He was just discharged from his mandatory military service but it seems South Korean actor Nam Joo-hyuk was still being tested to his limits.
The 32-year-old had to film many underwater scenes for Netflix’s upcoming dark fantasy K-drama The East Palace, said his co-star Cho Seung-woo in a press conference AsiaOne attended on July 8.
“Joo-hyuk went underwater so much that he sort of got water-poisoned,” said Seung-woo, 46. “I saw his arm and it was so bloated that I could actually write on it – that’s how hard he worked on this drama. He’s fine though.”
In The East Palace, Joo-hyuk plays protagonist Gu-cheon, who has the ability to walk between the human and spirit worlds. Secretly summoned by the sceptical king (Seung-woo) to slay ghosts haunting the royal bloodline, he works with court lady Saeng-gang (Roh Yoon-seo) who can hear spirits.
The underwater scenes take place when Gu-cheon traverses into the spirit realm.
Joo-hyuk spent more than half a year on the drama, with the underwater scenes happening in both the scorching summer and freezing winter seasons.
Filming began in December 2024, soon after his military discharge in late September where he reportedly served as a platoon leader, concluding in July 2025.
He told reporters he first received the script during his service when he was “stressed out a lot”, but had fun reading it and felt that he wanted a challenge.
“I really wanted to be part of this project. I was so curious how the Realm of Gwi (Korean for spirits) was going to be created and there’s a lot of intrigue that happens inside the palace which flows so well – it’s very meticulously knitted,” praised Joo-hyuk.
“If I could be a part of this, I wanted to go head-on into it and become Gu-cheon… That was my mindset, I wanted to be him from the very beginning.”
In preparation for his combat-heavy scenes, he had to attend action school before filming started. “Practice is the only way to get perfect. There, I would try the [action] choreography, and we’d do it on set as well,” added Joo-hyuk.
Some viewers may have noticed that he made an in-character appearance in Netflix’s What Next preview video released in January 2026 alongside stars like Cilian Murphy, Teyena Taylor, Millie Bobby Brown and Lily Collins.
However, being the only Korean actor showcased gave him pressure.
“I felt sort of sad because while it came to me as a surprise, I’m happy but I was the only one there,” lamented Joo-hyuk. “I felt the responsibility weighing down on me to represent all these amazing actors here in South Korea and I wanted to do a good job at it.”
A sense of loneliness in the eyes
Joo-hyuk was the perfect fit for Gu-cheon, with director Choi Jung-kyu sharing the duo’s likeness.
“When I first saw Joo-hyuk, I thought he was just like Gu-cheon. He’s trustworthy and determined – but in his eyes, you can feel a sense of loneliness there just like the character,” explained Jung-kyu.
A tragic figure, Gu-cheon lost his mother as a child and discovered his special ability, subsequently closing himself off from the world. Joo-hyuk elaborated: “He’s very inexperienced at expressing his emotions and always on guard when it comes to being with people. He prefers a lonely life.”
However, the ghost slayer develops a special bond with Saeng-gang, where Yoon-seo hinted that they “become very important people to each other”.
“When the two characters first meet, they don’t get along because they’ve lived vastly different lives. They butt heads all the time and can’t stand each other, but as they work together to get to the bottom of everything, they rely on and rescue each other,” said 26-year-old Yoon-seo.
“They sort of become guardians and saviours to one another.”
The East Palace marks Yoon-seo’s first lead role, following her appearances in projects like drama series Crash Course in Romance (2023) and romance film Hear Me: Our Summer (2024). It’s also her first foray into historical dramas, a feat which mildly scared her, but she was also curious about the fantasy genre.
Jung-kyu remarked that when he first spoke to her about playing Saeng-gang, she wasn’t pleased initially.
“I told Yoon-seo that Saeng-gang is in charge of the court ladies’ elegance and she didn’t like that very much,” said the director. “But she has a very honest, straightforward candidness to her performance which I thought was a perfect fit for the character, as well as The East Palace. It’s what I expected from her.”
Tying Saeng-gang and Gu-cheon together is the king, who also has his own sombre story. The curse haunting his bloodline eats at him, rendering him lonely after spirits murder his sons, leaving only one behind.
“I think he’s a particularly lonesome character because the curse has taken away his sons… And there’s so much happening beyond the palace’s curse and everything he has to take care of nationwide,” said Seung-woo.
“He’s almost consumed by all of that, so it was quite a challenge to express that about the king. He’s also someone who doesn’t believe in spirits but is very bent on continuing the royal bloodline… hence he summons Gu-cheon to catch the spirits and Saeng-gang to monitor him.”
The East Palace, also starring Jang Young-nam and Park Soo-yeon, will premiere on Netflix on July 17.
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