'21 years since debut' Cho Jin-woong's excessive humility: "I'm an actor who can't act... I imagine myself going to hell."

“I am an actor who is not good at acting. It is difficult to show this to my seniors and colleagues.”

“I still can’t look at the monitor. I keep thinking, ‘Why did I do that?’”

On the afternoon of the 6th, Cho Jin-woong met with Ten Asia at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, and conducted an interview regarding the movie 'Deadman' and shared various stories. Cho Jin-woong, who is in his 21st year of debut and is called a veteran actor, continues to evaluate himself as an ‘actor who can’t act’.

Cho Jin-woong has a strangely friendly charm. Even though I'm not really acquainted with him, it feels like I'm talking to a friend in private. Throughout the interview, I felt a desire to tell the reporters a little more about actor Cho Jin-woong and the movie 'Deadman'.

'Deadman' is the story of an ace in the business world who makes money by living up to his name, but after being falsely accused of embezzling 100 billion won and being forced to live as a dead person, he sets out to track down people who are entangled with just one name and to regain the life that was stolen from them.

It is rare for movies or dramas to feature 'President Baji' itself, so it is refreshing. Jo Ji-woong said, "It seemed like a well-made story. I had no idea it actually existed. It was shocking. It was often covered in reportage-type programs, but I wasn't interested. Later, I looked it up and found that there were quite a few cases like that. It was creepy. All at once. “Aren’t I going to go to hell? I thought I should come to my senses and live,” he said.

In the play, Cho Jin-woong plays the role of Lee Man-jae, who went from being the ace of the business world to having everything taken away overnight. Regarding Lee Man-jae, who sold his name to make a living and protect his family, Cho Jin-woong said, "I admit that it is a 'bad thing'. He sacrifices a lot to protect his family and his purpose in life, but he does the wrong thing. I pity him. "However, even though he could have lived the right life, this character did not do that. Although he is not malicious, he is not a person who maintains good intentions. I couldn't tell him to support me. This part was confusing to me while acting," he confessed.

I actually imagined going to hell. Cho Jin-woong said, “I thought it would only be a moment, so I did it a lot,” but added, “I guess I’ll have to shut up and find out what happens.” I don't even want to think about it. I’m not sure when my Leeds days were. I don't think I've found the best spot yet. “We’re not even heading towards that.”

'Deadman' is the debut film of director Ha Jun-won, who co-wrote the screenplay for Bong Joon-ho's film 'The Host'. Cho Jin-woong said about director Ha Jun-won, "He was more flexible than any other director," and "He opened up enough space for actors to play around. He didn't feel like a new director. Although it was his debut film, he had a lot of experience in the field. He was called a new director. He seemed to like it. He is a director whose next work I am looking forward to.”

Director Ha Jun-won is also called ‘Bong Joon-ho’s Division’ and ‘Bong Joon-ho Kid.’ Cho Jin-woong said, "I had no idea. Personally, I don't care about who I worked with before," and added, "I heard in private that I worked with director Bong Joon-ho. He told me various stories."

Previously, at the media preview, 'Deadman' actors Kim Hee-ae and Lee Soo-kyung revealed that the scenario was somewhat difficult. Cho Jin-woong said, "When I look at these works, I feel like trying to solve them easily. In fact, Deadman is also easy if you look at its essence. It is a process of finding one's identity as a person."

Cho Jin-woong described himself as an ‘actor who can’t act’ in between answers. So what does Jo Jin-woong think is good acting? Cho Jin-woong said, "The actor who played the Army Vice Chief of Staff in 'Spring in Seoul' is Seong-joo Yoo. I really respect and like him. After watching 'Spring in Seoul', as soon as I saw him, I didn't say 'Hello' but 'Why did you do that? I wish you hadn't done that.' “I immediately heard people say, ‘Wouldn’t history have changed?’ I think an actor like that can be said to be a good actor.”

'Deadman' is scheduled to be released on the 7th, aiming for the Lunar New Year holiday. Cho Jin-woong said, "Lunar New Year, Chuseok, holidays, movies with family? How long will you be with your family? Eat spicy tteokbokki and watch provocative movies that make you go to the bathroom the next day. Watch family healing movies and 'Deadman'." He joked and made people laugh.


Ten Asia Reporter Kim Seo-yoon seogugu@tenasia.co.kr