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Kim Ji Yeon, better known as Bona, shares her experience playing a shaman in The Haunted Palace.
The Haunted Palace is a fantasy drama that follows Yeo Ri (Bona), the only granddaughter of a famous shaman who refuses to accept her destiny as a spirit medium, and Yoon Gap (Yook Sung Jae), who becomes possessed by an imugi, which is related to Yeo Ri, as they confront a vengeful spirit harboring a deep grudge against the royal family.
On June 9, at the King Kong by Starship office, Bona held an interview. Expressing her happiness, she said, "I watched episode 16 with the staff and was glad it ended well." The final episode recorded a nationwide rating of 11.0% (Nielsen Korea), breaking its own record.
Reflecting on the ratings, the singer and actress said, "I was shocked when I saw the ratings for the first episode. Even the people at the company said it felt unreal. I am so happy that the drama started and ended on such a positive note."
She continued, "I never thought I'd be able to take on a fantasy project, so I was mostly worried about whether I could pull it off. But I really liked the concept of the drama." Talking about her experience doing the ritual scenes, she said, "There was a supervisor for the ritual scenes, so I learned those [techniques] on set. The director wanted the shaman rituals to be performed like choreography, so I even took separate lessons in traditional Korean dance," and "It wasn't easy, but it turned out just as I had hoped."
Talking about a strange personal experience, Bona said, "I borrowed a shaman's bell for practice and kept it at home. One time, I watched Manshin before going to bed. They say that shamans can hear sounds and use them to sense spirits. And I felt like I was hearing sounds. It really scared me for no reason. But the advisor reassured me, saying, 'It's a sacred object used to ward off spirits, not something to be afraid of,' and that put me at ease."
When asked which scene was the most difficult for her, Bona said, "There was a scene where the water ghost Makdol possesses my character. People think it was CGI, but it was actually black water (laughs). I had to get on my knees and got spattered with something like squid ink. But because it was such a huge amount of liquid, it wasn't easy. I even had trouble breathing. But since it was real, I think it came out strikingly on screen. It felt worth the struggle. I liked that whole sequence. We filmed it when it was cold, and it really stuck with me."
The actress also opened up about feeling stressed. "I'm the type who gets very stressed on set. It's stress that comes from wanting to do well. And I always want to push past my limits, but now I feel a surge of confidence — like I can handle anything. I don't think anything else will be as difficult [as this drama]." She added, "Because this drama combined so many genres, I was even more determined to take on the challenge. There were so many elements — fantasy, comedy — so I really wanted to do well."
For Bona, The Haunted Palace is her second historical drama following the MBC series Joseon Attorney: A Morality. "Historical dramas are inherently difficult to film, so there were challenging aspects while shooting The Haunted Palace as well." "There were many scenes involving ghosts, so the filming hours were long, and it was tough. It was stifling just moving around in hanbok, and it was so cold in the winter that it demanded a lot of physical effort. But because it was so demanding, I felt a great sense of accomplishment."
She continued, "While filming episodes 15 and 16, I cried almost every day. Because the drama had a lot of crying scenes, I often had to cry, and it was emotionally draining. Eventually, my tears dried up to the point that they wouldn't come out anymore."
"Filming a 16-episode drama brought a lot of stress, but I pulled through in the end." "Thankfully, the things I was worried about during filming didn't appear as prominently in the final version as I had feared."
How will The Haunted Palace remain in Bona's memory? She said with a bright smile, "It feels like I've been living a very busy life, with no time to rest, all this time, and now I have this desire to leave a defining piece in each genre — a school drama, a historical drama, a modern drama, and so on. I think this might become a defining work in the historical genre."
She also expressed her anticipation for a potential second season, saying, "If people want it, of course I'd be open to it."
The Haunted Palace is streaming on Netflix and Viki.
