Director Ha Jung-woo explained why he chose to keep co-star Lee Hanee’s pregnancy under wraps during filming ― and quietly look out for her throughout production.
In a Dec. 2 interview at a cafe in Seoul’s Samcheong-dong, "The People Upstairs" filmmaker shared the story behind the couple’s yoga sequence he performed with Lee.
“Originally it was a tango, but that felt too familiar, so we switched it to yoga. I wanted something no one would expect a married couple upstairs to be doing ― and landed on acro yoga,” Ha said. “If those two are balancing mid-air, imagine how uncomfortable the downstairs couple, Jung-a and Hyun-soo, would feel. The moves were tough, but Lee had taken a month of yoga classes in Bali and handled about 80 percent herself.”
Lee learned she was pregnant early in production and reportedly shared the news only with Kong Hyo-jin. Ha eventually found out as well ― but chose not to let on, worried she might feel self-conscious, and instead focused on making the set as comfortable as possible.
“After we shot the yoga scene, I learned about her pregnancy. I broke into a cold sweat thinking, ‘We just had a pregnant actress doing that,’” he recalled. “From then on, I tried to take care of her without letting her know that I knew. It wasn’t just me ― the whole crew thought about how best to support her.”
As a director, Ha prioritized a calm, well-ventilated set, frequent check-ins on Lee’s condition, and earlier wrap times whenever possible. Thanks to those quiet accommodations, Lee completed roughly a month of filming without issue and welcomed her second daughter in August.
"The People Upstairs" follows two couples ― the upstairs pair played by Ha Jung-woo and Lee Hanee and the downstairs duo portrayed by Kong Hyo-jin and Kim Dong-wook ― whose one-night dinner spirals after a string of very adult late-night noise complaints. The film marks Ha’s fourth feature as a director, with Ha and Lee playing husband and wife.
The film opens Dec. 3.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)