How does Kim Hye-jun, queen villain in the Netflix series Kingdom, like reigning during a zombie apocalypse?
She plays Queen Consort Cho in the zombie-apocalypse Netflix drama and was criticised for acting badly in the first season, but she is back with a vengeance
A month after its release, the second season of Kingdom (Netflix's first original series in Korea) continues to enjoy undeniable success worldwide thanks to its unique story and setting of a zombie-apocalypse in the ancient Joseon Kingdom. It has entered the streaming services' top 10 lists in many countries.
The comic-based action thriller series tells how Crown Prince Lee Chang and his court try to save the zombie-hit kingdom while tracing the secret behind Lee's dynasty and the creation of the flesh-eating creatures.
The series sparked people’s interest when it introduced the zombie character, which is not common in Asian films. Korea's traditional culture and clothes also became popular among fans after the drama's release; sales of gat, a hat which was commonly worn by aristocrats in the Joseon Kingdom, have increased at online shopping malls such as Amazon.
In a recent interview with The Korea Times, Kim Hye-jun, who plays Queen Consort Cho in the drama, shared her thoughts and experiences about playing one of the most important roles.
Spoiler alert: this story includes series spoilers, so if you haven’t watched it yet, come back and read this after you have.
In the second season, the 25-year-old actress plays a villain who is afraid of giving up her position as de facto queen, so she decides to spread the zombie virus in the palace and the country. After marrying the king (who is 30 years her senior), she served as the nation’s queen and was made a zombie under a scheme hatched by her father, the chief state councillor and leader of the Haewon Cho clan, who wanted to take over the country through her. She is tasked with giving birth to a boy to succeed the crown. She fails to give birth by herself and steals a baby boy from another mother. She is also turned into a zombie later.
She said playing a zombie was not an easy task as they run quickly while at the same time making unnatural movements with their bodies.
“Most of the time, I was playing a role sitting in a chair as queen. However, it was not an easy job to become a zombie because I had to run fast like somebody who was about to collapse, even though I was wearing proper running shoes, while showing some zombie movements from top to toe. I came to understand how hard the zombie actors, who made up half of the drama, worked and I truly appreciated their performances from heart,” Kim said.
When asked about her queen costume, she said the full-costume was too heavy for her, making it difficult to wear.