[On the Record] Ju Ji-hoon “Special Memories with Late Lee Seon-gyun at Cannes... Hope He Finds Peace There”

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Actor Ju Ji-hoon [Photo by CJ ENM]

Long hair reaching down to the collarbone with sparsely dyed brown bleach. A striking appearance as if escaped from the 90s. Actor Ju Ji-hoon transforms like this in the upcoming film Escape: Project Silence (hereafter ‘Escape’), set to be released on the 12th. He reveals a new face as Jo Bak, a free-spirited wrecker driver aiming for a once-in-a-lifetime shot.

Meeting Ju Ji-hoon on the 10th at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, he said, “I created Jo Bak inspired by the image of guys who worked and lived at gas stations or delivered gas when I was young.” The mottled dyed hair was set as if he washed it with hydrogen peroxide or beer because he couldn’t afford a hair salon. He recalled, “There were quite a few people around me in their teens who expressed themselves in this way.”

Ju Ji-hoon started acting as a model in 2000. With a tall height of 188cm, a small face, and a slender appearance as if ripped out of a comic book. He said the new look shown in ‘Escape’ was not an intentional transformation. He drew a line, saying he does not greedily pursue artificial transformations. “I actively came up with ideas about the appearance after reading the script. During the process of discussing it like molding clay, I got a feel for it. I concretized the image of Jo Bak in the script, not aiming for a ‘transformation.’ The judgment is up to the audience. Some actors react sensitively to physical transformations, but I don’t have that kind of burden.”

‘Escape’ is a disaster thriller film where a series of chain collisions occur in thick fog, and a desperate fight for survival unfolds against military experimental dogs released on the collapsing Airport Bridge. Ju Ji-hoon plays a functional role that brings fun with a sly and somewhat clumsy appearance. Having appeared consecutively in weighty works such as the recent films ‘Dark Figure of Crime’ (2018), ‘Confidential Assignment 2’ (2023), and dramas ‘Kingdom’ 1 and 2 (2019?2020), ‘Jirisan’ (2021), and ‘Dominion,’ Ju Ji-hoon said, “I wanted to do a movie that audiences can watch comfortably.” He added, “‘Escape’ is a popcorn movie. I hope that after watching the film, the audience can casually talk about questions like ‘What would you do if a real dog chased you?’”

Ju Ji-hoon said, “I liked that Jo Bak does not hide his selfishness but shows it openly. Humans are social animals and should not put others in danger. Selfishness is different from that. I saw it as an emotion that thinks of oneself without harming others.”

Actor Ju Ji-hoon [Photo by CJ ENM]

Movie 'Escape' Still Image [Photo by CJ ENM]

Jo Bak runs to survive together with his pet dog ‘Jodi.’ The dog ‘Pina,’ who appeared in films like ‘Mungungi’ and ‘Mask Girl,’ played Jodi. Ju Ji-hoon emphasized that he followed animal filming guidelines during shooting. Jodi’s scenes were filmed over 20 sessions. Although not a small number, since the role was significant, a ‘puppet’ was made to replace dangerous shots. Although it costs more, it reduces risk and is a method actively used in Hollywood.

“We filmed carefully to ensure Jodi was not anxious. We respected Jodi’s rest and off-duty times. The production team specially made a puppet resembling Jodi. Most full shots or scenes where Jodi is held in arms were filmed with the puppet. Since running while holding the dog could cause injury, only close-up scenes were filmed with the real dog.”

‘Escape’ is the last work of the late Lee Sun-kyun, who passed away in December last year. The film was invited to the non-competitive section of the Cannes Film Festival in May last year and screened at the Lumi?re Theater in France. Ju Ji-hoon, Lee Sun-kyun, and producer-director Kim Yong-hwa were watched from the front row. They exchanged cheerful jokes and laughed heartily throughout, showing a joyful appearance.

Recalling that time, Ju Ji-hoon smiled and said, “We were happy together.” He recalled, “Cannes is a dream city for filmmakers where people who love movies gather. The weather was nice, and it was nice just to sit and drink coffee.” He added, “It was joyful and impressive to see all the audience stand up, whistle, and applaud during Lee Sun-kyun’s ending scene.” Ju Ji-hoon, who has been reminded of Lee Sun-kyun a lot recently while doing post-recording and promotional activities for the film, said, “I hope he is at peace there.”

Ju Ji-hoon readily appeared in ‘Escape,’ produced by director Kim Yong-hwa, who directed the ‘Along with the Gods’ 1 and 2 (2017?2018) series that attracted 10 million viewers. The two are also neighbors living next door. He hinted that the third installment of ‘Along with the Gods’ is also being produced.

“He is working on the script for ‘Along with the Gods.’ He told me the rough story. He is considering whether to release it in theaters, on an online video service (OTT), as a complete film, or as a hybrid combining both platforms. I look forward to it as it is a work I happily participated in.”

Recently, a scene from his debut work, the MBC drama ‘Goong’ (2008), has become a ‘meme’ (online trend). It is a scene where male and female actors kiss realistically while hiding the camera in the middle of Myeongdong. The reactions highlight how interesting it is to see citizens stop and get greatly surprised in the video. Ju Ji-hoon said he also saw it.

“Now that I see it, I wonder ‘How did they film that?’ The citizens didn’t dislike it during filming. Nowadays, it would be a big problem if we didn’t mosaic all faces. Maybe it was possible because it was that era. Back then, we couldn’t sleep and had to shoot with last-minute scripts. Now, filming sites are standardized.”

‘Goong’ is regarded as the essence of romantic comedy and is still talked about. Ju Ji-hoon will challenge ‘romantic comedy’ once again with the tvN drama ‘Love on a Single Plank Bridge,’ airing in December. The medical drama ‘Severe Trauma Center,’ in which he stars, is scheduled to be released on Netflix.