5 Minutes With Jung Yu-Mi, Nam Joo-Hyuk And The Crew Of 'The School Nurse Files'
In spite of all the challenges that 2020 continues to bring, Netflix has managed to make the most out of these unprecedented circumstances. The online conference of the streaming giant's new original series, The School Nurse Files, was an exciting and immersive experience. Against a CGI backdrop where Jellies — one of the lead characters in the show — floated around, we chatted with actors Jung Yu-mi and Nam Joo-hyuk, writer Chung Se-rang, and director Lee Kyoung-mi over a video call to unwrap the making of the story.
“I feel very much at home now. Here’s my favourite Octopus Jelly," said Yu-mi, who plays Ahn Eun-young, a character who possesses the ability to see Jelly — the remnants of human desires.
We were among the select few to receive a sneak peek from Netflix earlier this month, and the three episodes we watched have already left us awestruck.
Don't expect any stereotyping in The School Nurse Files. The offbeat plot delivers a multi-dimensional portrayal of youth, and emotional nuances are depicted via explosive imaginations and unpredictable characters. It may remind you of the show Extracurricular, as it unfolds the hard truths we had to learn as children and the vulnerability we often try to camouflage as adults.
"You see the creators' will to realise a world where we love [others] despite their flaws and faults."
— Director Park Chan-wook
"Director Lee has been creating never-seen-before and never-heard-before female characters who make you laugh and cry at [their] story and eventually understand [them] as a person."
— Actress Gong Hyo-jin
Co-created by Chung Se-rang, the writer of the titular novel, and Lee Kyoung-mi, the director of Persona: Love Set, The School Nurse Files has an incredible team on board to realise a world of unlimited imagination and endless wonder.
It brings Jung Yu-mi and Nam Joo-hyuk together for the very first time, featuring a soundtrack assembled by Jang Young-gyu, who composed the film scores of Sympathy for Mr Vengeance, The Wailing and The Yellow Sea.
The School Nurse Files also introduces a cast of new faces that make the characters their own with raw, realistic portrayals of the dazed and confused.
On their characters:
Jung Yu-mi: Ahn Eun-young is an ordinary person with the extraordinary ability to see the remnants of the greediness of humans, known as the Jelly. She starts working in a school as a nurse, where she comes across several mysterious occurrences and decides to find out the truth. She always carries a BB gun and a rainbow knife with her, which help her to defeat those harmful Jellies. Eun-young is in a constant battle with the Jellies, and also with her destiny of having to see things that other people cannot.
Nam Joo-hyuk: My character Hong In-pyo is the Chinese Characters teacher, and also the grandson of the school's founder. He is surrounded by a protective aura, and because of that, he can protect Eun-young from the Jellies and recharge her energy. In-pyo becomes a kind of assistant to Eun-young, and together they defeat the harmful Jellies in the school.
Chung Se-rang: The school nurse and Chinese Characters teacher are very unusual characters. The reason I bring these two together is because they’re not the most conspicuous, even though they play extremely important roles. A school nurse is the first person you see if you get hurt, while a Chinese Characters teacher preserves and passes down knowledge and heritage — they might not be giving you the pass to top colleges, but they are figures that people need in their lives.
On the Jelly:
Chung Se-rang: What I first thought of was the slime trail of a snail — I felt like all living creatures leave traces behind even when they leave. And I wondered how it might be like to live in a world full of the residues of emotions.
Lee Kyoung-mi: I had a lot of thoughts on how to make them convincing. I started to study novels and films about them, and there are actually a lot of Jelly-type creatures out there, like Ditto from Pokémon. I spent time mulling over the genealogy of the Jelly, and to make it more fun for the audience, I decided to add certain characteristics to it.
I found this private organisation online, called SCP Foundation, which has built a huge database to categorise the (mythical) creatures that can threaten human life. After considering how far imagination could take us, I brought them together with the wild elements of nature, which I've learned from documentaries, and it added a sense of realness for our audience. To my surprise, some creatures that only appear in our imagination might actually exist, it's just that we've never come across them.
