[Herald Interview] Suzy, Park Bo-gum boast real chemistry in ‘Wonderland’

South Korean heartthrobs Suzy and Park Bo-gum said they were satisfied with their romantic chemistry as portrayed in upcoming AI fantasy romance movie “Wonderland.”

Helmed by Kim Tae-yong of “Late Autumn” (2010), the movie revolves around people reuniting through AI in a simulated virtual world called Wonderland.

Suzy and Park, who have developed special rapport as emcees of the Baeksang Arts Awards for many years, showed their special on-screen chemistry in “Wonderland.” They appear as a young couple struggling to settle into a new life after Tae-ju (Park) suffers brain damage. Suzy, who plays Jung-in, appears bare-faced in most of the scenes, reminiscing about old times.

The movie was completed in 2020, but its release was delayed due to the pandemic.

“I waited so long for this movie to open. The way I participated in this movie was a bit different from my previous works. I communicated a lot with the director and actors and have special feelings for this movie." the 29-year-old actor told reporters in an interview in Seoul on Tuesday.

“Because the movie involves many flashback scenes that Jung-in wants to relive, and the AI-simulated Tae-ju shows a healthy, fun relationship with Jung-in, Park and I had to show this natural lovey-dovey mood. That was well-delivered on the screen,” she said. “We danced and took many photos together while waiting (on the set for shooting),” she added.

Park said he also put extra effort into making him and Suzy look like a long-term couple on the screen.

“After watching the movie, we told each other that we do look like a sweet couple, complementing each other,” Park told reporters in a separate interview in Seoul on Tuesday.

In “Wonderland,” not everything is rosy for this couple, because at first, Jung-in feels relieved to see a healthy Tae-ju in the AI-simulated virtual world and enjoys talking to him although she knows he’s not real. But she gets confused as the real Tae-ju, who is in coma in the hospital, eventually wakes up and cannot remember many of the things he did with Jung-in together as a couple.

Park said he had to create a story between Jung-in and Tae-ju to immerse himself in acting and portray the stark difference between the real Tae-ju and the AI Tae-ju.

“The setting I thought up for myself was that Jung-in and Tae-ju are both orphans so they have only each other to depend on. So they’re something more than lovers, but at the same time, closer to a family. That way, the audience could understand why these young adults are fond of each other,” Park said.

“Wonderland” is Park’s first work to be released following his discharge from the mandatory military service in 2022. He filmed “Wonderland” right before enlisting in the military.

Park said his 20-month-long experience in the military taught him to take care of himself, while he used to be someone who would put others first before himself.

“I learned that I need to protect myself, my mentality, so that I can embrace others. I also have bold ideas about acting. There are more genres and more characters I want to venture into, so I can tell a variety of people’s stories through films or dramas,” said the 30-year-old actor.

“Wonderland” hit heaters on Wednesday.