The cast of "Anna" held a press conference at the Conrad Seoul in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul, on Tuesday.


“Anna” is a psychological thriller about a woman named Yu-mi, portrayed by Bae Suzy, who ditches her identity and lives as someone else named Anna because of one lie that she told. The plot is based on the book "A Friendly Stranger" (2017) by author Jeong Han-na. Lee Zoo-young, director of "Single Rider" (2016), wrote the script.

Actor Kim Joo-han appears as Yu-mi's husband, Park Ye-young as Yu-mi's single confidante and Jung Eun-chae as a selfish woman who lives a stubborn and lonely life. Jung's character is expected to clash with Bae's Yu-mi.

Bae said the role of Yu-mi in "Anna" strongly appealed to her as an actor.

"I think I will be able to showcase a very different side through this series, which makes me both excited and anxious. But like the line that appears in the trailer of Anna 'I do everything I think', I had an odd sense of confidence going into this series. I believed that I could do this role well."

To portray her role accurately, Bae said that she closely worked with a psychologist.

"I wanted to express the emotions, especially Yu-mi's growing anxiety, as realistically as possible," said Bae. She added that while Yu-mi's condition is based on Ripley's Syndrome, it isn't her exact condition.

"While discussing with the psychologist on set, we came to agree that Yu-mi isn't exactly suffering from Ripley's Syndrome because she doesn't believe that she is Anna and feels an incredible amount of guilt and anxiety while living as Anna."

Ripley's Syndrome is a condition in which individuals confuse their real identity with that of another person.

Jung said that she was drawn to the film because of the three-dimensional female characters in the series.

"Although I play an antagonist to Suzy's Yu-mi, my character has zero evil intention inside. She may hurt people by being overly confident or honest, but she isn't just a bad character," said Jung.

Park also said that although she was a warm and kind character, she didn't feel limited to just those characteristics.

"Ji-won is a very moral person, and a very active character who acts the way that she believes is right."

The cast emphasized the visual aspects of this series as well. According to a behind-the-scenes clip, Bae had 150 costume changes.

"Yu-mi is portrayed from when she was a 19-year-old high school student all the way until she is a woman in her thirties, so she needed vastly different costumes and makeup to relay her different ages. Also, when she becomes Anna, she has a much more glamorous wardrobe."

The film locations added to the series. According to Bae, 90 percent of the series was filmed at the actual locations instead of on a set.

"Acting outside the set helped me concentrate on the role better so I was very thankful." She said she is most looking forward to the viewers seeing the scenes that were shot in Alaska.

The six-part drama is Coupang Play’s second original series.

After the premiere on June 24, new episodes of the series are scheduled for release every Friday at 8 p.m. on Coupang Play.

BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]