Han Hyo-joo, left, and Ju Ji-hoon at the press conference for the South Korean series 'Blood Free,' April 8, 2024. Courtesy of DisneyMANILA — Until recently, the idea of eating meat that isn't from animals seemed confined to the realm of science fiction.

But new science has unlocked ways of cultivating real meat products without slaughtering any animals.

The South Korean series “Blood Free,” which drops April 10 on Disney Plus, tackles the contentious issue of lab-grown meat, set in a not too distant future where such products have dominated the market.

And while the topic may appear quite lofty and complex for viewers, actor Ju Ji-hoon holds a contrary belief, considering how the show approaches the matter.

“It could be a very heavy topic that people need to think hard and long about, but we put it more lightly. I guess the entry barrier is lower for the show. It’s like a casual way of saying, ‘Why don’t we think about this topic?’” Ji-hoon said via an interpreter at an online press conference on Monday.

In “Blood Free,” Ji-hoon plays Woo Chae-woon, a former elite soldier whose investigation on a terror attack that he experienced leads him to BF Group, a biotechnology company that produces cultured meat.

READ: Ju Ji-hoon, Han Hyo-joo's 'Blood Free' coming to Disney+ in April

Chae-woon ends up becoming the bodyguard of BF Group CEO Yoon Ja-yu (portrayed by Han Hyo-joo), who deals with numerous life-threatening challenges.

“When I was reading the script for the first time, I thought this was so timely, this is a show we need at this moment. It was such an intelligent script and smart subject material. So it was a total page-turner for me,” said Hyo-joo, who recently gained attention for Disney’s superhero series “Moving.”

For his part, director Park Chul-hwan said he aimed at making the series look as realistic as possible despite being set in a technologically-advanced time that is not too far from the present.

“This is not very far ahead into the future, but a very near future, about one or two years from now. I think all I was trying to focus on was to make it feel realistic and grounded as possible,” he said.

Ju Ji-hoon pretends to be Han Hyo-joo's bodyguard during the 'Blood Free' press conference. Courtesy of Disney+Among the advanced technologies fictionalized in the show is a body suit that supposedly tests its user’s physical abilities.

“So the setup is because I am a bodyguard and before my final round of interview, I’m getting tested on my physical, combat abilities and it’s done in VR (virtual reality),” Ji-hoon shared.

“There’s really [no pain]. I just have to be there on my own, trying to imagine things while doing action and combat. So that was a very new [acting] experience for me,” he said.

Much thought was also put into the action scenes, most of which involved Ji-hoon. “Because it’s set against the near future, it shouldn’t be too futuristic,” said Ji-hoon, who is also known for starring in the romance drama “Princess Hours” and zombie horror “Kingdom.”

“There could be very tightly choreographed [action] scenes but there could also be scenes with less choreography which looks more rash and realistic,” he explained.

From left to right: Lee Mu-saeng, Han Hyo-joo, Director Park Chul-hwan, Ju Ji-hoon and Lee Hee-joon at the press conference for 'Blood Free.' Courtesy of DisneyApart from Ji-hoon and Hyo-joo, “Blood Free” also stars Lee Hee-joon (“Badland Hunters” and “A Killer Paradox”) and Lee Mu-saeng (“The World of the Married” and “Thirty-Nine”).

Asked what drew him into the project after reading the script, Hee-joon answered: “I love the subject of lab-grown meat. Someone would create this technology and people would want to dominate that and some people would try to stop it.

“So that power struggle was very fun for me and that made my heart pound,” he said.

Mu-saeng, meanwhile, said the script pushed him to look into the ethical, political and economic issues surrounding lab-grown meat. “It was definitely a good food for thought and I guess the viewers will feel the same way too,” he said.

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