For 2 days (30 Nov - 1 Dec 2022), the Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific held a series of events in the magnificent Marina Bay Sands, showcasing some of the best talents from the entertainment industry whose works will be broadcast on Disney channels in the coming months.
One of the key events had over 220 local students from various institutions being offered the rare chance to attend an hour-long dialogue session with the cast of Connect, the eagerly awaited crime thriller, which includes rising heartthrobs Jung Haein, Ko Kyungpyo and Kim Hyejun, together with its acclaimed Japanese director Miike Takashi. 
As a Japanese participating in a Korean project, director Takashi felt that he has taken a different approach compared to Korean directors, in focusing more on each character's creative element. On the other hand, lead actor Jung who had read the webtoon prior, felt that the screenplay had adapted well and the characters were very interesting. He immediately fell in love and wanted to start shooting the drama upon reading the script.
Ko, whose role model was Heath Ledger, was excited to expand his repertoire with this new role in the series. Being a fan of director Takashi since he was a student, Ko was exhilarated to work with him and urged the students to work hard, with the hope that they may one day, work with their "idols".
The petite actress Kim echoed Jung's sentiments that the characters are indeed interesting, and she worked hard to build the image; from hair colour, hairstyle and ventured into fashion that she does not frequently wear for her character in this thriller.
Instead of sharing who is his ideal actor, Jung encouraged the students to utilise their own strengths to do what they like. Even when one imitates and copy others, he will inject his own flavour, further creating a new unique identity in the process.
Surprisingly, Takashi had initially wanted to be a star like Bruce Lee, during his youth. Lucky for us, he changed his plans and had directed over one hundred theatrical, video, and television productions since his debut in 1991. He has dabbled through a variety of genres, ranging from violent and bizarre to dramatic and family-friendly ones. The prolific film director, film producer and screenwriter believe that the audience will each have a different take on the message of this thriller, based on the different personalities.
Jung quickly got used to and overcame the initial challenge of wearing the eye-patch throughout the series, especially when filming the action scenes. With the series just recently completed, Jung mentioned that they had to constantly keep warm on set as the weather had turned too cold at times.
When asked what to expect from this 6-part series, Jung is confident that fans will discover a new side of 3 thespians. He claimed that there had been no overlapping of characters from any previous roles for the 3 of them.
All episodes for CONNECT will be shown on Disney+ channel from 7 December 2022.
Writer: Wang | Photo Credits: Marina Bay Sands
