Credit: Netflix
Netflix series Genie, Make a Wish is already generating huge buzz as the latest series from legendary screenwriter Kim Eun Sook, the mastermind behind global hits like The Glory , Mr. Sunshine , and Guardian: The Lonely and Great God . Ahead of the show’s premiere, she sat down for a Q&A to discuss the creation of the highly anticipated new series starring Kim Woo Bin and Suzy .
Q: What was it like working with Kim Woo Bin and Suzy, who play Genie and Ga Young?
Genie is a complex character who has to be cool one moment and clumsy the next, all while being dangerously charming. He needs to show a mischievous side, a handsome side, a lonely side, and most importantly, the face of someone in love. Watching Kim Woo Bin, I really understood what it means when people say an actor has ‘a thousand faces.’
Ga Young is a paradox. On the outside, she can seem like a ‘psychopath,’ but on the inside, she is fundamentally good. She lives her life according to a strict set of rules, which leads to these quiet but fierce battles with Genie, who is always trying to push her off her carefully drawn map. That strange and beautiful woman was exactly the Ga Young I imagined, and Suzy put me at ease by telling me how excited she was to take on such a difficult role.
Q: How did you design the other characters in the series?
I’d recommend watching the other characters—Genie’s brother Soo Hyun, the mysterious Mi Joo, and Ga Young’s friend Min Ji—without knowing anything beforehand. It will be more fun to discover the clues as the story unfolds. Another key group is the ‘Wishers.’ To create them, I thought a lot about what people feel they’re lacking in their lives. Every person has something they feel is missing, and a wish is usually about filling that void. I built those characters by asking, ‘How do people confront what’s missing in their lives?’
Q: What was important when creating the world of the drama?
Credit: Netflix
Since the lamp is where Genie was punished for 983 years, I wanted it to feel desolate and empty at first. My goal was to show it slowly transforming into a vibrant, cozy space after Ga Young starts to fill it with things. For the main Korean setting, Cheongpung Village was designed to be a beautiful countryside location that serves as a complete contrast to Genie’s original desert home in Dubai.
Q: Do you have a final message for the fans eagerly awaiting the show?
It inevitably has some heavier scenes that explore human desire because the story is about three wishes. But at its heart, this is a rom-com, so I tried to write even the “terrible scenes charmingly,” and the result is the strange and beautiful Genie, Make a Wish .
With the show premiering just ahead of Chuseok (a major Korean holiday similar to Thanksgiving), I really hope families can gather and enjoy it together. Instead of the usual holiday nagging about marriage or jobs, I hope you have a Chuseok filled with heartwarming conversations like, “Mom, what is your wish?”
G enie, Make a Wish premieres globally on October 3rd only on Netflix.
Kim Woo Bin Battles Suzy in ‘Genie, Make a Wish’ Trailer: Deadly Wager Between Genie and Master
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