HomeActor/ActressJoo Jin-mo
Joo Jin-mo
주진모
After taking the lead in Kim Ki-duk's mildly experimental Real Fiction (which was shot in 3 1/2 hours without any retakes), Joo took a major role in the much-hyped Musa, set in 14th century China and starring Zhang Ziyi from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. He also acted in Wanee and Junah, a melodrama about a screenwriter and an animator opposite popular actress Kim Hee-sun.
In 2003 he was rumored to take the lead role in an action blockbuster from Sidus Pictures, and also in the latest film by veteran director Park Kwang-su, but both films were then cancelled due to a lack of financing. Joo's return to the screen came in spring 2004, in the comedy Liar based on the play Run For Your Wife by Ray Cooney.
<tjoet>253 days ago (Apr 30, 2008 2:29:40)
I really lef your handsome face and your voice...Your acting also very good.
Gangsters in love and actors who diet create a comeback
Mainstream movie director Gwak Gyeong-taek, 41, is back on screen for the first time in two years with his new film, “A Love.” The title itself is a big surprise for many movie fans because Gwak isn’t the kind who puts soppy love stories on screen. He is better known for directing aggressive and violent action films such as “The Champion” (2002) and “Mutt Boy” (2003). But once the film A Love gets going it’s obvious there’s more to the story than romance. The storyline of A Love is similar to Gwak’s record-breaking box office hit, “Friend” (2001), starring Jang Dong-geon. Characters in both films are aggressive and loyal and the script revolves around the life of gangsters who speak in rough Busan dialects ― The film takes place in Busan, where Gwak was born. Gwak got the idea for the story while filming “Friend.” It was the life story of one of the film’s characters. “He was the right-hand man of the gangster upon whom the movie was based,” said Gwak. “Of course he’s not involved in any violent activities now.” Gwak even wanted to take a few days off and go to some deserted island to hear the man’s stories. Unable to do that, the friend wrote Gwak a 100-page hand-written letter about his life. “I read it in one sitting,” said Gwak. “And that’s how the shooting for A Love began.” Thirty percent of the story is based on the guy’s real life and the rest is based on additional material. In A Love, In-ho, the main character, played by Joo Jin-mo, is so loyal to his first love Mi-joo, played by Park Si-yeon, that he goes to prison to protect her from a gangster, played by Kim Min-jun. While in jail, In-ho loses contact with Mi-joo and, when he meets her again after a few years, he continues to protect her. All characters in the film speak in a Busan accent and Gwak says that gives the movie more charm. “If the characters spoke in Gyeongsang accent, the love story would have been rather blunt,” said Gwak. “And it was easy for me to find places to film, like the Taejongdae [a famous lighthouse in Busan] and Jagalchi Market [one of oldest fish markets in Korea].” Joo is not from Busan, but he had other qualifications. “Although he was brought up in Seoul, he is a country boy like us,” Gwak said. “When Joo saw the screenplay, he realized the main character was similar to himself ― somebody searching for platonic love.” Although Joo was a good psychological fit for the character, filming wasn’t that easy. Joo had to gain weight to film the first half of the film and then lose 16 pounds for the latter part. Gwak said Joo’s passion for the role was essential for him to cope with the stress of the weight gain and loss. Actor Kim Min-jun also impressed Gwak with his enthusiasm. “Kim called me one day and said that he wanted to appear in one of my movies ― regardless of the part,” said Gwak. “He even wanted to appear as a cameo.” As soon as Gwak received Kim’s phone call, the character that Kim plays in A Love came to Gwak’s mind and he wrote the part especially for Kim. “Casting the right characters is always difficult,” said Gwak. “Perfect timing is necessary, Kim’s call was serendipitous, it came at just the right time.” Gwak’s approach in A Love is distinctive. “As a young child, I was shocked by the 1940 film ‘Waterloo Bridge’ [directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starring Vivien Leigh and Robert Taylor],” Gwak said. “I could never understand how the male character could talk about the good old times when his love died because of him. I thought that unmanly.” So Gwak decided on different approach in his film. He opts for more realism and gives tragedy its proper place in the drama. “You could say my films are dark-colored or have deep love,” Gwak said. “Though it is hard to find such daring love in real life, there are definitely some people out there whose love is as passionate as that of the people in my films.” Filming his can’t-live-without-each-other-love story made Gwak become more emotional. But for his next piece, he plans to shoot a more pleasant genre, like a comedy. “I want to direct a comedy in that makes people smile for several hours after the movie is over.”
