The Main Cast of ‘Good Boy’ on Becoming “Olympic Avengers”

Just when you think Korean dramas have done the police drama genre to bits, Good Boy arrives to give the overdone trope a refreshing twist. In the series, a group of former world-class athletes are recruited into a special police task force dubbed the “Olympic Avengers”. Serving their country in an entirely new way, audiences follow how these athletes use their unique skill sets outside of the competition ring to fight crime and solve cases. 

There’s Yoon Dong Ju (Park Bo Gum), a passionate boxing champion; Ji Han Na (Kim So Hyun), a cool-headed shooting prodigy; Kim Jong Hyeon (Lee Sang Yi), an enigmatic fencer; Go Man Sik (Heo Sung Tae), a fiery boxer turned team leader; and Shin Jae Hong (Tae Won Seok), a gentle discus thrower to round up the team. 

The result is a K-drama packed with high-octane action, political intrigue, a wholesome found family dynamic, and, of course, a love triangle (because what’s a K-drama without a heart-pounding romance) that leaves us glued to the screen. 

Ahead, we speak to Park Bo Gum, Kim So Hyun, and Lee Sang Yi to find out more about how they transformed into their roles for Good Boy, their favourite on-set memories, and more.

Good Boy prides itself on being an action-packed drama. What were the easiest and the toughest parts of filming?

Park Bo Gum: To be honest, I don’t think there was any filming that was easy for me [laughs]. For the most part, it was actually quite difficult, but thanks to the wonderful people I worked with, I look back on those difficult filming days with joy.

Kim So Hyun: Rather than saying it was easy for me, I think what gave me a bit of advantage is my ability to endure. When I was a shooter, I needed a lot of patience, and I think I already have that in me, so portraying that aspect of the role was a little easier. 

But I do have to agree that everything was difficult [laughs]. It was hard not to react to the loud noise of the gun and to execute those bold action scenes. I would say those were quite difficult.

Lee Sang Yi: Yes, I didn’t find anything particularly easy either. Thinking back, we filmed for about a year, maybe 10 or 11 months. And I think the most difficult part was the weather. It was really unpredictable, with the sudden rain or snow, and we had to wait for the weather to clear up a lot. 

What are your favourite qualities about the character you play in the show and why?

LSY: In my case, I really admire Jong Hyeon’s level-headed judgment and rational side. I often can get carried away by my emotions and overthink, so that’s one thing I would like to learn from him.

PBG: For me, Dong Ju is resilient, agile, good at fighting, and has great stamina to bounce back quickly when he’s down. These are the things I want to learn from him.

KSH: I think Han Na is very quiet and calm, but she has a passionate heart and makes bold choices. I’ve always envied that about her. I think many aspects of her have allowed me to experience vicarious satisfaction.

Part of Good Boy’s appeal is seeing the specialised skills each of you have as top athletes. Can you share more about the training process to portray this?

LSY: To prepare for my role, I had to learn fencing for over six months, and I practised consistently every day. But I’m not only a former fencing athlete but also a police officer, so I also had to do a lot of separate training on baton techniques with the action team. I hope you look forward to seeing me in action!

KSH: In the case of Han Na, she is a very calm and precise shooting athlete. But now that she is a police officer, I wanted to show more of a rough and tough side of her when she shoots. So, I focused a lot on how to make the gun-related action scenes look natural and energetic for the audience.

PBG: Dong Ju is a former boxing gold medalist, so in order to accurately portray and embody his role as a boxer, I trained for six to seven months diligently every day. I also worked out with Sang Yi whenever I had time to build up my stamina. 

What’s a fond memory you guys have of working together?

LSY:  I would say it was when we were eating together. We always tried to eat together between shoots, and we would talk about what happened during filming, what ad-libs we could do, and take pictures of each other. Those moments are very memorable to me. 

KSH: What I liked about working with my co-stars was that we all have a similar sense of humour. It can be difficult when people have a very different sense of humour, but everyone laughed a lot, so the atmosphere on set was always great.

PBG: That’s right, we were always just laughing! Whenever we had extra time, we would also go to cafes and eat good food together. Because of that, we formed really great memories. I’m so happy I met these good people. I just want to say thank you, and I’m grateful to be a part of Good Boy with them.

Without spoiling too much, were there any lines or scenes in the drama that particularly resonated with you?

PBG: Dong Ju once said, “How can we be born as a good person? I try to be a good person.” I think that is a really good line from my character, and it’s something I think about a lot.

KSH: I generally really like the narration in Good Boy. When I first read the script, I noticed that the narration was done by different actors for each character. And sometimes, the same words were used in different situations. I thought that was really special and wonderful how the narration could feel so different depending on who was saying it.

LSY: In Jong Hyeon’s case, there are many fencing scenes, and it’s a really famous sport in South Korea too. “I can do it. I can do it”, those are lines one of our national fencing athletes said, and he went on to win a gold medal. So, for me, I think that is the most important line for my character.

Was there a particular scene you found especially memorable while filming?

KSH: In episode one, there is a part where some intruders break into my house. That was the first action scene I had to film for the show. We shot it very early on in the filming process, so tensions were really high, and I felt a lot of anxiety about whether I could pull it off. 

But I think we managed to capture that tension on set and incorporate it into the acting, despite the shortcomings. Since that was my first action scene, I put in a lot of effort, and I believe it came through.

What kind of roles or genres would you like to try next?

LSY: I would like to try something with creatures, aliens, something like that. Should I say sci-fi? Essentially, something with a lot of CGI [laughs].

KSH: For me, I would like to play the role of a villain. I have tried it once before, but now that I’m an adult, I would like to have another go at properly portraying a truly evil villain.

PBG: Yes, I think I would also like to explore being a villain! I always want to show a new look and side of myself with each new project, so please look forward to all of our upcoming works.

Good Boy is available to watch on Prime Video.

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