Actor Jo Jung-seok (45), known as 'The Man of Summer', has returned. This time, he transformed into a dad with a zombie daughter.
The movie 'Zombie Daughter', which opens on the 30th, is a comedic drama about a doting dad who begins secret training to protect his daughter, who has become the last remaining zombie in the world. It is based on the popular Naver webtoon of the same name, which has accumulated 500 million views globally. Directed by the sensitive director of 'Hostage', Jo Jung-seok plays the role of Jung-hwan, a doting dad who becomes a trainer for his zombie daughter after being a beast tamer.
In an interview held on the morning of the 24th in Seoul, Jo Jung-seok said, "I feel good that the preview reactions ahead of the release are not bad. The actors are looking for reviews, and it seems to be okay, so I feel cheered up. We have to see how it goes, but the initial feeling is good."
Jo Jung-seok married singer Gummy in 2018 and welcomed a daughter in 2020. This made him more drawn to this project.
He stated, "Since I became a dad, the paternal love in this work resonated with me greatly. It came to me in a compelling way, and I really wanted to do it, so I strongly expressed my intention. The part about saying 'This is mine?' was exaggerated. But I wanted to do it because I liked it that much," revealing his reason for appearing in 'Zombie Daughter'.
He continued, "Choosing this work felt natural, and the emotional acting came out naturally. It wasn't a matter of struggling to pull out emotions more than any other work; rather, the emotions exploded naturally. The key was how to control that," adding, "Many people expect comedy from me, so some might think it would be better if there were more comedic elements. Personally, I don't find it awkward or difficult to act out paternal love or emotional parts."
He also mentioned, "If you ask whether my paternal love for my daughter has grown while filming this movie, I would say there hasn't been a change. I feel like I'm just there. It's not a feeling of 'I like you because you're pretty and kind,' but rather 'I just like you.' Since I'm a dad, I have to take responsibility for this child, and naturally, the term paternal love has been attached to me. Animals give birth and lick their young, right? It's not something that comes from experience; it seems to arise naturally when a child is born," he confessed.
Although Jo Jung-seok portrays heartfelt paternal love, unfortunately, he plans to show 'Zombie Daughter' to his daughter later.
He said, "My daughter is currently 6 years old. It's rated for ages 12 and up, so she can watch it if accompanied by parents, but she is still scared of monsters, so I think she would be scared of zombies too. I think I will show it to her a little later," adding, "If given the opportunity, I want to show her all my works later."
He continued, "I want to be a good dad. I don't know what that standard is, but I want to be a dad who is devoted to my family. If I am devoted to my family, I can spend more time together and create memories. That's my wish. Gummy appeared on some YouTube and said, 'I live doing everything I want,' and I got misunderstood a lot," he joked, then emphasized, "I'm not doing everything I want; I'm doing it appropriately. I am satisfied with having my personal time respected. However, I don't do everything."
Jo Jung-seok expressed satisfaction with the chemistry he had with Choi Yu-ri, Lee Jung-eun, Yoon Kyung-ho, and Jo Yeo-jung in 'Zombie Daughter', saying, "It was the best."
Regarding Choi Yu-ri, who plays his daughter in the film, he said, "She is polite and kind. She is a friend close to perfection. She is the youngest on set but seems very mature. Her attitude towards the work is good, and her relationship with the staff is good, and people are curious about who her parents are. I thought I should raise her well like Yu-ri."
About Lee Jung-eun, Yoon Kyung-ho, and Jo Yeo-jung, he said, "They are the best actors, so I had no doubt about our chemistry. As colleagues, they put their best effort into this role and work, which helped me a lot, and I am grateful for choosing this work for various reasons," adding, "Our group chat room is titled 'Zombie High School Alumni'. Whenever we meet, we laugh and share funny stories all day long. It was that kind of chemistry, and it was the best ensemble."
He mentioned that there was no competitive spirit in comedy, saying, "To bring out the comedy well, we all looked at the same point. I believe comedy is about chemistry. We didn't put pressure on each other to be funny," and added, "And the director, who loves comedy, directed that chemistry brilliantly."
Regarding the cat that appeared as Aeyong, he said, "It sounds absurd to say that an animal does well, but the cat named Geum-dong, who played Aeyong, acted really well. It perfectly implemented what needed to be expressed at the right time and place, so we joked that it seemed to act better than us on set."
Jo Jung-seok showcased a strong presence in the summer box office with the films 'Exit' (about 9.42 million viewers) and 'Pilot' (about 4.71 million viewers) alongside Yoona.
He said, "I didn't create the title 'The Man of Summer', but I feel very grateful. It's not up to me to decide the release timing, but it turned out that way," adding, "I don't know how this work will do, but the preview reactions were good. Personally, I received good feedback that it captured both laughter and emotion."
Jo Jung-seok is set to compete with Yoona in the summer box office. Yoona's film 'The Devil's Deal' is set to be released in August.
Jo Jung-seok said, "Yoona is like family to me. I hope we both do well. It may sound cliché, but I sincerely said that. Yoona said that since my film is releasing first, if I lead well, she hopes to do well too. It feels like the box office is a bit stagnant, and we both hope to do something together. Yoona mentioned that it feels like a very meaningful moment, and I resonated with that."
He added, "As Yoona said, I hope everything goes well. I hope the box office becomes lively. Of course, it's natural to wish that our work does the best. If I have a wish, I want to share the parts I found interesting when I first read the script with many people."
[Yang So-young, Star Today Reporter]