Some Romances Stay the Same
As men still cling to their fantasies of a “pure, innocent, and fragile woman with long straight hair,” even in the 21st century, so do women harbor dreams of their ideal man, even despite the “Pet Boyfriend (Young boyfriends akin to pets)” trend that is now commonplace. They still want a man who’ll protect them in the face of death, a man whose heart melts only for them. The movie “Love,” to be released on September 20, fuels these delusions by telling the story of one man’s love. Why delusions, you ask? Well, there is no such man and no such love in the real world. Chae In-ho (Joo Jin-mo) meets long-time elementary school crush Mi-ju (Park Si-yeon) in high school and promises to be true to her. But in the process, he becomes an ex-convict and they lose touch. Getting back on track, he prospers as the troubleshooter for chairman Yoo (Joo Hyeon), only to later discover Mi-ju is the girlfriend of his boss. It’s the typical new-school drama - the poor street-smart guy, the girl with criminal smuggler dad, gambler mom and drug-addict brother, the ill-fated couple sitting down together to sing the old TV commercial jingle, “Mom and Dad all happy together.” The woman who appears again in his life, turns out to be his benefactor’s girlfriend. As Chae bids chairman Yoo and his girlfriend good-night, he cries, “Damned luck.” Oh, such pathos! Although you’d scoff at the drama, you’d probably be in tears before you could berate the audience for watching. Director Gwak Gyeong-taek says, “The movie Friend showed the Gyeongsang Province way of friendship, and this movie will show the Gyeongsang way of loving.” The violent scenes, filled to the brim with macho bravado, and Busan accents set in the backstreets of Busan, are reminiscent of the movie Friend. Unfortunately, although the violence against women and foul language present in both movies may have been contrived for reality, it nonetheless offends the female audience. This is a movie made for Joo Jin-mo. He leads the story and gives it his all in breaking out of his “pretty boy” typecast. Kim Min-jun gives his best performance to date, as a hateful gangster who lets out a nasty whistle of an “I love you” while giving his foes the once-over. The film is rated PG-15.
“I Put My Heart and Soul into This Movie”
When Korean male actor Joo Jin-mo dropped by his dear friend as well as his acting colleague Jang Dong-geon’s house in March, the word “Sarang” (love in Korea) written on a cover of a script caught his eyes. Joo: What is it? Jang: It’s a script director Gwak Gyeong-taek told me to skim through.” Joo flipped through the pages and he was immediately absorbed in the script. He could not take his eyes off the script even when Jang talked to him after clearing up their dinner table. Joo: Who got the main lead? Jang: I heard the director is thinking of “A.” In the afternoon, Joo called his agent and said, “If I don’t get this part, I will kill myself!” Although no one offered him the part, his pride was the last thing on his mind. He was desperate for the role. After many ups and downs, the determined 33-year-old actor finally got the part – the male lead in “Sarang (Love)” scheduled to hit screens next Thursday. “Sarang”, a new film by Gwak Gyeong-taek, who is also the director of the nationwide hit “Friend,” mainly centers on Choi In-ho’s (played by Joo) desperate love for his elementary school sweetheart Mi-joo (played by Park Si-yeon). Fate forces him to commit a crime for Mi-joo. However, when he comes back for Mi-joo later, she has already become the lover of Yoo (played by Joo Hyeon), who raised Choi. “I wanted to become something more than an actor with good looks - someone realistic instead of all dressed-up and charismatic.” Many viewers regard the movie as an unofficial sequel to “Friend” as they both contain a heavy Busan dialect, violence and love. Some even said that Gwak has created a replica of “Friend” to make up for the lackluster “Typhoon,” whose popularity did not meet his expectations. “Up until now, Gwak’s movies were all about masculinity, power, toughness and strong emotions. They were rough. However, this movie is more refined with the universal ingredient – love. Expressing delicate emotions was the essence of this movie. I tried to stay away from outright masculinity.” Story-wise, “Sarang” is a typical and tragic love story. At an age where instant love prevails, his true love seems almost foolish. Joo said, “This movie has nothing to do with the current trend. However, I am sure that young viewers will be absorbed in the movie.” He described Choi as, “If he falls in love with someone, he thinks about her all the time. There are guys who naturally know