PUBLISHED ONDecember 23, 2022 10:00 AMByDrima ChakrabortyWhen filming a drama about the Philippines casino scene, it only makes sense to shoot on location in the archipelago. The cast and crew of new K-drama Big Bet faced an issue, though — the weather.
Lead actor Choi Min-sik said in the regional press conference recently: "It was physically challenging since it was winter in Korea [in March] but it was sizzling hot in the Philippines."
Big Bet follows self-made casino tycoon Cha Mu-sik (Min-sik) who gets involved in a murder case in the Philippines. Korean police officer Oh Seung-hoon (Son Suk-ku) gets dispatched to investigate the Korean national.
According to director Kang Yoon-sung, about 70 per cent of the series was shot in the Philippines.
The star-studded cast also features Lee Dong-hwi (Reply 1988, The Handmaiden) as Lee Jeong-pal, Mu-sik's right-hand man, and Heo Sung-tae (Squid Game, The Age of Shadows) as flamboyant gangster Seo Tae-seok.
The show premiered on Disney+ on Dec 21 and is split into two eight-episode seasons.
Though Sung-tae spent the least amount of time in the Philippines among the cast, he told AsiaOne in an interview about the best part of his trip: "Jollibee, it was delicious."
But the weather was so hot that no amount of delicious fast food could prevent weight loss.
The 45-year-old added: "I was only there for four days and three nights, but I lost five kilogrammes."
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-74Kgca_RjQ[/embed]
The heat just added to the realism for Suk-ku.
"When you shoot in a film set, there's no ambient sound, the weather is controlled, so you have to pretend like [the atmosphere] is really there," said the 39-year-old to AsiaOne.
"Even though we shot in a controlled environment [in the Philippines], there were noises from the street and the weather was so real.
"When I was doing the action scenes, I was really running and jumping — it felt like I was really being chased by someone, so it added to my acting."
He also greatly enjoyed working with his Filipino counterparts.
"Because I played a cop, I have scenes where I worked with the local police, and there's a character named Mark, played by Filipino actor Nico Antonio, who was my partner and friend," he said. "My fondest memories are of befriending him and we became quite close."
When Nico went over to South Korea to shoot his segments there, Suk-ku showed him around and hung out with him too, being on the same wavelength due to their shared careers.
"Hey Nico, I miss you, man!" he announced.
Dong-hwi also gave a shout-out to a Filipino crew member named Michael, revealing that he had made Dong-hwi the bracelet he was wearing during the interview.
"Although this bracelet is just a fashion accessory, it appears in the drama as an important item," Suk-ku added. "If you pay close attention to it, you'll see it in the show."
Actress Son Eun-seo, who plays Kim Soo-jung, said during the press conference: "So many of us cast members lived together in the Philippines that it felt like a field trip. We'd eat together and chat between shoots, and it was my first time there."
"Over there, we'd say we missed home but now that we're back, I miss the Philippines and I wanna go back there."
'I'm gonna tell my grandchildren about it'
When asked about what scenes audiences should look out for, Sung-tae told AsiaOne about some ad-libbing he did with Min-sik.
"I had an action scene where we had a firefight, and as a bit of improvisation, I swore at Mu-sik," he recalled. "The scene wasn't okay but Min-sik gave me a thumbs up."
Dong-hwi was far more reverent acting alongside the veteran Min-sik, 60, who returned to the small screen after over two decades.
Dong-hwi, 37, said during the press conference: "I was the right hand man for the Choi Min-sik so it was the happiest time of my life and I'm gonna tell my grandchildren about it."
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Suk-ku was also impressed by the Oldboy actor: "I remember the first shoot I had with Min-sik, it felt so real that I didn't even realise he started acting. When you act, you have a reaction and it goes back and forth, but for us, it seemed so natural.
"I felt very nervous, he was so natural I didn't want to appear unnatural alongside him."
Dong-hwi was no slouch either, as Suk-ku told AsiaOne.
"We did a lot of long scenes together and there was quite a bit of improvisation. The director was very satisfied, calling him a genius.
"He'd say, 'How did you remember all of this in such a short period of time?'"
He added that he wasn't just saying this because Dong-hwi said the scenes he "cherished" were the ones they shot together too.
For the full interview, watch our latest episode of E-Junkies.
drimac@asiaone.com
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