'The Great Flood' director Kim Byung Woo: 'Kim Da Mi suffered a lot'

The Great Flood's director Kim Byung Woo expresses his gratitude and apologies to Kim Da Mi.

The Netflix film The Great Flood, released on December 19, made a strong start by entering the top 10 in 92 countries. The film depicts the desperate struggle of people for survival on the last day of Earth after a massive flood engulfs the planet, as they fight for their lives inside an apartment building gradually getting submerged in water.

On the occasion of the film's release, director Kim Byung Woo sat for an interview at a café in Seoul to talk about The Great Flood.

The K-movie is led by Kim Da Mi, who attempted a new transformation by playing the role of a mother with a six-year-old son. Explaining how she came to take on this role, director Kim said, "When I suggested casting her, everyone around me was surprised. But after seeing the edited footage, they understood why Kim Da Mi was the perfect choice."

He also explained why he needed Kim Da Mi's image: "If the protagonist looked like a mother from the very first scene, the character would have nowhere to go [no room for development]. I thought that starting from a place where she doesn't quite fit as a mother would provide the direction and path the character needs to take."

It is reported that Kim Da Mi went through a lot of hardship while filming the disaster scenes of The Great Flood. "I feel remorseful for making her endure so much that it might have seemed excessive. We filmed this movie imagining it was the middle of the Pacific Ocean, so we couldn't weaken the water current. Anyone in the water would inevitably have a hard time."

He also expressed his gratitude to Kim Da Mi, saying, "It was an unavoidable situation — we couldn't not film. Doing multiple takes was exhausting, and the makeup process was tough. It was a dreadful set. Yet she accepted it without any particular complaint and understood why we had to shoot this way. There were times we went over ten takes, and she still said she would do one more, which even drew low gasps from the crew on set."

Reflecting on the moment he first met Kim Da Mi, director Kim Byung Woo recalled, "At our first meeting, she asked, 'Will my clothes stay wet the whole time?' And indeed, her clothes were wet throughout the filming. The more I talk about it, the more sorry I feel. At some point, I couldn't even meet her eyes," looking back on the harsh conditions of the shoot.

The Great Flood is streaming on Netflix.

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