Why This All Of Us Are Dead Kiss Scene Took Forever To Film

In a lot of ways, the South Korean drama "All of Us Are Dead" is your typical teen coming-of-age series. It's set in a high school that has a distinct social hierarchy, and features a variety of teenage characters who must contend with all the trials and tribulations that come with adolescence and academia – you know, budding romances, bullying, and pressure to figure out what you want to do with the rest of your life. Being a teenager can be a pretty harrowing experience based on that alone, so when you add "survive the sudden zombie infestation" to the mix, things can get downright scary. 

That's exactly what the teens in Netflix's hottest new series are up against. Due to the graphic violence and intense action sequences present throughout the series, you'd think that shooting such scenes would be the most difficult part of creating a series like "All of Us Are Dead." But it turns out that a romantic moment between two fan favorites proved to be one of the most time-consuming scenes to film.

While battling their rabid, zombified peers with little more than school supplies and sheer survival instinct, the characters in "All of Us Are Dead" still find time for typical high school things like confessing your feelings to your crush and having your first kiss. Such is the case with the characters Nam-ra and Su-hyeok, whose relationship has been building since the very first episode of the series. By episode seven, things finally come to a head when Su-Hyeok admits that he has feelings for the class president. She reciprocates, and the two share a heartwarming first kiss in the undead hellscape that their high school has become. While undeniably romantic, the moment is also heartbreaking, tainted by the fact that Nam-ra has been infected with the zombie virus by one of her classmates. Luckily, the bittersweetness of the scene is made a little more lighthearted by the wholly sweet and humorous confessions of the actors who play the two teens.

In a behind-the-scenes commentary video with the director, writer, and main cast of the horror drama, it was revealed that the kiss scene took a total of 17 takes to get right. Park Solomon and Cho Yi-hyun, the actors who play Su-Hyeok and Nam-ra respectively, each offered their own insight into what it was like to film the scene, and why it took so long to get the perfect take. Cho blames it on her inability to kiss with her eyes open, saying "I felt really sorry for Lomon. Because I had my eyes closed when I was leaning in, so I couldn't find where his lips were."

As for Park, he says that the scene was an eye-opening experience for him, stating that he now understands why some actors choose to do romantic dramas. He even goes on to state that the kiss was his most favorite scene of all, his adorable confession resulting in the friendly laughter of his fellow castmates and series crewmembers. "All of Us Are Dead" director Lee Jae-kyoo also took part in some good natured teasing about Park's obvious enthusiasm, saying that the young actor "[couldn't] stop smiling" after filming the scene that fans everywhere were hoping to see as the relationship between Su-hyeok and Nam-ra blossomed amidst the chaos.

In addition to telling viewers just how long the kissing scene took to perfect, it was also revealed the scene almost didn't happen at all. Not because of the whole 17 takes thing, but because the series writer, Chun Sung-il, originally planned to edit out the scene entirely. However, after the many attempts at successfully filming the perfect kiss, it ultimately made it into the final cut of "Hatred Is Contagious," the seventh episode in the series. It's hard to imagine the episode without it, and its absence would have no doubt been disappointing for the multitude of fans who were eager to see the teen romance come to fruition, even if it happens to take place during a zombie apocalypse that leaves the fates of their favorite characters hanging in the balance.

By the series finale, we learn what has become of the couple and everyone else impacted by the deadly zombie virus. While the first season of the show uses all of the source material from the webtoon it was based on, there's a distinct possibility that we could be getting a second season of "All of Us Are Dead." Netflix has yet to officially confirm any plans for a season 2 of the insanely popular series, but in an interview with the "The Korean Herald," the director of the series stated that the first season was intentionally set up to allow for the expansion of the story in additional seasons, including the potential to introduce a completely new race of zombies. In that same interview, he went further into detail about his vision for season 2, saying: 

"If the first season can be seen as having presented humanity's survival, the next season can talk about the survival of zombies. I hope to present viewers with another season."

If you still haven't watched season 1 of "All of Us are Dead," the action-packed zombie drama that skillfully combines horror with heart is currently streaming on Netflix.