how to express their feelings to their lovers and those who are removed from that. Well, Choi belongs to the latter group. He doesn’t know what to do in front of Mi-joo.” In-ho looks after Mi-joo for life, keeping faithful to his promise. When Yoo tells Choi, “A man’s love for a woman never lasts,” he turns away, saying, “Sir, I am different.” When Dong-A asked if Joo resembles Choi in real life, he replied, “When I was in my 20s, I thought I was invincible. However, as time goes by, I am not really sure about it even if I want to believe so. Well, movies describe ideal values.” He put his heart and soul into the movie. As the filming schedule adhered to a strict timeline just as they do in Hollywood, losing 10 kg in two weeks was a challenging task. He almost suffered insomnia on an empty stomach every night. Just as his colleague actors such as Jang Dong-geon and Cho In-seong broke free from typical handsome actor image, Joo is confident that he will be born again with the movie. On the screen, his exotic facial features seemed slightly too much. However, seen in person, he has a very delicate Korean face with subtle facial feathers. At the interviewer’s comment – “I have a feeling that some people might say your face is too exotic” – he takes it seriously. “I used to hear that a lot, but not anymore. I think people say my facial features are exaggerated when I don’t act with all my heart. If I remain faithful to my role, I don’t hear that. So this time, it will be different.”
[DVD Review]The heavy price of feminine beauty
Strong images can be tempting, especially in cinematic tradition. The dilemma with commercial films is that no matter how convincingly they try to convey a meaningful message it can easily get lost within the framework of a genre or the style of a film. In "200 Pounds Beauty" it's evident that the director Kim Yong-hwa has tried hard to avoid praising the high standards of medical technology that have turned plastic surgery into something approaching an art form. His vehicle is the story of a woman who transforms her life through plastic surgery. Beauty isn't everything, the film says, but that's just the film's way of offering a cliche instead of a conclusion. Maybe it's because the film, which was based on a famous Japanese comic book, was advertised as the first commercial film made in Korea to take a position on plastic surgery. Or maybe it's because it stars Kim Ah-joong, an up-and-coming actress as the film's heroine. Either way, the first half of the film was built around anticipating the glamorous lifestyle that was bound to become the heroine's, by right, once her surgery is complete. In fact there is almost a sense of relief by the time Ha-na, the film's heroine, goes under the knife. "200 Pounds Beauty" is a story of a woman, named Ha-na (played by Kim Ah-joong) who makes a living working for a phone sex company and as a ghost singer for a top female star. In her dreams she nurses the hope that she will one day become a singer herself. Then she decides to undergo intensive plastic surgery, after overhearing a man she has a crush on gossiping about her looks. But beauty changes everything. Just like the comment made to her by a fortuneteller, who tells her "face is a matter of fate", the world is a different place after her surgery. She flips her hair and pretends to shed tears after she crashes into an angry taxi driver. Smitten, he gives her a generous smile and a sincere apology even though the accident was her fault. She attains everything she had wanted, including a new career and the man she had loved so dearly. She wonders whether she could ever go back to being the person she used to be, now that the world treats her so differently. But she is facing another barrier. Her friend tells her that men think of women who underwent plastic surgery as "monsters". Her lover shares the same feeling about beauty. Pointing at a piece of raw fish with the tip of his chopsticks, he says he prefers "natural above cultivated". The film poignantly reveals the way beauty exercises its power in our society. At the same time it shows the duality of plastic surgery; the way society constantly reminds women that beauty is attainable, yet women who go through plastic surgery are condemned, because they challenge the male fantasy of effortless, natural beauty. The film shows how women are consumed and discarded like a disposable product in a capitalist culture; a singer cannot debut without a pretty face, but even with beauty and style she will still be discarded when she is no longer popular. "200 Pounds Beauty" Directed by Kim Yong-hwa Starring: Kim Ah-joong, Joo Jin-mo Running Time: 120 minutes Subtitles: English Genre: Drama
