Our action scenes are very raw and very athletic. We made sure that each character has a go-to weapon during fights, and it would be nice to see the audience try to figure out what the go-to weapons of each character are.”
With its grand visuals, complex characters, and a story set against backdrop of Gyeonggang River, The Murky Stream marks a new chapter for Disney+. Don’t miss the next episode to see where the river leads.
