Lee Chung Hyun’s irresistible decision: The unbreakable bond with Jo Jong-seo in ‘Ballerina’

Ballerina’s director Lee Chung Hyun reveals why Jo Jong-seo’s casting was inevitable: ‘An Unmissable Bond’

On the morning of the 11th, an interview with director Lee Chung Hyun for the Netflix film ‘Ballerina’ took place at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Seoul.

‘Ballerina’ is an emotionally charged action revenge drama that tells the story of Okju (played by Jo Jong-seo), a former bodyguard who pursues Choi Pro (played by Kim Ji-hoon), the man who caused the death of her precious friend Min-hee (played by Park Yoo-rim). The film was released on October 6th and achieved third place in Netflix’s global TOP 10 movies (non-English) just three days after its release.

Director Lee Chung Hyun has been in a relationship with actress Jo Jong-seo for three years. ‘Ballerina’ marks their second collaboration after the film ‘Call,’ gaining significant attention.

On this day, director Lee Chung Hyun revealed that he wanted to work with Jo Jong-seo again after the shooting of ‘Call.’

When asked about the reason for casting Jo Jong-seo in the leading role, director Lee Chung Hyun replied, “During the filming of ‘Call,’ there was a scene where Jo Jong-seo was in a vinyl house, creaking a chair and smoking. At that time, I had an intuitive thought that I wanted to try the film noir genre together. Those thoughts led to where we are now.”

Director Lee Chung Hyun, often referred to as ‘Jo Jong-seo’s boyfriend,’ admitted that there were cautious aspects to working with a romantic partner.

However, he emphasized, “There was no one else who could play this role except Jo Jong-seo. In reality, she is the kind of person who, if she thinks something has gone wrong, jumps into the storm without looking back. I think there was no alternative.”

He continued, “Not only the action but also the emotion displayed on Jo Jong-seo’s face was remarkable. Instead of focusing on the technical aspects of action, I was concerned about conveying the character’s emotions. Even though it was her first time doing action, she absorbed it well and expressed a lot with her eyes.”

Director Lee Chung Hyun expressed his desire to work with Jo Jong-seo again. He said, “I don’t know what my next project will be, but she has always shown more than I expected. I would love to work with her again in the future,” revealing his admiration for Jo Jong-seo.

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