[Limelight] "I Hypnotized Myself Thinking 'There's a Bomb in the Car' as if It Were Real"

Movie 'Call Limit' Jo Woo-jin... A Man Trapped in a Car's Struggle Thriller
The Charm of Watching Emotional Changes in a Closed Space "Contains Many Aspects of Human Jo Woo-jin"

Movie 'Call Control' Still Cut

Lee Seong-gyu helps his child get to school on the way to work. He is the head of the Barun Bank PB Center, but he is no different from a salesperson. From early morning, he is on edge due to calls from the vice president. He vents his frustration on the innocent deputy branch manager. He doesn't even listen to the children's conversation. Even while driving, he is focused on attracting customers. Just as he catches his breath, a ringtone sounds from a smartphone he's never seen before.

"There is a bomb installed under your car seat right now. The moment you get out of the car, the bomb will explode." When he politely ignores it, the phone rings again. "Right now, Center Director, you are sitting on the bomb. If you get up from your seat, boom! The bomb's remote control is in my hand." "So what do you want?" "Prepare 960 million won in cash. I will send the account number via text message, so transfer 1.726 billion won." "What?" "If you get out, it explodes. If you contact the police or anyone outside, it explodes. If I get in a bad mood, it explodes."

Movie 'Call' Still Cut

The movie Restricted Call is a thriller depicting a man's desperate struggle trapped helplessly in a car. The original is the Spanish film Retribution: Day of Vengeance directed by Dani de la Torre. Director Kim Chang-joo changes only the setting and motive for the crime and brings the story as is. It is regrettable that it fails to create a different atmosphere. However, it achieves some success. The actors naturally highlight social issues with stable performances. It is about the 2008 KIKO (Knock-In Knock-Out) crisis. Due to a sharp rise in exchange rates, many small and medium-sized enterprises contracted with banks suffered damages.

Jo Woo-jin stands at the center of the transformation into a social drama. With limited movement in a confined space, he expresses three things: the struggle to escape the trap, the restoration of family love, and reflective contemplation on past mistakes. He smoothly connects various emotional changes, enhancing the story's persuasiveness. It can be called a growth drama completed as a one-man show by a veteran actor.

Actor Jo Woo-jin [Photo by CJ ENM]

- It must have been difficult to lead all three flows...

"I acted as if it were a real situation. I hypnotized myself dozens of times a day. With children in the back seat and horns honking from other cars, I imagined the tense situation so strongly that I couldn't get out because of a bomb under the seat. I thought I could only express it by recalling such an obsessive-compulsive feeling. The variations were entirely left to Director Kim Chang-joo. As a former editing director, he knew exactly where to adjust the density. I was very surprised by his precision."

- What emotion did you focus on the most?

"The paternal love toward my daughter Lee Hye-in (played by Lee Jae-in). As a father raising a daughter, I wanted to do well. I also thought Lee Seong-gyu's growth could stand out."

- There are quite a few cuts. Even a simple scene of checking and answering an unfamiliar smartphone is composed of nine cuts.

"It was important to convey the tense moment in detail. I had many discussions with the production team beforehand, so it wasn't difficult. Director Kim Chang-joo clearly presented the emotions to express. But I guess it looked hard. Fellow actors encouraged me every time, saying I was working hard (laughs)."

Movie 'Call Control' Still Cut

- The scenes of racing down Gumnam-ro in Haeundae, Busan, and hitting a police officer and fleeing looked quite dangerous. Did you drive yourself?

"I drove myself in the hit-and-run scene. It would have been difficult to perform more than twice, so I practiced many times with the stunt team actor playing the police officer. Fortunately, there were no accidents. For the Gumnam-ro racing scene, I alternated driving with the stunt team. Even though Haeundae-gu permitted and controlled the street, it was dangerous. We didn't know when pedestrians or motorcycles might suddenly appear, so we rehearsed like a military operation. Truly, everyone put their heart and soul into making it."

- It must have been hard to frequently express extreme emotions while driving.

"I wondered if I had ever raised my emotions this much while acting before. It wasn't something that could be done by pushing unilaterally. I had to consider the chemistry with the co-actors. This was the most difficult part of filming this movie."

Movie 'Call Limit' Still Cut

- Restricted Call is meaningful as a new challenge rather than just a first lead role. Although you have appeared in many works, there has been no role with as diverse an emotional line as Lee Seong-gyu.

"That's right. When I received the script, I didn't even think about the word 'lead.' It felt like a vessel that could contain a lot of the human Jo Woo-jin's image. That was very attractive. I only had the mindset to become Lee Seong-gyu. I declared it in front of fellow actors and the production team during the script reading. 'I will put my soul into this work' (laughs)."

- Some netizens who saw the trailer recalled Jo Sang-moo, whom you played in Inside Men (2015). They joked that it might be a revenge story where Ahn Sang-gu (played by Lee Byung-hun), who lost his right arm, plants a bomb (laughs).

"I've committed many sins so far. Including Jo Sang-moo, Choi Myung-rok in Steel Rain (2017), Jo Seong-gang in Drug King (2017), Deputy Minister Jae-jung-guk in Default (2018), Director Ahn in Seobok (2020)... Maybe the protagonists who were victimized conspired in the crime. Karma from past lives is paid off in the next life anyway (laughs)."

Movie 'Inside Men' still cut

- After gaining attention with Inside Men, you appeared in twenty-six films and dramas over five years. Even in works where you made cameo appearances like Joseon Exorcist, you take on a significant portion. Is there a reason you keep running around the set without rest?

"Lately, I hear a lot of advice to take care of my health. I don't know. I often feel tired, but I don't want to rest (laughs). I think my management team adjusts it well. Taking a long break doesn't completely relieve stress. Especially, stress from acting is resolved by immersing myself in other acting. It seems I still have a lot to show. I will take it step by step."