Soo Hugh Interview: Pachinko | Screen Rant
Pachinko, an adaptation of the New York Times best-selling novel by Min Jin Lee, finally arrives on Apple TV+ March 25. Spanning much of the 20th century and traversing cultures, the epic series follows a Korean family forced to immigrated to Japan in the midst of the Japanese occupation of their homeland. Told in Korean, Japanese and English, the historical drama tackles themes as diverse as forbidden love, religious piety, and the crushing weight of poverty and discrimination.
Written and produced by Soo Hugh, who previously worked on The Terror and See, the family saga centers on one remarkable woman named Sunja. Opening prior to her both, the story takes us through her teenage years (where she's played by impressive newcomer Kim Minha) and shows her as the matriarch of three generations (a role perfected by Youn Yuh-jung of Minari). Korean drama heartthrob Lee Min-ho will surprise audiences in the role of the dangerous Koh Hansu, whose passion for Sunja is what sets the tale in motion. The first season consists of 8 episodes, with directing duties split between Kogonada (Columbus) and Justin Chon (Blue Bayou),
Hugh spoke to Screen Rant about the research that went into grounding the historical settings of the series in authenticity, as well as the spark that each of its leads brought to the important milestones in Sunja's life.
Even for those who had not read the novel and were not aware of its importance, I think that the moment that we heard that Lee Minho had to audition for the role, everyone knew it was a big deal. What was it about his performance or his interpretation of Koh Hansu that really spoke to you?
Soo Hugh: There's so many things. Hansu is probably one of the trickiest characters in the show, because it's easy to play him all veneer. You can just stand there and look great. But, really, we wanted to probe deeper into that character of how someone like that becomes that way.
And knowing that we also have the seventh episode, our departure episode, and how much that was going to anchor on Hansu - I really wanted to find someone who can portray that awesome veneer that he has, but when you dig deeper, you get that vulnerability.
Minho, in all of our auditions and conversations, wanted to do it. He wanted to probe himself; he wanted to stretch himself as an actor. That desire revealed his vulnerability, and so there was no question that he was our Hansu.
As a book reader, there is a character whose name I will not say, whose absence throughout the story is rather loud. Was that a conscious choice to make the absence part of the story rather than just showcasing that arc early? Or is that more about, if we do season 2, we'll put that there?
Soo Hugh: The show is four seasons long, so it was never supposed to be a limited series. So the idea is we're going to watch these characters grow up as well, so that storyline is coming.
I think there's no way you can tell the story just in eight episodes; it's impossible. To do it full justice, and to fall in love with the characters and really understand what they live through, it has to be the whole spectrum.
Minha gives such a powerful performance as Sunja that I would never expected her to be such a relative newcomer to the screen. What was it like working with her to really anchor Sunja in both those ages, 16 and 22?
Soo Hugh: Effortless. That stuff you can't learn, right? You can't go to acting school and get that. She naturally can tap into these feelings and emotions, and what I find much so much work being b.
Being behind the monitor and watching Minha, I always say you see the character in their eyes. It's not their voice, it's not even their body - it's in their eyes. It's what is in their eyes. And in her eyes, you just see a depth of feeling. And that's just natural.
On the other hand, you have Youn Yuh-jung, who is just a living legend and so prolific. What is it like to collaborate with her on being the culmination of all the Sunjas who have come before?
Soo Hugh: YJ is, again, so intuitive. So much of the story that she's lived through, and her family's lived through, it's in her bones. And when she says, "I know this character inside and out," why would you ever doubt that? She's YJ.
She is someone that, every time the camera says, "Action," she'll do something different in each take. And you're like, "Oh, that was great," thinking she'll do it again. The next take, she'll do something just slightly [different], and you're like, "That was great!" She's one of these actors who, when you get to the edit room, it's almost impossible to edit her because they're all terrific takes.
When it comes to historical events, such as the Great Kanto Earthquake or the other historical settings throughout Pachinko, how do you approach merging the authenticity with what serves the story?
Soo Hugh: So much of it comes with just [doing] as much research as possible. We worked with so many historians in the show and read many first-person accounts. At the end of the day, we weren't there. How do you recreate something that is so horrific?
As much as we try to do the research, at the end of the day, subjectivity has to be the guiding light for us is. And that's universal, right? "If you were in an earthquake..." We looked at 9/11 in New York City, the footage of that, and that blink of a second when your life changes. How do people react, and how do people respond?
I think it's a complicated way of saying that you try to dig as deep as you can, knowing that we weren't there and there's going to be some interpretation to it.
Both Kogonada and Justin Chon have such a beautiful way of directing this story. How early on the process did they come on board and what made them right for Pachinko?
Soo Hugh: Prep started a few months before shooting, and they were both in it from prep. When we were talking to directors, what made K and Justin stand out was that they're different from one another, and that was really exciting.
But also, I always say this is a show that, when I talk to people, you feel it in your bones. And people can respect the show - people can admire the show, even - but you have to feel it. K and Justin felt it, and that's something that comes out in all our conversations.
As soon as I realized these two people know this show, and they feel the show? I knew they were the right people.
Pachinko's first three episodes premiere March 25 on Apple TV+, followed by one episode weekly for the rest of the season.