Park Bo-gum, Kim So-hyun, Lee Sang-yi on their drama ‘Good Boy’

(From left) Kim So-hyun, Park Bo-gum, and Lee Sang-yi in scenes from “Good Boy.” Images: Courtesy of Prime Video

Beyond the scenes of them getting down and dirty in “Good Boy,” Park Bo-gum, Kim So-hyun, and Lee Sang-yi hope the drama will be a reminder to viewers that one can rise from failure — and every person has their own version of a second chance.

The drama might’ve allowed Park, Kim, and Lee to show off the angsty facets of their personality, yet there was no trace of roughness during a sit-down interview with INQUIRER.net in Bangkok, Thailand.

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As soon as the writer took her spot, Kim immediately stood up and greeted with her signature bright smile. Park and Lee followed suit and even offered water. With a call that the interview was about to begin, the three of them immediately snapped into work mode.

“Good Boy” tells the story of former national athletes — each of them ending their careers either in an unfortunate turn of events or being set up in despair — who were then chosen to be police officers in a special recruitment program.

Yoon Dong-ju (Park), Ji Han-na (Kim), and Kim Jong-hyeon (Lee) specialize in boxing, shooting, and fencing, respectively, with each of their experiences playing a role in their police work. Also part of the special forces are Min Ju-yeong (Oh Jung-se), Ko Man-sik (Heo Sung-tae), and Shin Jae-hong (Tae Won-seok).

“I don’t just think of failure as something entirely bad. There have been many times when my plans didn’t go as I had hoped and things didn’t turn out the way I wanted them to,” Kim said while touching on one of the drama’s central themes.

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“Those experiences made me feel discouraged and overwhelmed. But despite that, I had to get back up and do what I had to do,” she continued.

Like Kim, Han-na is struggling to heal from the aftermath of being widely misunderstood despite her glittery career as a shooter. “Through acting [as] Han-na, I gained more strength to keep moving forward. Through acting, I’ve gained the courage to take on bold challenges and even throw myself wholeheartedly into something for someone I love,” the actress said of her character.

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Kim So-hyun during the global premiere of “Good Boy” in Bangkok, Thailand. Image: Courtesy of Prime Video

Park, on the other hand, hoped that viewers would uncover the drama’s “powerful message” as the story progresses. “It encourages good people to continue living in a good way. It’s a work that says, ‘You’re doing great! You’re awesome!’ [and] that was the direction I had in mind as well.”

“In Dong-ju’s life, where he is living his second life, I wanted to convey the belief that as long as he continues to move forward in a healthy and correct direction, even if he rolls around and gets a little tired and exhausted, he will be able to finish the race,” Park continued, reflecting on Dong-ju’s growth throughout the series.

Park Bo-gum during the global premiere of “Good Boy” in Bangkok, Thailand. Image: Courtesy of Prime Video

Meanwhile, one of the key moments of Jong-hyeon — Lee’s character — is his inner battle against a phobia. “It will probably come up in the story later,” he began with a knowing expression.

“Jong-hyeon doesn’t actually have bad eyesight, but he wears glasses sometimes and avoids sharp objects because of some trauma he experienced,” he explained. “There are various hints about the reasons behind [his] behavior. It would be good to keep that in mind while watching, and you will see how he overcomes his trauma and finds the courage to move forward.”

Lee Sang-yi during the global premiere of “Good Boy” in Bangkok, Thailand. Image: Courtesy of Prime Video

A positive direction

While bringing Han-na to life, Kim said getting into the gritty parts of her character made her realize that she liked taking on “intense” character arcs. “I realized that I actually like intense action more than I thought,” she said while Park and Lee suddenly laughed in the background.

“It was really hard. It was really hard and difficult,” a smiling Kim explained while maintaining her composure. “But when I was able to overpower my opponent in a relatively rough manner, or when I did something rough that I would never normally do. I felt a sense of pleasure. That’s when I realized that action is fun.”

The cast of “Good Boy” in a behind the scenes photo. Image: Courtesy of Prime Video

Touching on the “Good Boy’s” take on maintaining strong friendships, Lee shared that being surrounded by a supportive network made him “really happy” while filming.

“In my case, I usually spend a lot of time alone and prefer to be by myself. But this time I spent a lot of time with the team [in] our personal time, like having meals together. After it was over, I felt really good and very happy,” he said.

Park took a moment to ponder the question when he was asked how he wanted the drama to be remembered. “Justice is alive, and many people believe in the good forces of the world and hope to live in a healthy direction,” he said while having the same reflective expression.

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(From left) Lee Sang-yi, Kim So-hyun, and Park Bo-gum during the global premiere of “Good Boy” in Bangkok, Thailand. Image: Courtesy of Prime Video

“I approached the filming with that in mind. I hope that message comes across well,” he added while smiling. “I will also cheer on those who live in a good direction.”

“Good Boy” had two sets of promotional activities: one in Seoul and one at the ICONSIAM Mall, where its global premiere was also graced by personalities from Thailand and the Philippines./mr