How did 'All of Us Are Dead' actors get cast? Stars reveal audition stories

The current Netflix sensation All of Us Are Dead has lifted its actors and directors to global stardom, albeit with mixed reviews. The main cast recently featured on Cosmopolitan Korea and shared some audition stories.

The photoshoot features Yoon Chan-young, Cho Yi-hyun, Park Ji-hu, Lee Yoo-mi, and Lomon. Viewers did see the ensemble cast in previous shows, but the actors mostly went unnoticed.

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Netflix's 'All of Us Are Dead' cast share casting stories in an interview

In Cosmopolitan Korea’s latest issue, the five main cast of All of Us Are Dead shed their school uniforms and unleashed their modeling charms for the pictorial. In the interview, the actors spoke about how they were cast, receiving a “poetic message” from the director, and more.

Lee Yoo-mi, who plays Lee Na-yeon, shared that she initially thought she failed because she made mistakes. But even though the actress skyrocketed to global fame with Squid Game, she showed her incredible talent in previous projects.

“During my first audition, I thought I failed because I forgot a lot of my lines. Later, I asked the director why he cast me as Na-yeon, and he said that he had seen the trailer for my film ‘Young Adult Matters.’ That image and Se-jin (my character) from the film ‘Park Hwa Young’ must have been memorable (for him).”

Park Ji-hu, who plays Nam On-jo, shared that the director sent her a poetic message, and her bright personality caught his eye.

“Honestly, the director sent me a message yesterday. He sent me a very poetic message saying I caught his eye because I felt like a kid who was bright, bold, and like an ocean that wouldn’t get wet from rain. I was so touched. Although he did add, ‘But you’re not a kid anymore.’ I turned 20 years old (by Korean reckoning) this year.”

Yoo Chan-young, who plays Lee Cheong-san, On-jo’s neighbor and classmate in love with her, chimed in, saying that he received a similar poetic message. He loved it so much that he set it as his wallpaper.

“Ah! He said the same thing to me! Before we began the project, he wrote ‘Don’t get wet from rain. Carpe Diem’ on a note for me, so I set it as my phone background.”

Meanwhile, Choi Yi-hyun, who melted viewers' hearts by playing the sweet intern in Hospital Playlist, played the intelligent but cold Choi Nam-ra in All of Us Are Dead.

“During a meeting, [the director] asked what kind of genre I wanted to do. Before I filmed ‘Hospital Playlist,’ I mostly did roles where I shed lots of blood, sweat, and tears so I said, ‘I want to do something calm. I want to stop with the blood, sweat, and tears.’ He replied, ‘What do we do? This is a zombie project.’

Though she was tired of violent roles, her love for zombie thrillers made her take on the project.

As for Lomon, he was cast as Lee Su-hyeok without any additional audition, showcasing the director’s faith in him.

All of Us Are Dead continues its reign as the No. 1 show across countries on Netflix.