Ko Hyun-jung and Jang Dong-yoon are opening up about their intense mother-son pairing in SBS’s new Friday-Saturday crime thriller, "The Mantis: Original Sin", where she plays an infamous serial killer and he’s the detective forced to team with her.
Premiering Friday at 9:50 p.m. KST on SBS, the series picks up more than 20 years after the capture of a brutal murderer known as “Mantis.” When a copycat case ignites nationwide fear, a detective must enter an unlikely alliance with the person he’s hated his entire life ― his own mother, the original Mantis ― to stop the killings.
Ko leads as Jung Yi-shin (the Mantis), with Jang as detective Cha Soo-yeol. The high-tension thriller is directed by Byun Young-joo and written by Lee Young-jong.
Speaking about her co-star, Ko said, “Jang Dong-yoon brings real passion and sincerity to the craft ― that’s his magic. He doesn’t believe in cutting corners, and I vividly remember how he gave everything to make each take the best it could be. The more our on-set rhythm clicked, the more it felt like only he could fully inhabit Cha Soo-yeol. I was genuinely impressed by his range. He’s an actor to keep your eye on.”
Jang returned the praise, calling their chemistry “fantastic.” He shared, “Ko Hyun-jung sunbae treated me with such generosity it almost felt like I was the senior. I was excited ― and nervous ― to match her, and then she’d unleash these bursts of energy that left me stunned. She performs with ease, yet it’s inventive and commanding. Watching her up close made me want to learn from her.”
On screen, the pair navigate a roller coaster of suspicion, anger, resemblance, conflict and uneasy cooperation. That emotional whiplash demanded razor-sharp detail and a locked-in partnership, which the two say they built on mutual respect ― promising viewers a gripping, high-immersion ride.
SBS’s new Friday-Saturday drama "The Mantis: Original Sin" premieres Friday at 9:50 p.m. KST.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)