‘Sweet Home 2’ Star Song Kang Revealed How the Netflix Series Helped Him to Grow
The popular actor also shared that Sweet Home 2 would be his final project before his enlistment.
Last night, the director and cast of Netflix’s Sweet Home 2 attended a press conference for the show, ahead of the new season’s release on December 1. In attendance were leading man Song Kang, Lee Jin-uk, Go Min-si, Jin Young, Lee Si-young, Yoo Oh-seong, Kim Moo-yeol, as well as director Lee Eung-bok. The show’s first season took the world by storm upon its release, quickly amassing global fans who fell in love with the complex world-building and stellar cast.
Reprising his main role as Cha Hyun-soo in the second season, Song Kang shared how the Sweet Home series is personally significant to him. He mused, “Sweet Home is a very meaningful project for me, it’s one of the projects which made me who I am today. To prepare for Season 2, I looked internally, keeping a diary on my character Hyun-soo. Since the story deals with fantastic creatures, there is some distance from the real world, so I reflected on that aspect as well as on Hyun-soo's thoughts and emotions."
The show’s director Lee Eung-bok then chimed in, explaining, “Since some years have passed since the release of Season 1, I wanted to see Hyun-soo mature. When Song Kang arrived on set, I could see that he had already matured a lot, and it made me choke up." Season 1 of Sweet Home was released on Netflix in December 2020.
In response to some early teaser images and trailers showing off Song Kang’s muscular physique, the My Demon actor also shyly shared that he dedicated a lot of effort to his physical appearance. The actor said, “I tried hard. I put in special effort to build muscle in my back. Also, I talked a lot with the director to create that scene." He then continued, "I'm very happy the scene came out well. I'm usually rather shy but after filming that scene, I was able to overcome my natural shyness. I also feel the director helped me mature and grow. So I want to say thank you.”
While Song Kang’s physical appearance in the show is impressive, Lee Eung-bok was more amazed by the actor’s acting prowess. The director lauded Song Kang’s emotional performance, saying, “The part that truly moved me in that scene is at the end. It's when Song Kang’s character shows empathy towards the monsters and sheds tears. Although the monsters are fictional, he cried so sadly. I was very impressed and felt that he had become a great actor after seeing him project such emotion even in difficult circumstances.”
At the press conference, Song Kang also took the opportunity to announce that he will likely be joining the army soon, for his mandatory military service in South Korea. The 29-year-old confirmed, “It is my natural duty, so once I conclude the promotion schedule for Sweet Home 2, I will fulfil my duties and return in good health."
Season 2 of Sweet Home features the returning cast from Season 1 along with the introduction of new characters in this thrilling horror drama. The show’s first season, based on a webtoon of the same name, was set in an isolated apartment building in an apocalyptic world, and the second season expands the series’ action-packed plot into the outside world.
