Cho Yeo-jeong says 'Possible Love' made her fall more deeply in love with acting
Cho Yeo-jeong / Courtesy of Netflix
As with any project, what matters is how much you trust both the character and yourself.
Actress Cho Yeo-jeong vividly remembers the day she received an offer from director Lee Chang-dong to join his latest film.
She was enjoying a rare day off, holding her phone when it rang. It was Lee. Just moments earlier, she had read news reports confirming the casting of Sul Kyung-gu, Jeon Do-yeon and Zo In-sung, and had found herself feeling a tinge of envy, thinking how wonderful it must be.
What began as an almost cinematic encounter led her to play a documentary filmmaker in “Possible Love,” a character widely seen as reflecting aspects of Lee himself. The entire experience has remained a movie-like moment in her life.
“Possible Love,” which was recently released on Netflix, follows two married couples — a laid-off worker and his wife, and a documentary filmmaker and her husband — who come together to make a documentary, confronting different realities and hidden desires along the way.
In a recent interview with Hankook Ilbo, Cho said she was excited by the prospect of audiences around the world experiencing the film simultaneously.
“I think what makes this special is that Lee Chang-dong's fans, not just in Korea but around the world, can watch the film at the same time,” she said. “I'm happy about that in itself, but I'm also curious and a little nervous about how people will respond to it.”
The film marks Lee's first directorial feature in eight years. Known for acclaimed works including “Green Fish” (1997), “Peppermint Candy” (1999), “Oasis” (2002), “Secret Sunshine” (2007), “Poetry” (2010) and “Burning” (2018), Lee is one of Korean cinema's most internationally recognized filmmakers.
Cho recalled the moment she received his casting offer.
“When I got the call from the director, it felt like a cinematic moment in my life,” she said. “He asked to meet, and I wanted to tell him I could see him that very day. But he suggested meeting the following day, so that's what we did.”
She described the screenplay as having an unusually strong impact on her.
“The script had such a distinctive intensity that its aftertaste lingered for days,” she said. “I couldn't even bring myself to contact him immediately after reading it. I couldn't easily put into words how much I liked it. Eventually, I told him how much I wanted to be part of the film and promised to do my best.”
In the film, Cho plays Ye-ji, a documentary filmmaker shooting a project about the life of a laid-off worker. Married to Sang-woo (Zo), a former high school classmate with whom she fell in love while studying in the United States, Ye-ji tries to build a genuine connection with Mi-ok (Jeon) and Ho-seok (Sul), the couple at the center of her documentary. She even suggests that she and Mi-ok become friends.
Cho Yeo-jeong arrives for the red carpet event at the opening ceremony of the 31st Busan International Film Festival at the Busan Cinema Center in Busan, Oct. 6. Yonhap
As a filmmaker who observes and documents the struggles of Ho-seok and Mi-ok, Ye-ji is a character who reflects Lee's own perspective as a director. At the same time, she is deeply entangled in the complicated relationships unfolding within the story.
Cho said Lee did not give her specific instructions about the character or how she should approach the performance, leaving her to develop her own interpretation.
“The director doesn't tend to explain characters or acting in specific terms, so I had to explore Ye-ji on my own,” she said. “I interpreted her as a woman who graduated from a school typically attended by wealthy families but grew up with a father who ran a dry-cleaning shop. Even after marrying Sang-woo, who seems to have everything, she doesn't really belong to his social class. I came to see her as someone who doesn't truly belong anywhere, regardless of the situation she's in.”
Although portraying such a multifaceted character presented challenges, Cho said she trusted her own understanding of Ye-ji.
“I could understand Ye-ji's circumstances and feelings on a human level. Audiences may interpret her differently, but I believed that everything she said and did was sincere,” she said. “I didn't ask the director for further explanations. I simply trusted my own interpretation. As with any project, what matters is how much you trust both the character and yourself.”
She added that the production environment also helped her immerse herself in the role.
“The documentary crew accompanying Ye-ji was actually the film's real production team. Having the actual film crew within the story allowed me to become more deeply immersed in the world of the film,” she said.
Cho also discussed Ye-ji's uneasy relationship with Mi-ok, which appears cordial on the surface but is marked by an underlying disconnect.
“When we filmed the scene in which Mi-ok comments on Ye-ji's expensive clothes, I watched Jeon Do-yeon's performance and thought, ‘That's really Mi-ok,’” Cho said. “From that point on, I didn't have to calculate how I should act. I try to focus on my scene partner when performing, and Jeon's cues allowed me to respond naturally and bring Ye-ji to life.”
“Possible Love” also marked Cho's first collaboration with Lee Chang-dong. She said she was particularly impressed by the director's collaborative approach on set.
“He treats every staff member and actor as a fellow colleague and keeps his ears open to what they have to say. That left a strong impression on me,” she said. “He listens carefully to everyone's opinions and builds the film together with them. That's how filmmaking should work in principle, but I was able to experience it very clearly on this project.”
Cho also expressed admiration for veteran actors Sul and Jeon.
“What makes the two of them so impressive is that, even after all these years, they are still evolving and fully engaged in their craft,” she said. “I feel the same way. I continue to challenge myself by thinking about what I can do as an actor. I've learned a lot from watching senior actors pursue their own paths.”
A scene from "Possible Love" / Courtesy of Netflix
Ahead of its Netflix release, “Possible Love” has already made a notable impression at major international film festivals. The film is Korea's official entry in the International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards.
For Cho, this marks her second Oscar campaign following Bong Joon-ho's “Parasite” (2019). However, she said this experience feels like her first real involvement in the process.
“During ‘Parasite,’ I was busy filming a television drama, so I couldn't really take part in the campaign,” she said. “In that sense, this is practically my first time. I'm focusing on maintaining my health and stamina. The director often says in interviews that we have to give it our best, and the actors feel the same way.”
Asked what “Possible Love” means to her filmography, Cho offered a heartfelt answer.
“I already loved acting, but this film has made me love it even more,” she said. “I don't know how good I can become, even myself, but I intend to keep acting with passion.”
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.