Blackpink’s Jisoo during the media conference of “Newtopia.” Image: Courtesy of Coupang Play
One of the factors that attracted Blackpink’s Jisoo to choose “Newtopia” as her follow-up project is the unique combination of humor and romance in what is meant to be a drama about a zombie apocalypse.
In “Newtopia,” Jisoo stars as Kang Young-joo who enters the workforce before her boyfriend Lee Jae-yoon (Park Jeong-min), as the latter is fulfilling his mandatory military service as a conscripted soldier. The uncertainty of their romance is tested as a zombie apocalypse hits the town, with the pair ultimately deciding if their relationship is worth staying.
The zombie drama, which will premiere in February, is Jisoo’s second lead role after taking on the period drama “Snowdrop” in 2021.
“We have seen many zombie series and films over the years. I feel like many of them have been fairly dark and serious. But ‘Newtopia’ blends humor, romance, and other genre elements in the context of a zombie apocalypse,” Jisoo said in an interview.
The actress-K-pop idol recalled there were moments when she, too, was even shocked at how some of the scenes turned out in the series, hoping her fans would appreciate it as well.
“The series maintained these various elements while staying unpredictable — there were moments when I would go, ‘Whoa!’ or ‘What?’ out of shock. I felt that many viewers would find the series original and engaging. That’s why I chose this project,” she said.
What Jisoo admires about her character
Touching on her character’s determination, Jisoo said entering into Young-joo’s mindset gave her a lot of confidence in portraying her story throughout filming. “Of course, there were several moments when I thought, ‘I would have done things differently if I were Young-joo.’”
“But once she made up her mind about something, she never looked back and stayed focused on her choice, which I felt was very similar to how I am,” she continued while relating it to herself. “Playing Young-joo gave me a lot of confidence, and I enjoyed the process.”
Jisoo added that Young-joo’s empathy is what caught her attention as well, admitting there were scenes where she might’ve done things differently if she were in her character’s shoes.
“She tries to see the bigger picture and think about the greater good. In situations where I would have gone straight to Jae-yoon because he is important to me. “Young-joo couldn’t turn a blind eye to a single person in need because she is compassionate. I felt that she was a little different in that regard,” she said.
(From left) Park Jeong-min and Blackpink’s Jisoo in a scene from “Newtopia.” Image: Courtesy of Coupang Play and Prime Video
For Jisoo’s leading man Park Jeong-min, he shared that had long been aware of his co-star’s professionalism, and confessed that there were moments when he was stunned by her beauty.