How Bae Suzy, Nam Joo Hyuk prepped up for new K-drama ‘Start-Up’

MANILA, Philippines — The stars of trending K-drama “Start-Up” revealed how they immersed themselves in their roles as young entrepreneurs with start-up companies in Sand Box — a South Korean version of Silicon Valley.

Singer-actress Bae Suzy, who plays the role of energetic and diligent Seo Dal-Mi, said her character meets a lot of people in the story so she understands the script from the perspective of Dal-Mi.

“I also thought about how to interact with various characters, so I took a really deep dive in the script,” Suzy said in Korean, as translated by the host of a virtual conference with Asia-Pacific media, including Philstar.com.

“The topic of 'Start-Up' is a new topic for me, so I looked up interviews of young CEOs as well."

Meanwhile, actor Nam Joo-Hyuk, who plays math genius Nam Do-San, said playing the role was not too difficult for him since he was naturally a nerd.

“I just decided to pull it out, the nerdy qualities in me, and then imbue my character with it. Sometimes when I get nervous in real life, I tremble,” he shared.

“Start-Up” director Oh Choong-Hwan said image was very important in their casting process.

“There’s this kind of energy about Suzy that you just really want to encourage and see her grow. She is somebody that I know very well, and all the creators felt comfortable with,” he said.

Choong-hwan and Suzy have collaborated before in the 2019 drama “While You Were Sleeping.”

On the other hand, Joo-Hyuk was cast for his memorable performance in the 2019 drama “Light in your Eyes.”

The director gave himself “a pat on the back” for casting Suzy and Joo-hyuk together.

“I look at them on-screen and I think to myself, I hope that the world remembers these two beautiful and sparkly people on the screen together.”

The cast also includes South Korean stars Kim Seon-Ho and Kang Han-Na.

Seon-ho plays Han Ji-Pyeong, a senior investment manager who will be recognized as the “Gordon Ramsay of investments” for his sharp tongue and talent.

Meanwhile, Han-Na plays young CEO Won In-jae who struggles to create her own success.

“Start-Up” premiered on Netflix last October 17. It has since taken one of the top spots on the streaming platform locally.