On their favourite Jelly:
Jung Yu-mi: The Octopus Jelly and Standing Jelly are my favourites!
Nam Joo-hyuk: I really like the Standing Jelly. This tiny friend in blue here [gestures], it has my heart.
Lee Kyoung-mi: My heart goes out to the Mite Eater, which appears in the episode I love most. I wanted to make her strange but cute at the same time. In fact, when we started pre-production, the Mite Eater was the first one I cast, and we have her on the casting board right next to Yu-mi and Joo-hyuk.
Chung Se-rang: I think the Toad Monster is my favourite! It's somewhere between a fish and an amphibian — it must be so challenging to visualise and I’m so impressed by the outcome. When I was writing the story, I was thinking that those Jellies who don’t harm people would appear in white or as transparent, while the bad ones would be in colour. The production of this series has taught me a lot about visualising the details of a story.
On challenges:
Jung Yu-mi: I was a little taken aback when I first saw the weapons [laughs]. But as soon as we started filming, I felt like they were made for me and I have as much faith in them as Eun-young! How Eun-young uses the BB gun and rainbow sword might come across as awkward to people, but I found that it came naturally to me.
Nam Joo-hyuk: My character is ordinary compared to Yu-mi’s. For me, it is quite comfortable to not see the Jellies [laughs]. As you know, In-pyo doesn’t have any weapons, so it’s more of using your own superpowers. To In-pyo, simply being able to help others is very fulfilling, and he never hesitates to step up whenever someone needs him, and that’s his greatest charm.
Jung Yu-mi: I’ve always wanted to do an action movie, and to be frank, this is not what I expected [laughs]. I was thinking of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, you know. But then I met Eun-young, and she taught me that action scenes can be done differently, and I’m so happy that I am making my action debut as Eun-young.
Nam Joo-hyuk: He’s a Chinese Characters teacher, but... Can I actually mention this? He’s not been teaching much [laughs]. He’s spending a lot of time outside the classroom, fighting Jelly with Eun-young. So I didn’t have difficulties preparing for my role as a Chinese Characters teacher.
Jung Yu-mi: The School Nurse Files is strange, but I love the way it is also bubbly and quirky. Many stories are being told within the series, and every chapter completes another. I'm so thankful to have been given the chance to play Eun-young. I want to make sure the story is delivered in a heart-warming way that will touch viewers as much as the novel inspires its readers.
On their takeaways from the series:
Jung Yu-mi: There were many things that I enjoyed while portraying Eun-young. Whenever I stand in Eun-young’s shoes, I feel a lot of empathy for her. She has to see things that others cannot, and I don’t think those are amusing experiences for her. Her loneliness is relatable, but she has the biggest heart. She’s like a friend who pats you on the back.
Nam Joo-hyuk: In-pyo is someone who doesn’t really understand himself until he meets Eun-young. He is rediscovering and growing into a better version of himself when he realises he can be the support system for others.
On the story:
Chung Se-rang: In order to recreate the story in a six-episode series, we decided to underscore the sense of duty, desperation and happiness. It gave me the unexpected opportunity to revisit a story I wrote between 2015 and 2016. The School Nurse Files is a story that connects lonely people, and I hope it will become one of your best friends.
Lee Kyoung-mi: It is my first time directing a story written by someone else. The experience of realising a world created by another was truly amazing, and it allowed me to borrow a different imagination and form of expression.
The ending of season one will probably leave people wondering: What kind of adventure awaits? What is the untold story between Eun-young and In-pyo? I want these questions to linger in the minds and hearts of our viewers. And whenever you feel that life is hard, remember how Eun-young meets her destiny, and even though there are challenges along the way, In-pyo is right there next to her.
The School Nurse Files is available to watch on netflix.com now, and you can view the trailer below:
