Seo Do Young shares the challenges he faced in transforming into Palchuk-gwi in 'The Haunted Palace'

Seo Do Young shares his experience playing Palchuk-gwi 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. 

Palchuk-gwi (Eight-Foot demon) was revealed to be Cheon Geum Hwi, a royal guard officer who lived 100 years ago. When the king fled from enemy forces, Cheon's family and villagers were sacrificed. Then on, Cheon harbored a deep grudge against the royal family and became an evil spirit.

Model-turned-actor Seo Do Young is a veteran actor standing at 186cm, celebrating his 20th anniversary since his debut. He recently held a live broadcast on his social media account, wearing the Palchuk-gwi mask.

He revealed the challenges he faced when transforming into Palchuk-gwi, saying, "To portray the huge 2.4-meter-tall ghost without CGI, I had to undergo full-body makeup." 

For every shoot, four special effects makeup staff members spent three hours preparing him, and he had to bear the weight of nearly 30 kg, including the armor. 

The actor shared: "Even when I was just sitting still, I would often find myself out of breath, and even in the dead of winter with temperatures dropping to minus 18 degrees Celsius, I would sweat as if it were pouring rain."

Additionally, he expressed surprise at people's unexpected reactions, saying, "When I transformed into Palchuk-gwi, people were actually scared of me and didn't recognize it was me at all." 

In closing, Seo shared a message: "There is still a major storyline left for Cheon Geum Hwi (Palchuk-gwi), so I hope you'll look forward to it. Detailed episodes about Palchuk-gwi will be revealed through different channels."

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