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| Actors Kang Daniel, left, and Chae Soo-bin pose during the online press conference of the Disney+ original series "Rookie Cops," Wednesday. Courtesy of Disney+ |
By Lee Gyu-lee
K-pop star Kang Daniel, who rose to enormous fame as the top finalist of Mnet's hit audition show "Produce 101" in 2017, is making his acting debut with the lead role in Disney+ Korean original series "Rookie Cops."
"For the past couple of years, I've been asked whether I wanted to make my way into acting. And I used to answer that I would think about it if I came across a good opportunity," Kang said during the online press conference of the series, Wednesday. "When I was offered the role in 'Rookie Cops,' I liked that it's a story about young adults. It felt like this could be my last chance to take part in such a story, I didn't hesitate to accept the role."
Directed by Kim Byung-soo, who is known for helming the romance series "Queen & I" and the fantasy series "The Bride of Habaek," the new drama series follows the life of freshmen at Korean National Police University.
Starting their first year in college to train to become a cop, a group of young adults explore their dream, love, and friendship. It is scripted by Lee Ha-na, who wrote the romantic comedy series "Cunning Single Lady."
The series premiered its first two episodes on the streaming service, Wednesday, and will release two episodes every week.
Kang plays the character of Wi Seung-hyun who is at the top of the class. He has it all from intelligence to physical ability.
"Seung-hyun is the definition of a passionate cop. He stands up against injustice," he said. "He becomes more mature as he navigates through a series of difficulties with his friends."
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| Actor Kang Daniel in a scene from the Disney+ original series "Rookie Cops" / Courtesy of Disney+ |
He said that he went through stunt training and exercised to tone up his body to portray his character.
"When I started learning the stunts, the instructor asked me if I ever had an experience fighting someone. That's how bad I was (with action sequences), so I put in extra effort," he said.
Adding that he has always admired cops, he expressed his excitement to take the role of a police trainee at the academy.
"I would say that most men would once dream about becoming a cop in their life. So it was really fun to have an opportunity to live that dream," he said.
The director explained that the series is the perfect match for the global streaming service, which tends to have a younger target audience.
"'Rookie Cops' touches on how those in their 20s should move forward in their life and how to grow. For older generation audience, the series will offer a chance to walk down the memory lane of their own youth," he said. "What makes this series appealing is that it will show viewers the lives of students who attend specialized institutions, like what goes on in the school, and introduce the types of classes they take."
Actress Chae Soo-bin plays Go Eun-gang who barely made it into the school after getting waitlisted. She expressed that playing the eager, full-of-enthusiasm character was very satisfying.
"(The character and I) are somewhat similar in that we are both spontaneous. But I'm different from her because I think and worry too much, whereas Eun-gang just goes for it. So it was satisfying when I played the character because I could do the things that I can't do in real life," she said.
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