New K-drama Chimera: Avengers actress Claudia Kim on being strangled, Lee Hee-joon not drinking water for 12 hours

From the 42-second trailer, the new K-drama mystery thriller Chimera looks like it would keep you on the edge of your seat. 

The three main cast members — Lee Hee-joon, Claudia Kim and Park Hae-soo — told AsiaOne in recent interviews some of the challenges they had portraying their characters. 

In the series, the Chimera Incident refers to a series of horrifying explosions and murders that took place in 1984. It happens again in 2019, and a trio attempt to track down the criminal and uncover the secrets behind it.

Hee-joon plays Lee Joong-yeob, a former member of the special forces and a doctor who attempts to solve the mysterious cases that occurred before he was adopted.

The 42-year-old shared: "Joong-yeob has a lot of stories to tell and has gone through a lot of hardship. It was not easy trying to do what he has to do silently without exploding on the outside."

"I remember not drinking water for 12 hours straight because I wanted to express with accuracy the thirst Joong-yeob was experiencing," he added. 

Claudia — who played Helen Cho in Avengers: Age of Ultron and also Nagini in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald — explained that all the characters have deep and dark histories. 

Her character, FBI profiler Eugene Hathaway, experienced trauma in her childhood and the 36-year-old actress said it was a "most difficult process" understanding Eugene.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNibW3kuYXU&ab_channel=ViuSingapore[/embed]

"I also have lines where I had to explain science or the history behind things. That was quite challenging too." 

We asked Claudia about the scene in the trailer where Eugene was strangled and also about her action scenes. 

She recalled: "It was intense. We had great chemistry in the scene. The intensity of our conversation and the restraint, more than the action, was what made that scene feel all the more real.

"I would say the most memorable action scene was when Jae-hwan (played by Hae-soo) and I were running. You can tell from the trailer that we both had a lot of running to do. I remember falling so many times within one scene. Holding the tension and energy to deliver the intensity was more challenging than the action itself. But the running was enjoyable." 

Hae-soo plays detective Cha Jae-hwan.

Hae-soo and Hee-joon's sweet bromance 

Fun fact: Prior to Chimera, the two male stars were on the 2016 drama series Legend of the Blue Sea, starring Lee Min-ho and Jun Ji-hyun. 

Reuniting on the set of Chimera, the two spoke fondly of each other as their "driving force" and "motivation". 

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Recalling the days when filming took a toll on him, Hee-joon said: "During that time, more than anyone else, Hae-soo became my driving force, which allowed me to endure [the period] throughout.

"He is an actor who has acted alongside me in plays for more than a decade, and is a great person whom I personally respect."

Singing the same tune, Hae-soo, 39, shared: "He is an actor whom I've always wanted to work with, and also a senior of mine in theatre. Hence, I really wanted to have a chance to meet him.

"Watching him act has always been the motivation for me to work harder." 

Chimera is now streaming exclusively on Viu with new episodes released every Sunday and Monday. 

estherlam@asiaone.com