‘All of Us Are Dead’: Fans Can’t Help but Laugh at Cho Yi-Hyun’s Audition and Conversation With Director
The cast of Netflix‘s All of Us Are Dead zombie Korean drama is gaining attention from worldwide fans. Many of the actors in the K-drama have had notable careers in other well-known works, while some of their costars got their big break with the Netflix drama. Actor Cho Yi-hyun plays the role of Choi Nam-ra in All of Us Are Dead, but she had drastically different ideas of what K-drama she wanted to star when speaking with the director.
‘All of Us Are Dead’ is a coming-of-age teen story with a zombie horror twist
Part of the reason why All of Us Are Dead gained traction before and after its release on Netflix is its storyline. While most zombie dramas and movies focus on the survival of adult characters, the K-drama centers on high school teenagers. With no help from the government and teachers, students are forced to survive on their own and distrust adults. School bullies and their friends turn into their worst enemies.
A normal day at school becomes a scene from Train to Busan when a student is infected by the Jonas virus created by the science teacher. The school becomes ground zero as the government declares Martial Law. While All of Us Are Dead follows many zombie cliches, it focuses heavily on moral values and societal issues.
‘All of Us Are Dead’ actor Cho Yi-hyun did not want to star in a bloody and emotional K-drama
The All of Us Are Dead cast graced the pages of Vogue Korea and talked about their experience auditioning for the K-drama. Fans could not help but chuckle at the circumstance of Cho’s audition and talk with director Lee Jae-kyoo. According to Soompi, Cho had a different idea of what K-drama she wanted to star in.
She explained, “Before I filmed ‘Hospital Playlist,’ I mostly did roles where I shed lots of blood, sweat, and tears so I said, ‘I want to do something calm. I want to stop with the blood, sweat, and tears.’ He replied, ‘What do we do? This is a zombie project.'”
All of Us Are Dead is the exact opposite of what Cho was expecting. Her character, Nam-ra, goes through it all, from killing zombies, being sprayed with blood, and emotional scenes. Despite Cho looking for a different kind of drama than All of Us Are Dead, director Lee was in luck.
“Fortunately, I really like zombie projects. If I’m going to spill blood ambiguously, I might as well spill it impetuously. Bawling your eyes out can look cool too,” said Cho. She also explains the cast attended action school to build stamina to run away from fast zombies.
Before ‘Hospital Playlist’ and ‘All of Us Are Dead,’ Cho Yi-hyun starred in two emotional K-dramas
Cho is widely recognized for her role as hospital resident Jang Yun-bok in both seasons of Hospital Playlist. Per her interview with Vogue Korea, Cho has played emotional and tear-jerking roles before All of Us Are Dead. In Hospital Playlist, her kind character has an impactful scene about her dead mother. Before the medical K-drama, she starred alongside actors Yang Se-joon and Woo Do-hwan in My Country: The New Age.
She played the character Seo Yeon, the leading character’s younger sister. The historical K-drama entailed a rivalry between two best friends at the cusp of a new political era. In 2018, Cho played the role of Bae Yeo-wool in Less Than Evil. Her character is a murder victim the leading detective cannot forget.
