InterviewJo Jung-suk explores paternal love in ‘My Daughter Is a Zombie,’ aims to reign at summer box office again
Actor Jo Jung-suk / Courtesy of NEW
Actor Jo Jung-suk, known for summer box office hits like “Exit” (2019) and “Pilot” (2024), is set to captivate audiences once again with his latest movie, “My Daughter Is a Zombie,” a unique film that he describes as “a film that saves zombies.”
“The preview reaction was not that bad, so I feel really good,” Jo told The Korea Times at a cafe in Seoul, Thursday. “The actors have been looking up reviews, and seeing that they’re not bad has really cheered us up. We’ll have to wait until it officially opens, but the feeling of starting is good.”
“My Daughter Is a Zombie” is a heartwarming family film that reimagines the zombie genre. Based on a highly popular online comic with over 500 million views, the movie tells the story of Jung-hwan (Jo), a father who embarks on an extraordinary journey to protect and even “train” his daughter, Soo-ah (Choi Yu-ri), after she turns into a zombie.
For Jo, a father himself to a six-year-old daughter with singer Gummy, the film’s exploration of fatherly love resonated deeply.
“This work, which deals with paternal love, drew me in so strongly that I really wanted to do it and strongly expressed my desire to join,” he said.
He emphasized that portraying such raw emotion felt entirely natural. “More than any other project, it wasn’t a feeling of struggling to pull out emotions. They just exploded naturally. The challenge was rather how to control them.”
When asked if his own paternal feelings grew while filming, Jo reflected, “There’s no change. I’m always in that place because I’m a father. It’s not a feeling of ‘I like you because you’re pretty and kind,’ but rather, ‘I just like you.’ Now that I’m a father, I have to take responsibility for this child, and naturally, the word ‘paternal love’ has become ingrained in me.”
Actors Jo Jung-suk, right, and Choi Yu-ri in a scene from “My Daughter Is a Zombie” / Courtesy of NEW
Return of ‘man of summer’
Jo Jung-suk has become known as the “man of summer,” a nickname he cherishes, thanks to his consistent summer box office hits.
“The nickname ‘man of summer’ is so overwhelming. Such a nickname empowers an actor, and I feel cheered up without even realizing it. I was born in winter, so I’m grateful to be called the ‘man of summer.’ All the films released in the summer have done well,” he said with a smile.
Despite his comedic success, Jo doesn’t want to be typecast. He sees “My Daughter is a Zombie” as a natural and fitting next step in his career.
“Actor Jo Jung-suk will continue to age, and I have a strong desire to be natural,” he said. “Someone who was a lead in melodramas and romantic comedies suddenly becomes a father, and takes on father roles, and then encountered ‘My Daughter Is a Zombie.’ It feels like a natural flow.”
He added that he remains open to diverse roles, having recently played a villain in Netflix series “Weak Hero Class 2,” and has no intention of shunning comedy to achieve a transformation.
“If an interesting and enjoyable project or a role I want to try appears, I’ll just jump in,” he said.
Director Pil Gam-seong, known for his darker works like “Hostage: Missing Celebrity,” envisioned Jo for the role of Jung-hwan from the very beginning. Jo, in turn, found the script instantly captivating.
“The script itself was so charming, and I thought that if I could elevate this earnestness through my acting, the synchronization would naturally fall into place,” Jo explained.
Interestingly, Jo chose not to read the original comic before filming.
“There are works where reading the original helps, but with this one, the screenplay alone was so good that I thought even those who hadn’t seen the original would find it enjoyable,” he said.
He only read the original version after filming was complete. “The tone and feel were different from the character I expressed, but I felt, ‘Ah, the original is like this.’ While the original is fun, a live-action film needs to be much more three-dimensional,” he added.
Actors Jo Jung-suk, right, and Choi Yu-ri in a scene from “My Daughter Is a Zombie” / Courtesy of NEW
One significant departure from the online comic that Jo particularly appreciated was the film’s ending.
“There were no shortcomings and I was pleased with the change to a happy ending,” he said, addressing concerns from the comic fans about the film’s conclusion.
“Many people who saw the original were worried whether ‘My Daughter Is a Zombie’ would have a happy or sad ending. I really liked that the ending was changed in the adaptation,” the actor said.
“My Daughter Is a Zombie” promises to deliver a full spectrum of emotions, from side-splitting comedy to heartfelt tears, and the actor hopes audiences will embrace this unique blend.
“I hope audiences have a really fun time watching it,” he said. “I want to see reactions saying that it’s a film that captured both laughter and emotion.”
Unlike many zombie films, “My Daughter Is a Zombie” stands out for centering not on destruction or survival, but on affection and redemption.
“I want to share the fun I felt while filming ‘My Daughter Is a Zombie’ with many people,” Jo said. “I hope they can deeply feel the paternal love that was suppressed and experience that zombies can have this kind of taste — like something spicy but mild. And the biggest difference between our film and other zombie films is that ours is a film that saves zombies.”
“My Daughter is a Zombie” will hit theaters on Wednesday.