Kim Dami is set to portray motherhood for the first time in her career, marking an unexpected and ambitious turn in Netflix's upcoming film The Great Flood.
The Netflix SF disaster blockbuster held its production press conference on December 16 at CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall in Seoul, attended by Kim Dami, Park Hae-soo, Kwon Eunseong, and director Kim Byung-woo.
Director Kim revealed that the unconventional casting was intentional. "I thought it would help the film if Anna didn't appear motherly at first," he explained. "What mattered most was her transformation. Kim Dami has consistently shown new sides of herself, and I trusted she would do so again."
Kim Dami plays Anna, an AI researcher tasked with a critical mission to preserve humanity on Earth's final day, even as a catastrophic flood engulfs the planet. Much of her struggle unfolds underwater, making her role physically and emotionally demanding. She shared, "Rather than focusing on character traits, I wanted to show how Anna changes when faced with an overwhelming disaster. Love is universal, so I tried to trust my instincts."
The Great Flood depicts a last stand for humanity inside a submerged apartment complex, blending large-scale disaster spectacle with SF imagination. While the film initially presents itself as a disaster movie, it gradually shifts into deeper SF territory. "We actually started from an SF concept," Kim said. "I added the disaster element to connect with audiences through a more familiar genre."
The apartment setting also carries symbolic meaning. "Apartments may look uniform on the outside, but inside, everyone lives differently," the director noted. "People are the same—similar on the surface, yet each carries a different universe within."
Water functions as both destruction and origin in the film. Kim emphasized that the title encapsulates the film's core meaning, hinting that audiences may reflect on it differently by the end. The movie completed filming three years ago, followed by extensive VFX work to realistically portray massive water movement. Actors trained in scuba diving, swimming, and underwater performance ahead of filming.
Park Hae-soo, who plays Hee-jo, a security team member tasked with rescuing Anna, recalled the difficulty of underwater scenes. "Opening my eyes underwater changed my sense of distance. I had to really become comfortable with water," he said.
Kim Dami also reflected on portraying maternal instinct for the first time. "Motherhood was the hardest part of choosing this project," she admitted. "I spoke with friends who are mothers, and they told me love isn't something you define at first—it's something you learn over time. I wanted to show Anna discovering that love."
Despite its blockbuster scale, the creative team stressed that emotion lies at the heart of the film. "Visual effects are important, but they're just tools for delivering emotion," Kim said. Park Hae-soo echoed the sentiment, noting that the emotional weight of the story lingered with him long after reading the script.
Kim Dami hinted at layered storytelling, saying, "The experience changes when you watch it a second time. There are hidden meanings and stories to discover."
The Great Flood premieres globally on Netflix on December 19.
