The hottest — and certainly the spookiest — drama series these days is the Netflix original “Sweet Home,” and behind the most gripping scenes are two veteran actors: Lee Jin-uk and Lee Si-young.

“Sweet Home” is a zombie action series based on the Naver webtoon of the same title that began in 2017 and wrapped in July 2020. “Sweet Home” centers around Hyun-su, a recluse and an outcast cut off from the rest of the world, who loses his family in an accident and moves into an ancient apartment building called “Green Home.” He decides to take his own life, but before he can do that he finds himself in the midst of an apocalypse in which people turn into horrific monsters based on their greatest desires.

The Netflix series was visualized for the screen by star producer-turned-director Lee Eung-bok, who has taken the helm of other drama series that have enjoyed global fame such as “Guardian" (2016-2017) and “Mr. Sunshine” (2018) on tvN and “Descendants of the Sun” (2016) on KBS. Since its release on Dec. 18, “Sweet Home” became the No. 1 trending content on Netflix charts in Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Qatar, Thailand and Vietnam and made it to the top three in the United States.

Amid the lineup of relatively new and younger actors who have taken up the main roles in “Sweet Home,” the veteran Lees have acted as the two pillars of the plot. Lee Jin-uk takes on the role of Pyeon Sang-wook, a mysterious man with a dark demeanor who makes the inhabitants of Green Home uncomfortable, while Lee Si-young plays Seo Yi-kyung, a former firefighter and ex-special forces agent who is valued among the residents as they fight for survival.

For Lee Si-young, her character makes best use of the powerful and athletic image she is well known for. But for Lee Jin-uk, Sang-wook is a far cry from the melodramatic characters he has mostly portrayed in the past. Regardless, both actors feel grateful for yet another successful project.

What else did they feel? The Ilgan Sports, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily, sat down with the two actors for video interviews, conducted on separate occasions. The following are edited excerpts.

BY PARK JUNG-SUN [kjdculture@joongang.co.kr]