‘Arthdal Chronicles’ Goes Beyond Good And Evil Says Jang Dong-Gun

It took four years before Jang Dong-gun could again meet the character he played in the first season of the drama Arthdal Chronicles. In the 2019 Korean series, he played Ta-gon, a warrior prince who wanted his people to rule the world, no matter how much suffering he had to inflict. That world order required killing and enslaving nearby villages, as well as exterminating a whole race of blue-blooded humans known as the Neanthal. The Studio Dragon series may be a fantasy, but it deals with some interesting moral issues and that’s what initially drew Jang to the drama and his complex character.

“I was attracted to this drama because it is a work that goes beyond the obvious good and evil and a story where the good guys win over the bad guys,” said Jang. “And that makes you think more about human nature, politics, religion, and what kind of leader is a good leader, and Ta-gon is a character who crosses the line between good and evil and in a way reveals the most honest human side.”

Despite the four-year gap getting back into his character was not that hard.

“I couldn’t wait to see what happened next, and I couldn’t wait for season two to be made,” said Jang. “Even though years had passed, it felt like we had just met in a few days, and I was so happy to be reunited with Ta-gon.”

While four years passed in the real world, eight years went by in the mythical kingdom of Arth, years of ongoing war and rebellion. Having won the battle that was poised to happen at the end of the first season, Ta-gon finally acquired the power he craved, but with that power he also acquired new fears.

“Whereas the first season’s Ta-gon was relentless and reckless in his pursuit of his desires, the second season’s Ta-gon is a character who has it all, but is insecure and shaky about keeping it,” said Jang.

Ta-gon has some enemies he would be foolish to underestimate, including his own queen Tae Al-ha, played by Kim Ok-bin. She would like to rule Arthdal through their son and that means eliminating Ta-gon, who will likely name another successor. He also faces defiance from the high priestess Tan-ya, played in the drama’s second season by Shin Se-kyung. His adopted son, Lord Saya, would also like to depose him and then there’s Eun-som, known as the Inaishingi, the leader of the rebel forces. It’s a good thing Ta-gon is used to fighting. He will have to fight to protect the power he so brutally won. While Arthdal’s advanced metalwork skills and weapons helped them conquer neighboring lands, their cruel behavior has not won them any hearts. It was a brutal time, but Jang is not sure people were all that different.

“Although it would have been more uncomfortable than it is now, there were ancestors who lived in the time, and they would have experienced the same sorts of emotions as we do now,” said Jang. “Civilization may make us comfortable, but it may not necessarily make us happy.”

Before appearing in Arthdal Chronicles, Jang starred in the dramas Gentleman’s Dignity and the Korean version of Suits. The first season of Studio Dragon’s Arthdal Chronicles aired on Netflix
NFLX
, but the second season airs on Disney/Hulu. The drama was screened internationally before airing on Hulu in the U.S.