Jun Jong-seo continues to build strong film slate with 'The Call'

Actor Jun Jong-seo / Courtesy of Netflix

By Kwak Yeon-soo

Jun Jong-seo continues to build a strong film slate in her post “Burning” career, starring in acclaimed thriller “The Call,” which was released through Netflix.

Playing the role of a serial killer in Lee Chung-hyun's debut feature, Jun brilliantly shows off psychotic performance that reveals her character to be just as dangerous as she is fragile.

“Young-sook's character is often described as a psychopath, a sociopath and a serial killer, but I didn't want to frame her as a lunatic. Her actions don't make any sense, but my job was to find validity in her reckless behavior. I didn't see Young-sook as the villain,” she said during a recent interview with The Korea Times via Google Meet.

A remake of the British/Puerto Rican thriller “The Caller” (2011), the film revolves around two women who are living two decades apart but are connected through an old phone.

In the film, Seo-yeon (Park Shin-hye) lives in the present day and accidentally stumbles across an old telephone after moving back to her family home. Then, she begins to receive mysterious calls from Young-sook (Jun), who lives in 1999 and is being held p-risoner by her stepmother (Lee El).

The two develop an unlikely friendship until Young-sook foresees her death and threatens Seo-yeon to help her change the past. The psychotic girl repeatedly intervenes with Seo-yeon's past to damage her future. Feeling haunted by disturbing calls, Seo-yeon tries to save herself and her family.

“The script was very solid and well structured, the character were well drawn. The story involves time travel, often moving forward in time from the past to the present but I could feel its vibrancy and liveliness,” Jun said.

A scene from the film "The Call" / Courtesy of Netflix

Jun said she was inspired by Billy Eilish's songs and music videos and listened to Seo Tai-ji's music whose songs and fashion appear a lot in the film.

“Young-sook is a powerful and insane character, but I tried to focus on her weakness. She's merciless, but at the same time, fragile like a thin glass. In a scene where she asks her stepmother why she attempted to kill her, she looks like a hurt child.”

Jun also mentioned that she wore no makeup in order to look callous and unfamiliar.

“I naturally have rosy cheeks, so I kept that characteristic. For Young-sook's look, I wanted a rough face with freckles. Transforming my appearance helped me to play the role better,” she said.

On the positive responses about her portrayal, Jun said she didn't expect it to go viral online.

“I didn't expect so many people would watch our film and compliment my acting. I was reminded of the energetic spirit of our film crew. They've done so well to help create a wonderful environment for actors,” she said.

She added, “I know that some are concerned about me playing intense characters since my debut feature Burning. They think that I might get burnt out. But energy is all I have. My passion for films will never die.”

“The Call” is streaming on Netflix.