JUNG JISO
KSTATION TV meets the actress JUNG JISO at the end of the diffusion of the drama “Who is she!” on KBS2.
It is during an interview near Gangnam that we discover the young actress of 25 years old who has already written her name in the credits of many films such as “Parasite”, “The cursed”, “Holy night” as well as dramas like “The glory”, “Curtain call” or “Imitation“. “Who is she!”, her latest project, aired from December 18, 2024 to January 23, 2025, and the young woman appears alongside two other well-known celebrities, KIM HAESOOK and JINYOUNG, member of the male group B1A4. JUNG JISO is also a member of the WSG WANNABE group.
Upon arriving at the interview site, JUNG JISO begins by thanking the journalists present, being a first for her to give an interview in this kind of context. We start by addressing the drama, where she expresses her multiple experiences in acting, able to immerse herself in a role with varied facets. This role may surprise many people, not used to see her in comedies. She explains that initially she wanted to try a new genre of cinema, her usually turned to thrillers and dramas, to vary her artistic panel. The actress has a calm, soft voice when answering questions, showing the kindness she exposes. She also speaks quickly about her friends around her and supporting her, also bringing a sense of closeness to reporters.
Continuing on to the drama, she discusses her work with KIM HAESOOK, a pioneering actress in the cinema who gave her many tips for perfecting herself, as if she had become a second mother caring for her daughter and trying to grow her. For example, giving her directions on the looks or facial expressions to give to the camera in such and such circumstances, which JUNG JISO is grateful for, because she feels that she has become a better actress.
She feels she has to try out a different role to find out what kind of actress she is, and is not afraid to challenge herself. This drama is proof of this, since she plunges into a caricature role of an ajumma, an old lady with behaviors that can often annoy the younger generations, because doing what she wants where she wants and when she wants. She had to have short curly hair, wearing flowery and too wide clothes, and speaking with a dialect to age her character while keeping the face of a young woman in her mid-twenties.
What can be complicated is to externalize the acting that you imagine yourself, and the feelings that you have in yourself, so that it shines through on the camera. The same is true when working with someone else, because both must align to their acting method to appear on the same phase. In the drama, she is also found in different sets, and she tells as an anecdote the first time she appeared in her ajumma outfit on the street, coming out of a store. Passers-by seemed shocked, and she immediately wondered if she would have the same effect on television.
To turn in dramas, whatever the role, it is necessary to know how to show charms corresponding to the incarnated characters, which represents the majority of the profession of actor. The actress, but also the director, producer and the staff around her must feel the same feelings that a spectator would feel. Emotion plays a key role in acting. She regularly asked the artistic directors for feedback to improve her performance, whether in dramatic or comic scenes, or even in scenes where she exchanges kisses with the male main character. Everything must be similar, and mirror reality.
Each shoot represents a dose of stress for her, a positive stress in the face of a new challenge and a new experience. She is also grateful to JINYOUNG, who with her experience in the singing world, also gave her tips for perfecting her singing. However, she admits that she felt the age difference—nine years —with him and regrets not being closer to him at the beginning of the shoot. Nevertheless, they quickly became close friends and had fun on the set. JUNG JISO sometimes has trouble finding answers to questions posed by journalists, thinking long and hard to give as much information as possible.
Returning to JINYOUNG, she could see the difference with a long-standing idol in the world of acting, being accustomed to cameras. She also admitted that she had watched videos on the internet of girlband to dive into her role, citing APINK as a main model. She hopes to have a good career that will inspire others to take an interest in her work and perhaps one day choose her as a role model in the industry. She wants to let people know that it’s okay to take your time finding your way, but the important thing is to try a lot of things. “Who is she!” was an example, where she stepped out of her comfort zone. It is now a drama that she loves very much, having also enjoyed the set. Anyone, she said, can identify with it.
« When I played, I often asked myself questions like “should I play this way, should I do that?” You have to ask yourself a lot of questions to be an actor » — JUNG JISO
She also added that when she played the role of the ajumma, she improvised regularly, as if playing with her clothes too wide, or shaking her head in all directions. She let herself be immersed in her role, and enjoyed every moment played. She hopes to appear in shorts or reels on YouTube and Instagram, as she has already seen a few times. Indeed, young people are amusing themselves by copying her acting, also dressing up in their turn. She then continues on the end of shooting, revealing that she felt frustrated that this new experience had ended, but already thinking about the next one. What she admits to like most about the shooting is the connection she creates with other actors, and how it helps her improve. She still feels regret for not having been able to do better, seeming to be a perfectionist with her acting.
She also has regrets for some scenes that she had to reshoot several times, not being satisfied with what she had done. She then explains the process of shooting an episode, explaining that there are two or three key events in an episode, and that the rest of the episode represents a journey to these key moments. The most important parts are obviously those that represent the most work, because the emotion must be as faithful as possible at the moment, but we should not neglect the other parts of it. JUNG JISO continues to deliver details, including the importance of feeling close to other actors, to allow herself to play as she should do afterwards.
For example, for certain gestures or looks, in order to be sure that the actors does not interpret it for themselves, we must maintain a good working relationship or friendship. She ends by saying “Who is she!” has the charms of being out of the ordinary, having good music, and being funny and comforting at the same time. The parts where she plays the role of an idol were the hardest, especially dancing in high heels, expressing respect for the idols who do it every day. Initially, she preferred music like hip-hop, and trying out the music of Kpop, girlband in particular, was a new experience.
Her greatest challenge, as she says, is to make a new personality appear, sometimes foreign to her, with varied and authentic emotions. The support of her family is also important, as she does not want to play a role that could inadvertently embarrass them. During a new film project, she talks particularly with her father who have always good advices, but also with her mother and grandparents. It is with a touch of sadness that she admits not to talk often with her father, but as she grows older, she comes to understand more about the constraints of work and being unable to be available as often as one would like.
Her father told her, as a result of the episodes being broadcast, comments like “you sang well, what is this haircut, what is this character that you show, etc.”, always laughing, proving that her parents also appreciated “Who is she!” Her experience, although brief, in the ephemeral group WSG WANNABE, was also helpful for this shoot. Questions are always in her head when she plays, hoping to just get it right. Regarding her habits, she prefers to watch productions where she appears alone to make up her own idea without being influenced, but she still hopes that her friends or family will contact her more regularly to provide feedback so that she can improve if necessary.
She admits that she doesn’t pay much attention to what she is told online, because the opinion of her family and friends is the most important thing in her life. In the future, she hopes to have a role that is more about romance or something else that would give her a chance to try something radically different like fantasy. As she acts, her view of the world gradually evolves, drawing on her experiences and various roles. Her relationships with other actors nourish and also make her grow, because rather than focusing on her own work, she prefers to exploit it to improve her relations or her play with the other actors.
She hopes that many people will enjoy her work, and “Who is she!” Although she has been an actress for twelve years, she considers that the work routine that goes with it, like getting up at dawn, has become a habit. If she could be recognized for something later, she hopes it is for her many facets in acting, and her varied facial expressions that make her productions more authentic. She also hopes to develop a more natural during the shooting, in order to avoid asking too many questions as she does at present.
Regarding her plans for this year, she is preparing for the wedding season. She also wants to become an exemplary woman, cleaning, tidying and cleaning the house perfectly. In the future, if she has the opportunity, she hopes to play with actress LIM JIYEON, or just talk to her, to find out more about her acting.
Our reporter’s words: “It was interesting to be able to discuss the world of filming and learn a little more about this universe!”
Journalist: Pillet Anaïs
Translator: Pillet Anaïs
Photos: 스튜디오브이플러스
Source: KSTATION TV
