The moment Ryu Da-in joins the video call from Seoul, she’s taken aback to see the Zoom background set to the hallway of Baekyeon Girls’ High School from her K-drama Pyramid Game. Giggling, she becomes a burst of infectious energy that can be felt through the screen from halfway across the world. It’s almost startling to witness how overwhelmingly different she is from her character, Myung Ja-eun, a timid and gloomy girl who is mercilessly bullied by classmates.
In just the first episode of Pyramid Game, Ja-eun is bound with tape, forced to wear a traffic cone over her head and pelted with sports balls while the perpetrators laugh with glee at her misfortune. Such assaults are a daily ordeal for the student, who’s resides in the lowest tier of her class’s cruel and twisted social hierarchy experiment, the Pyramid Game. Adapted from the popular webtoon of the same name, it’s a visceral psychological thriller that premiered on various streaming platforms (TVING, Viu and Paramount+) in late February.
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“As a fan of the webtoon, I had gone through it multiple times before taking on this role,” Ryu tells NME. Though the actress had previously appeared in popular K-dramas such as 18 Again and Crash Course in Romance, this was her first time in a leading role. “Honestly, there was some pressure looming over me” – with fans already having expectations from the original source material – “but I tried my best to shift my focus on Ja-eun and her character development rather than letting the pressure consume me,” she says.
“At the beginning, Ja-eun came across as very guarded and sensitive to people,” Ryu adds. “But over time, she undergoes change. It was a type of character I had never attempted before. Many of the characters are full of contradictions, but among them Ja-eun seemed the most contradictory.” Despite her character’s status as the class punching bag, Ja-eun doesn’t immediately try to escape her fate, even when new transfer student Sung Soo-Ji (played by WJSN’s Bona) comes up with a plan to tear down the Pyramid Game.
In Ryu’s view, Ja-eun is more like “a friend who sacrifices herself for the sake of others”, as she would rather stay at the bottom and take the hits so nobody else has to suffer. On the surface though, the character is beaten down and hopeless, carrying a shadowy silent anguish. “I altered her appearance with hairpieces such as her bangs. I lost about five kg to match her synchronisation,” the actress explains. “To embody Ja-eun’s softer demeanour, I aimed to tone down my own vibrancy as much as possible.”
“My goal was to portray Ja-eun authentically, making it seem like she emerged naturally without feeling rehearsed,” Ryu adds, although she admits that it was “a bit challenging to navigate [the] wide range of emotions” the character went through. But if you were to ask viewers, Ryu certainly went far beyond expectations, with the actress sharing that fans had sent positive feedback after the series premiered.
When asked if a particular comment or message stuck out to her, she recalls of an interaction close to home. “One memorable comment came from my mother,” she says warmly. “Before she watched the series, I warned her that some scenes might be tough. Personally, she found herself more affected by moments where my character’s emotions were subdued rather than instances of abuse. It was insightful to see her perspective and it’s a memory that has remained deeply ingrained in me.”
Pyramid Game has also drawn comparisons to Netflix’s hit K-drama series Squid Game. Beyond just the similar names, both series dive deeper into how power and money affect social structures and while challenging people to consider their own morality against the backdrop of gruesome (and sometimes fatal) sequences of violence. “It’s truly an honour to be associated with such a remarkable piece of work,” Ryu exclaims.
Throughout the series, Ja-eun and Su-ji team up, strategise and gather allies in order to survive the cruel system that’s been forced upon them. “I believe what’s compelling about overcoming school violence, it’s not necessarily a direct physical confrontation, but rather through mental resilience and strategic thinking. I personally find those aspects quite intriguing,” Ryu notes.
Expanding on this, the actress says that she “had trouble empathising” with the other characters in Pyramid Game beyond Ja-eun. “I didn’t want to empathise because no matter what reasons there may be, school violence cannot be justified,” Ryu explained, before admitting that she had a “hard time watching the school violence” and that it affected her emotions and mood. “But I feel so grateful that the fans see the pathway of improvement for [the characters].”
There is a bright path ahead for the breakout actress as well. “The uplifting feeling and sense of purpose I’ve gained from this experience have inspired me to push myself further and grow as an actor,” she says. As far as future projects go, she tells NME that more thrillers could be on the cards, but she would also like to try her hand at something more romantic.
Amidst saying goodbye on the call, she chimes in excitedly, “can I share a message with my fans?” she asks. Getting the green light, she pumps up even more and claps her hands. Her voice goes up an octave with “Thank you!” before joyously laughing. “To all the fans of Pyramid Game and my own supporters. I assure you that I’ll be back with more exciting projects in the future. Your encouragement and interest mean the world to me.”
Pyramid Game is available to stream on TVING, Viu and Paramount+ in select regions