Daniel Dae Kim is without doubt one of the most recognizable Korean American actors within the enterprise (due to a string of TV successes like Misplaced, Hawaii 5-0, and The Good Physician). So when he noticed the chance to meld the cultures of his birthplace and the place he grew up with Butterfly, Amazon’s new six-part spy thriller, he seized on it. The sequence, which he stars in and government produces, adapts Arash Amel’s graphic novel of the identical identify however totally strikes the motion from Europe to South Korea.
“I’ve at all times been excited about tasks that bridge cultures. Being Korean American, I’ve lived and skilled two completely different ones that I’ve by no means seen actually melded collectively on display screen earlier than via the lens of somebody like me, a Korean American,” he advised TV Insider. “So when this mission got here alongside via a gathering that I had with Increase Comics, I believed, ‘Effectively, it’s a present a few father and daughter. It’s set in Europe, however perhaps I can really change it to Asia, and I can deal with a number of the themes which have been actually essential to me via my life.’ And that was actually what bought me enthusiastic about this, and that’s the place we bought the ball rolling.”
In Butterfly, Kim performs David Jung, a retired spy who faked his demise after a mission-gone-wrong however has to return to the floor to rescue his estranged daughter, Reina Hardesty‘s Rebecca, after she follows in his footsteps to work for Caddis, the vicious group he as soon as cofounded with Juno, performed by Piper Perabo.
The change isn’t just certainly one of surroundings. The sequence was totally produced in Korea, and that job introduced its personal distinctive set of challenges. Mentioned Kim, “We shot it 100% in Korea with a Korean crew. And anytime you’re employed in another country, there are specific challenges as a result of a few of our producing workforce didn’t perceive Korean, and a few of our crew didn’t perceive English. So we at all times needed to construct in what we referred to as ‘Translation Time,’ and I used to be going backwards and forwards so much, simply attempting to speak between each events. And in order that took slightly time, nevertheless it was undoubtedly value it as a result of there aren’t many individuals in producing groups who can do a mission like this. And that was one of many issues that I believed that I may convey to it as a Korean American, the data of each cultures allowed me to mediate, to facilitate, typically to interpret, and actually make issues run effectively in a method that might have been tougher, in any other case.”
For Hardesty, the enchantment of becoming a member of the sequence was each its locale and the guts of the father-daughter narrative that backbones the present because it strikes from one metropolis to a different in a large cat-and-mouse chase. “I simply felt instantly very emotionally linked to Rebecca,” she defined. “The concept of filming one thing in Seoul was very thrilling, too. I at all times love a enjoyable location that I’ve by no means been to. However, actually, it was the story and the household dynamic of all of it that I felt very linked to and needed to inform that story.”
Equally, Kim Tae-hee, who makes her Hollywood debut within the sequence after years of success in Korea, was compelled by the story throughout the story. “What actually drew me in was not solely the thrilling spy-action [element] but additionally the touching story a few household’s bond. I consider it’s pure for households to belief one another, however the potential of betrayal in sure conditions made me actually inquisitive about how the story would develop. Finally, spies are human, too, and killers may even have a household. So in that sense, I feel anybody can relate to and revel in our present,” she mentioned.
In the meantime, Perabo, who beforehand labored with Kim within the 2005 monster horror The Cave, relished the concept of taking part in such a fancy, highly effective, and ruthless individual as Juno. “This is without doubt one of the best villains I’ve ever been provided,” she mused. “I’ve identified Daniel Dae Kim for a very long time, and when he referred to as, I’d say sure, it doesn’t matter what. However then, when it was a villain, I couldn’t say no.”
Prime Video
Kim credit his costars for his or her numerous contributions to the sequence: Hardesty for her bodily preparation, Perabo for her analysis, and Tae-hee for her Korean star energy. “I used to be so pleased to see how bodily succesful Reina was and the way enthusiastic she was in regards to the motion. As soon as we solid her, clearly, we requested her to maintain it quiet for a short while, however I began following her on Instagram, and day-after-day on her tales, she could be within the health club, coaching, preventing,” he remembered. “I simply love the concept she took it upon herself to begin coaching, even earlier than we began the formal coaching course of. She was actually devoted, and he or she introduced plenty of enthusiasm day-after-day to each side of the present.”
“Piper and I have been buddies earlier than we began this present, and that was actually essential as a result of we had already developed a rapport and a degree of belief,” Kim continued. “She is a very, actually proficient actor, very devoted. She delved actually deeply into her character proper from the beginning…. She’s very devoted, and so she introduced that degree of dedication to her character. And so we may go deep in a short time about what their previous was, how they really feel about each other, and the way it may inform little nuances within the scenes. So it was a pleasure to work together with her.” About Tae-hee, he added, “[She] is well-known all through Korea, and has been for many years, and he or she couldn’t have been extra gracious and chic on set. I simply suppose she brings a taste to this present that helps make it distinctive.”
Learn how all of those characters come collectively for an action-filled conflict when Butterfly premieres in full on August 13.
Butterfly, Sequence Premiere, Wednesday, August 13, Amazon Prime Video