Ever since the release of its first episode, the Netflix show Twenty-Five Twenty-One has been keeping the audience at the edge of their seats. From providing endless humor and suspense to brilliant cinematography – the writers have made sure to give the best of what a ’90s-inspired show had to offer. The K-drama stars Kim Tae Ri (Na Hee-Do), Nam Joo Hyuk (Baek Yijin), idol group WSJM’s Bona (Ko Yu-Rim), Choi Hyun Wook (Ji Woon) and Lee Joo-Myung (Ji Seung-Wan).
The story offers viewers a show that is set in two different timelines. One in 1998 and the other in 2022. It brilliantly captures the different cultures, costumes and music changes during each of the eras, and even captures the infamous parallels between South Korea’s IMF Crisis and the current year’s COVID-19 issues. What’s even crazier is that not only did the show come with unexpected twists; but the behind-the-scenes was also full of surprises. In multiple recent interviews, the cast of Twenty-Five, Twenty-One has revealed multiple secrets that will change the perception of viewers. Here are some of the most shocking behind the set secrets that you didn’t know about Spoilers ahead!
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6 Compulsory Fencing Lessons
TVN, Netflix
To portray their roles most authentically, actresses Kim Tae Ri (Na Hee Do) and Bo-Na (Ko Yu Rim) had to undergo 6-months of fencing training. As they both had to play fencing campaigns in the drama, both actresses had to master the sport as perfectly as possible. In a recent interview, Kim Tae Ri admitted to practicing two hours a day, aside from training to build stamina. She had to start from the basics, just like what every aspiring fencing athlete does.
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MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
5 Hee-Do’s Diary Actually Belongs to Kim Tae Ri
In an unexpected reveal, it turns out that Na Hee Do’s diary is actually handwritten by Kim Tae Ri during her 6-months of fencing lessons. According to the actress, she wrote the diary as a way to record her fencing experience. This diary was then used as a prop in the show.
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4 Bo-Na Cried on Set
According to the actress, some scenes were so emotionally packed that she couldn’t help but cry on set. Even in scenes where she wasn’t supposed to cry, she found herself weeping. In one of her interviews, Bo-Na says that while she doesn’t cry often, she found it very interesting how her emotions gave in while acting without her even realizing it. In one of the backstage footage, Kim Tae Ri is seen patting her co-star on the back to console her.
3 Nam Joo-Hyuk Actually Improvised a Major Scene
Almost at the end of the series, Baek Yijin had a heart-breaking scene that was actually not scripted. In fact, Nam Joo-Hyuk revealed that in episode 14, he was given creative access to showcase his acting. The director wanted to see first-hand what Nam could do with the scene, and they will decide if they want to move forward with that. The actor took no time in revealing one of his best impressions of a heartbroken Yijin.
Additionally, Kim Tae Ri was also chosen to have control over how she should act in the following scene. According to the director, he wanted to draw out a more genuine reaction from both of the actors. And it turns out, it was the best decision he made.
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2 The Show was Spoiled Before it Aired
Turns out, the main aspects of the series may have been spoiled before it aired, in 2013!
When the trailer for the series was released, it had a familiar song in the background. Fans were quick to point out that this song was in fact the one sung by a famous South Korean alternative rock band: Jaurim. Moreover, the song even has the same name as the show: “Twenty-Five, Twenty-One”. To make it more surprising, the song even has the same story as the show.
In one of the lyrics, ‘’Woo, I thought it would last forever, our 25 and 21.’’ This matches the moment of the show where Hee-Do and Yijin had to go their separate ways, exactly at the ages of 25 and 21. It just goes to show how the creators were heavily inspired by it.
1 The Cast Almost Froze During the Shooting
Although Twenty-Five Twenty-One was mostly shown in a summer setting, the cast had to film in the cold. Nam Joo-Hyuk reveals that they had to work very hard to shoot while it was minus zero degrees outside, that too, in very thin summer clothes. Some scenes even included Hee-Do and Yijin splashing water from the cooler at each other, or the cast throwing Yijin into the beach waters. Kim Tae Ri also complained that most of the scenes with ice-cold water had to be shot multiple times for it to be right and even jokingly bickered about it with the cast.
Twenty-Five Twenty-One is a wholesome, yet bittersweet story that has effortlessly captured the heart of the audience. While it only lasted 16 episodes, it left a great lesson about friendship and passion.
