(Following interview ④) Actress Jun Ji-hyun said she was able to feel at ease on a variety show appearance promoting a film for the first time in 11 years thanks to the hosting of broadcaster Yu Jae-seok.
Jun Ji-hyun conducted an interview on the afternoon of the 26th at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. She met domestic reporters there and talked about the recently released film "Gunche."
The film "Gunche," which opened on the 21st (directed by Yeon Sang-ho, provided/distributed by SHOWBOX, produced by Wowpoint·Smilegate, co-produced by Midnight Studio), is a movie about survivors trapped inside a building sealed off by an unexplained contagion who face infected people evolving into unpredictable forms. It is Yeon Sang-ho's third zombie film following Train to Busan and Peninsula, and the film attracted attention not only for Jun Ji-hyun but also for the appearances of top actors Ji Changwook, Koo Kyo-hwan, Shin Hyun-been, Kim Shin-rock, and Go Soo.
Among them, Jun Ji-hyun plays Kwon Se-jung, a bioengineer and the leader of the survivors. Kwon Se-jung is a character who, after failing a faculty reappointment because she cannot stand injustice, comes to the Donguri building where a conference is being held at the suggestion of her ex-husband Han Gyu-seong (played by Go Soo) to introduce a new job and becomes trapped. As a bioengineer, she reads the behavior and evolution patterns of the unexplained infected and does her best to lead the survivors and escape.
In particular, through "Gunche," Jun Ji-hyun returned to film audiences for the first time in 11 years since the 2015 release "Assassination." She said of choosing "Gunche" as her comeback film and the goals she had pursued, "Rather than a purpose, there wasn't anything an actor had to achieve when choosing a work. 'I want to appear in this kind of work' is the top priority. Also, the fact of working on a Yeon Sang-ho film itself was appealing. That was an aim I could pursue as an actor."
Because it was a film after 11 years, the promotion process was different from the past. Jun Ji-hyun, who said, "I was surprised that the stage greetings were different. The filming sites are the same," added, "These days at stage greetings they're so welcoming, almost like fan meetings. I was truly moved by the orderliness and manners of Korean audiences. I thought Korean culture has really matured a lot. At Cannes, on the contrary, there were no opportunities to meet general audiences. So I thought Korean culture was very mature and the audience culture had changed a lot," she said, her eyes shining.
Indeed, Jun Ji-hyun received praise for active fan service during the "Gunche" stage greetings. She actively responded to fans' meme requests, and a heartwarming story about her helping a fallen fan to stand up also became a topic. About this, Jun Ji-hyun laughed and said, "When you just enter the theater, you can see all the audience members. They are not invisible at all. So the things written on sketchbooks are even more visible. They would say, 'Ji-hyun unnie, please do this,' and there was no need to think otherwise. You just had to do it. You can see everything: who came and where they are sitting. Especially at VIP screenings when I invite acquaintances, you can see better than expected. When meeting audience members, I was surprised at first to see people holding sketchbooks."
She continued with a playful tone, "The fan who fell actually wasn't my fan. She was a fan of Ji Changwook." "But she fell right in front of me. If she had fallen in front of someone else, that person would have helped. She fell right in front of me and hit her head with a thud. I was more worried and startled about her hitting her head than about the fall itself. She was Japanese. Later when I asked if she was all right, she said she wasn't in pain and was embarrassed. I was relieved she seemed not to be badly hurt," she said.
Jun Ji-hyun, who is also doing variety show promotions again after a long time for the film, said, "It's not that I deliberately avoided variety shows. For actors, opportunities for variety shows are mostly for film promotion. I also worked on a film after a long time, and promotion methods changed with YouTube. I have always promoted my works enthusiastically. It's just that the film was after a long time and YouTube developed in the meantime, so I did it. It wasn't that I intentionally avoided variety shows. I like variety shows. I watch them carefully and was very excited to appear on a program I like. But I felt disorganized. The more I liked it, the more I wanted to do well, but I couldn't, so..."
However, she said, "Actually I'm not comfortable talking about myself. I'm here to promote a film, but since it's been a while since I've been on variety shows and there aren't many opportunities to talk about myself, I think people might be curious about me. But I went out to promote a film, so I don't think it's right if the focus is on my personal stories." She added, "But Mr. Yu Jae-seok adjusted things so well that he made me comfortable, so I told one or two stories. It wasn't just me; Ji Changwook and Koo Kyo-hwan beside me also talked well, so I think that helped."
Jun Ji-hyun also commented on the trend of sharing personal daily life actively on YouTube and social media, saying, "I don't do it because I'm afraid I'll make a mistake. It's a simple reason. Maybe because I've been active since I was young, I'm not used to and not comfortable showing myself. Of course, the times have changed a lot and young people may be used to it, but I'm not comfortable. I don't think there's a need to be comfortable with it. There's a separate market for young people. There are people who are fine showing that way, and there are aspects that I think wouldn't work if you followed the same approach. I'm not confident about a personal YouTube channel," she said with a smile, adding, "I think I should stick to what I'm good at."
[Photo] Provided by SHOWBOX.
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