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| ▲ This photo, provided by Netflix, shows actress Kim Hyun-joo. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ This photo, provided by Netflix, shows a scene from Netflix film 'Jung_E.' (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ This photo, provided by Netflix, shows the late actress Kang Soo-yeon from 'Jung_E.' (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, Jan. 26 (Yonhap) – Yoon Jung-e in Netflix’s riveting sci-fi film “Jung_E,” played by South Korean actress Kim Hyun-joo, is the best fighter in the 22nd century – she fought as the leader of the Allied team and led the team to victory every time until she got into a vegetative state after one failed operation.
In an interview with Yonhap News Agency at a cafe in Sogyeok-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul on Wednesday, Kim Hyun-joo said, “I worked hard to work out to play as a military soldier.”
“I worked out really hard without thinking that I would wear a suit that would cover my entire body throughout the film; however, I do not regret it, and I think I made the right choice. It requires huge muscle strength to act while enduring the weight of a suit or the gun.”
2023 South Korean dystopian action-packed film “Jung_E,” which was released on Jan. 20, revolves around a team of artificial intelligence (A.I.) experts that attempts to clone the brain of Jung-e, the best mercenary, and create a killing machine named Jung_E.
Kim Hyung-joo recalled, “When I first read the scenario and got a taste of the story, the story just made me fired up. In fact, it is very rare for such a piece to be written and produced in Korea, which naturally made me think that just participating in this project would be a new challenge for me. Also, I was just so excited, thinking that it would be so much fun. But then, the action scenes and robot acting gave me some concern.”
“I did not expect to be offered the role of Jung-e,” the actress said, adding, “I relied on and trusted Director Yeon Sang-ho completely. I just thought and believed that Director Yeon will be able to do it.”
Human Jung-e goes to battles for the sake of her sick daughter and earns the charges for her operations; meanwhile, the robot Jung_E continues to be thrown into an array of combat situations as a part of the simulation.
Kim Hyun-joo said, “I felt so bad for Jung_E.”
“The robot has no memory but is just being manipulated as a subject of an experiment indefinitely. Even without the robot itself realizing it, I felt like Jung_E was running down. It made my emotions change even when I acted on repeated scenes.”
Kim Hyun-joo worked with the late South Korean actress Kang Soo-yeon, who deceased last year, as a mother and daughter. Jung-e’s daughter Seo-hyun, played by Kang Soo-yeon, becomes the head of the Jung_E project, trying to turn her mother into an eternal hero.
“The name ‘Kang Soo-yeon’ itself is just charismatic, don’t you think? I have never encountered her before, and I never thought I could. She was a legendary figure, which made me wonder if I would actually be able to act while looking into Kang Soo-yeon’s eyes. It made me have cold feet.”
In the meantime, Kang Soo-yeon was no one like the Actress had ever imagined – “It was beyond my expectations to meet her in person. When we are on the set, she was a fellow actress who was just working and acting with me. when off the set, she was an adorable person.”
When she saw the late actress on the screen for the first time during a recent premiere of the movie, Kim Hyun-joo expressed her regret, saying, “We have lost such a professional actress.”
In Korea, “Jung_E” has been garnering both likes and dislikes; in the meantime, the film has been attracting international attention by topping the Netflix non-English film chart from the day after its release.
The actress said, “I wish more Koreans to like the film but even if they do not, I think the fact that we gave the film a try just makes it already half-successful.”
“Our work may not be used as a textbook, but it can still be deemed a reference for future works. I think accepting harsh criticisms can also be a fruitful opportunity for the next work to develop.”
Kim Hyun-joo, who will be having her 27th year as an actress, has been expanding her acting range by constantly trying out new genres, beginning with the OCN drama “Watcher” aired in 2019.
“Don’t all actors have a thirst for novelty? (laughs) Since I have been in a lot of drama series, I have always felt like I have been hitting the limit even if I made some changes to how I act. That being said, I think the current shit in the media industry has been having a positive impact on me.”
(This article is translated from Korean to English by Ha eun Lee)
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