#SHOWBIZ: Cha Eun-woo covers Demon Hunters song 'Free' with movie's lead actress
On July 27, Netflix released a video of their duet for the song 'Free' from the streaming platform's hit animated movie 'KPop Demon Hunters' (2025).
The film follows the members of Huntrix, a fictional K-pop girl group, as they battle to save the world from soul-stealing demons, all while competing with Saja Boys, a fictional K-pop boy band from the demon world.
"This cover of Free by Huntrix has officially pierced my heart," Netflix posted on Instagram, extending thanks to the two stars.
In the film, the romantic ballad is sung by the characters Rumi, the leader and lead vocalist of Huntrix, and Jinu, the leader of Saja Boys.
Cho, best known for her roles in the American supernatural series 'Teen Wolf' (2011 to 2017) and the legal drama 'Partner Track' (2022), voices Rumi, with Korean-American singer Ejae providing the character's singing voice.
Jinu is voiced by Canadian actor Ahn Hyo-seop, and South Korean singer Andrew Choi provides his singing voice.
K-drama idol Cha was reportedly the inspiration behind Jinu.
Cho, 39, also posted a video on her Instagram and YouTube channel on July 26, showing her chatting with Cha, 28 – a member of K-pop boy band Astro – about their duet.
He is set to begin his mandatory military service on July 28.
"I'm here with one of my awesome 'dongsaeng' (Korean for younger sibling or friend)," she said.
Cha mentioned they were introduced about five years ago by a South Korean producer who worked on some of his shows.
He has starred in K-dramas such as 'My ID Is Gangnam Beauty' (2018), 'Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryung' (2019), and 'True Beauty' (2020 to 2021).
"When I was in America, she introduced me to a lot of cafés and restaurants," Cha said of Cho.
Cho remarked that Cha resembles Jinu, adding: "And I thought it'd be really fun and special if we did a collaboration."
Cha also said that Cho resembles Rumi, a sentiment shared by many of his celebrity friends in South Korea.
"We were texting about 'KPop Demon Hunters', and when we were talking about the movie, I mentioned I was coming to Korea to do some press," Cho explained. "We were like, wouldn't it be fun if we covered it?"
Cha stated he loves all the songs from the movie, especially 'Free'.
Cho added that her fiancé is a huge fan of Cha's. She announced her engagement on social media in April without revealing his name.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Rakyat Post
11 hours ago
- Rakyat Post
Meet Tracy Phillips, The Living-Dead Dancer In MCR's 'Helena'
Subscribe to our FREE Any My Chemical Romance fan will be able to remember the epic opening to 'Helena', one of the American rock band's most iconic music videos. The video starts off sombre, with mourners entering a church to attend a funeral for someone named Helena. In less than 20 seconds, the funeral attendees burst into dance as the Gerard belts out the first verse full of sorrow. All of this happens around one central piece of the video: the deceased Helena, who later comes to life and joins the dance in a macabre celebration. Since the video was released, Helena has become an icon to all MCR fans and the goth/emo scene in general. Her ballerina-inspired burial outfit, the haunting solo dance from her coffin and down the church aisle, all elevated MCR's Helena into one of emo music video history's most memorable visual narratives. The song explores themes of grief, loss, and the impact of death, particularly the regret and self-blame that MCR frontman Gerard Way felt for not being present for his late grandmother in her final year of life. And yes, the song is a heartfelt tribute to his grandmum Elena Lee Rush who is also nicknamed Helena. But who is the real Helena? Her name is Tracy Phillips, and she's much more than just a pretty ballet zombie. She is also an actress, dancer, and choreographer, which made her perfect for MCR's emotionally-charged music video. Outside of Helena, she has worked on a variety of film and television projects in capacities such as choreography and acting including in films like 500 Days of Summer, The Muppets, and Jackass Number Two, according to British rock, punk and heavy metal music magazine She also frequently performs and choreographs in the L.A. underground arts scene and has worked with innovative troupes like Talk about talent! Biographical details on Phillips are relatively scarce, save the fact that she is credited on Internet Movie Database (IMDb) simply as the actress playing Helena in the MCR music video. She is also credited as choreographer in goth rock band Evanescence's music video Call Me When You're Sober (2006) on the Internet Music Video Database (IMVDb). A Wade was a prominent figure in the American National Football League (NFL) and has been the head coach of teams like the Denver Broncos, Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills, and more. Fans of MCR are still enchanted by 'Helena' until today On social media, Tracy is still celebrated by fans at meet and greets, proving how big of an impact she made just by appearing in a music video that was released in 2005. Some even commented on her appearance as she seemingly did not age since she was first seen in the music video, and joked that she and Gerard Way are vampires due to their apparent youthfulness. Tracy is celebrated not just for her technical skill, but for the emotional depth and narrative quality she brings to every performance. Whether it's a music video, a film scene, or a live act, her work continues to captivate audiences through its elegance, intensity, and storytelling power. The odds of her coming to Malaysia are slim, but at least we'll get to be reminded of her whe MCR comes down to Malaysia next year. The iconic emo rock band is set to perform at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium on 31 April and 1 May. Tickets for both days sold out in mere hours, and the second day was added later due to overwhelming demand — Share your thoughts with us via TRP's . Get more stories like this to your inbox by signing up for our newsletter.
