Nearly a week after the release of South Korea’s latest action-packed zombie K-drama “All of Us Are Dead,” its young cast has garnered quite a devoted following. Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics, the series showed that South Korea is still the zombie content powerhouse and a formidable force for streaming platforms.
Got an “All of Us Are Dead” hangover? We gathered a list of films and shows featuring its cast members to cure your sepanx.
Park Ji-hoo in “House of Hummingbird”
Despite being the youngest cast member of the show, Park Ji-hoo has already received critical acclaim for a previous starring role. In the coming-of-age film “House of Hummingbird,” she plays eighth grader Eun-hee whose struggles include indifferent parents and teachers, a physically violent older brother, and school bullies.
If you found her too closed off as Nam On-jo, Park’s vulnerability as Eun-hee will be a breath of fresh air for you. Keep an eye out for her upcoming K-drama “Little Women” where she’ll be fighting against a rich and powerful family alongside Kim Go-eun.
Yoon Chan-young in “Light for the Youth”
Yoon Chan-young has been called a veteran actor by some Korean news sites because he started out so young and already has quite an extensive filmography. In the 2020 thought-provoking tearjerker “Light for the Youth,” he plays 19-year-old Joon who works as a trainee at a call center with an inhumane work environment. His job is to call customers to remind them of overdue credit card bills. He disappears and leaves his will, which his manager finds.
If you found crying over Lee Cheong-san cathartic, you can cry over more of his characters in “The Fault Is Not Yours,” “Birthday,” and “Mothers” too.
Cho Yi-hyun in “School 2021”
If you’re looking for more K-dramas on high school romance, Cho Yi-hyun’s “School 2021” is right up your alley. It follows the stories of students who chose to attend a technical-vocational high school instead of applying for college. Cho plays Jin Ji-won, a student who dreams of becoming a carpenter despite her mother’s disapproval. Whether Ji-won will also end up with the athletic heartthrob like Choi Nam-ra is something you’ll have to find out.
If the horror element is what hooked you on “All of Us Are Dead,” you may prefer seeing Cho in the exorcist flick “Metamorphosis.”
Park Solomon in “Sweet Revenge”
Want to see more of Park Solomon as a romantic lead like Lee Soo-hyeok? In K-drama “Sweet Revenge,” he plays sweet boyfriend Shin Ji-hoon who’s got beef with Cha Eun-woo for crushing on his girlfriend. The twist is this: said girlfriend Ho Goo-hee finds a mysterious app on her phone that offers to take revenge on anyone whose name she writes in it. “All of Us Are Dead” co-star Ham Sung-Min also makes an appearance.
You can also watch Park on action-filled K-drama “Lookout” with co-stars Lee Si-young of “Sweet Home” and Shinee’s Key.
Lee Yoo-mi in “Young Adult Matters”
Lee Yoo-mi already caught a lot of international attention in 2021 with “Squid Game.” Still, there are few who may be familiar with her even grittier film “Young Adult Matters” released the previous year. She stars opposite EXID’s Hani as student Yoon Se-jin who’s trying to get an abortion. It contains a graphic depiction of self-harm and tackles a number of taboo topics. Likened to the controversial American film “Kids,” we strongly advise viewer discretion.
If you’re looking for light shows that capture Lee’s softer side, check out “It’s Okay to Be Sensitive” and “Afternoon in a Small City.”
Yoo In-soo in “At a Distance, Spring is Green”
Playing bully Yoon Gwi-nam may be Yoo In-soo’s biggest role to date. But if you’re interested in seeing him in a different light as non-evil characters, you can catch him in romantic K-dramas like “At a Distance, Spring is Green” (which stars Wanna One’s Park Ji-Hoon) and “Chocolate.”
Photo courtesy of Netflix
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