This time again, ‘Solo Hell 4’, which captured the hearts of viewers with its hot topic, has come to an end. The PDs of ‘Solo Hell 4’ revealed the behind-the-scenes stories of the casting of the cast members who were at the center of the topic.

On the afternoon of the 13th, an interview with PDs Kim Jae-won, Kim Jung-hyun, and Park Soo-ji of the Netflix series ‘Solo Hell 4’ was conducted at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul.

The first PD Kim Jung-hyun said about the hot response to ‘Solo Hell 4’, “There was an article saying that season 5 has been confirmed. I‘m so touched, and in fact, Netflix said it was the best performance of their all-time, which makes me feel good. What I felt was that the response from teenagers and people in their 20s was better than the previous season. I think I was happy to receive a lot of reactions on YouTube as well. There are a lot of search terms, and when you go to a cafe, there are a lot of stories like in Season 1,” he said.



Regarding the casting of the cast of ‘Solo Hell 4’, PD Kim Jung-hyun said, “This time, we did it through street casting. There were a lot of people who were cast or applied. I think the difference is that street casting led to actual cast members. We saw Kim Tae-hwan and Kim Jung-soo on the street and cast them on the street.” He especially emphasized, “Jung-soo was popular on the program, and he showed himself honestly, so I thought we did a good job of street casting him.”

PD Kim Jae-won expressed his gratitude to the cast of ‘Solo Hell 4’, saying, “I think there is nothing more attractive than honesty. It seems that opinions were divided at the time (of the broadcast). In the long run, I think you’ll feel like that friend was sincere and that it wasn‘t a waste of time. No one is perfect, and we are all a little imperfect, and that’s the charm of being human. The more you try to hide that, the more awkward it feels and the more artificial it seems. I think you‘ll feel grateful that he shared his private moments,” he said.



Regarding Lee Si-an’s actions in Season 4, where he was simultaneously courted by many men, PD Kim Jae-won said, “‘Solo Hell’ is an isolated world. It‘s a process of finding out who’s a good match for me by confining me to a deserted island, separated from my daily life, and focusing solely on love. I think I can be forgiven until the final choice. What happens after a lover can be morally condemned, but before the final choice, it‘s a time of exploration. I don’t think you can criticize him too much for trying so hard to explore.”

When asked if he had anticipated the courtship of Lee Si-an in advance, PD Kim Jung-hyun added, “I thought he would be popular because he was attractive, but I didn‘t think it would turn out this way. He was someone who was honest and came here to really date. I contacted him at a really precious time.”

One of the controversies that comes up every time “Solo Hell” is released is the issue of authenticity. This season also attracted attention by featuring actors and various models.



Regarding this, PD Kim Jae-won said, “One of the criticisms our program always receives is that people think we came out here to become famous. I’m well aware of that. There are many reasons why people decide to appear in front of the camera, but I don‘t think there’s anyone who 100% wants to become famous. And there‘s no one who 100% wants to only date. However, we are making various efforts to focus on romance. We try to see sincerity from the casting stage. We only broadcast moments that focus on romantic feelings, and we mercilessly cut out moments that are not like that. We focus on those parts so that moments where sincerity is weak are not conveyed. In the end, we think sincerity is the most important and proceed,” he explained.

He also said, “If this guy is an actor, I think he would want to make himself known a little more. Even so, if he has charm and sincerity, I am confident that I will do my best to edit and broadcast only the parts that are sincere. Also, not everyone who tries to become famous becomes famous. Rather, the public likes and supports people who do not show such feelings.”

Meanwhile, ‘Solo Hell 4’, which was first released on January 14, is an honest and hot dating reality show for singles that takes place on a remote island, ‘Hell Island’, that can only be visited by couples.

Choi Yun-na, Donga.com reporter yyynnn@donga.com

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.