The Star
12 hours ago
- The Star
'Trigger' review: Warning, shameless button-pushing ahead
The brisk, violent and morally murky K-drama Trigger is a study in contrasts. The show is pretty ambitious, aiming for a serial thriller vibe while tackling tough questions about gun control, violence begetting violence, and humanity's general indifference to the suffering of others. Yet it is puzzling how something that scores so highly on the bingeability scale can also shoot itself in the foot so frequently when it comes to believability. For better or for worse, this 10-episode "alternate society" series sends viewers down a darkly dystopian path as it ponders the effect of guns suddenly flooding a powderkeg of assorted social ills. From grieving mothers to bullied students, overlooked gangland underlings to harassed apartment dwellers, South Korean citizens mysteriously receive guns on their doorsteps. Of course, you can guess how most – though not all – of these scenarios play out. It's heartening to see that writer-director Kwon Oh-seung (Midnight) chooses to have some secondary characters take the high road, even if much of Trigger's manipulative plotting seems to push everyone down the low road. 'After reviewing the footage of yesterday's shootout, we're convinced you'll look cooler next time if you advance towards danger with your gun angled upwards instead of pointing straight ahead.' The victims are all too vulnerable and helpless, their tormentors one-dimensionally cruel and unrepentant; and it should be noted that one sequence set in a school is deeply disturbing in its almost offhand depiction of juvenile carnage. Much of Trigger revolves around frenemies Lee Do (Kim Nam-gil, Fiery Priest, Through The Darkness) and Moon Baek (Kim Young-kwang, Hot Young Bloods, Mission: Possible). Lee is ex-military (though he's sometimes referred to in the subtitles as a mercenary), now a policeman who prefers non-lethal methods of subduing even the most vicious perps, and whose empathy has endeared him to the community – if not all his superiors. Moon is a mysterious figure who always seems to be in the right (wrong?) place when stuff hits the fan, and initially helps Lee as waves of gun violence sweep through the city. Together and separately, they are charismatic leads who grab and hold our interest in whichever what-if scenario Kwon happens to be pitching at us, though ultimately Nam-gil's hero cop comes across as more admirable and fully formed than Young-kwang's larger-than-life but sketchily shaped antagonist. Trigger is certainly not short on action sequences, many of them executed with the same verve as Nam-gil's famous beatdowns from his Fiery Priest days (set to a familiar-sounding score), with some slick shoot-'em-up sequences too. One scene where Moon deals with a van-load of thugs even evokes vintage Jackie Chan slapstick fights seldom emulated in this neck of the woods. The series also serves up human drama in buckets, and the ensuing pathos should not be lost on even the most jaded, stone-hearted viewer. 'Don't blame me for how I act in this series, it's in my DNA. I'm a Hot Young Blood, after all.' Where Trigger stumbles, however, is in the motivation and grand plan of its principal villain, the lever and fulcrum with which he plans to move the whole world (sorry, just watched The Fantastic Four: First Steps, insert sheepish grin emoji here) – it just doesn't hold water. Also, dystopian alternate reality or not, it's pretty baffling how the baddie and his goons can brazenly commit multiple murders of law enforcement personnel on camera, in a public place, and not spark a nationwide manhunt. At least, nothing of that sort is even hinted at in the script right up to the finale, where the authorities appear content to just gawk or mill about helplessly while chaos ensues. Not our man Lee Do, though. Expect him to be in the thick of the action and drama as he engages in battles of philosophy and physicality with the bad guys, all to show his adversary that it's not hypocritical to espouse peace while indulging in some John Wick-style gun fu. The rough edges aside, you can't deny that Kwon is pretty clued in to the pressures, injustices and sense of helplessness that appear to have permeated most urban settings around the globe these days. Just that he often chooses to take a sensationalised approach instead of having the characters argue their respective cases in a calmer atmosphere. It's hard to pay attention to people arguing semantics when there's so much hot lead flying around. All 10 episodes of Trigger are available on Netflix.
New Straits Times
13 hours ago
- New Straits Times
#SHOWBIZ: Lee Sinje marks debut in a Chinese-language Netflix series with 'The Resurrected'
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian-born actress Lee Sinje, also known as Angelica Lee, is set to star in the upcoming Netflix thriller series The Resurrected. This will be her debut in a Chinese-language Netflix series and a new venture for the actress, who is from Kedah. The series is co-directed by acclaimed Taiwanese filmmakers Leste Chen and Hsu Chao-jen. Lee is best known for her leading roles in the acclaimed films The Eye (2002)—which earned her the Golden Horse Award for Best Actress—and The Garden of Evening Mists (2019). She also served as a producer on the critically acclaimed Malaysian film Abang Adik (2023). In a statement yesterday, Lee shared her excitement: "I've never encountered a female-driven story that's so intense, a little wild, and deeply emotional. It was such a thrill to be a part of it, and of course, I'm even more excited for the day we get to share it with audiences around the world." Lee will star alongside acclaimed Hong Kong–Taiwanese actress Shu Qi, who is also making her first appearance in a Chinese-language Netflix production. Lee admitted that she was immediately drawn to the script, which she described as bold and groundbreaking. Set in the fictional city of Benkha, The Resurrected centres on two mothers, Wang Hui-chun (Shu Qi) and Chao Ching (Lee), who are united by hatred and seeking revenge for their daughters, who are caught in a fraud and kidnapping case. The cast also features a strong ensemble, including Alyssa Chia, Fu Meng-Po, Sukollawat Kanarot, Chung Hsin-ling, Caitlin Fang, Lin Ting-yi, Liu Chu-ping, Vivi Chen, Rexen Cheng, and Patrick Nattawat Finkler. The Resurrected premieres exclusively on Netflix on 9 October.
