Jo Yoon-su portrays a character with a dual personality disorder in the drama "The Tyrant." Courtesy of Walt Disney Company Korea Realistic shooting ability sparks questions about Jo Yoon-su's past By KTimes Director Park Hoon-jung, surprised by Jo Yoon-su's proficient combat performance during her first shoot for the Disney+ drama "The Tyrant" last January, jokingly asked if she had been in a lot of fights. Fellow actor Cha Seung-won even added, "She's the best with her fists among the actors I've seen.
" "After filming the first scene, everyone around me was murmuring, and I thought I had done a terrible job," said actor Jo Yoon-su, laughing during an interview on Tuesday. "But then director Park said, 'I should investigate your past,' and we all laughed." In "The Tyrant," Jo portrays Chae Ja-kyung, a ruthless killer.
Her captivating combat style differs from the traditional male action stars' reliance on brute force, offering a unique approach that intrigues viewers. She quickly subdues her opponents, sliding across tables or using her surroundings to dispatch enemies with agility and precision. Comments in English flooded her social media, praising her action scenes as "jaw-droppingly good.
" Critics have compared her to other iconic female action stars like Lee Si-young in the drama "Lookout" and Kim Ok-bin in the film "The Villainess." In the drama "The Tyrant," Chae Ja-kyung (played by Jo Yoon-su) is firing a gun. Courtesy of Walt Disney Company Korea Journey to becoming a 'female Leon' Jo's mastery came from countless hours spent disassembling and reassembling a toy gun beside her bed and practicing her shooting stance in front of the mirror.
Her cold, emotionless expression as she points a gun at her target has drawn comparisons to Kim Ye-ji, the 2024 Paris Olympics silver medalist in the Women's 10m air pistol shooting competition, who even caught the attention of Tesla CEO Elon Musk. This is in stark contrast to the cheerful, innocent image she portrayed as a police academy hopeful in the drama "The Interest of Love" (2022-2023). Jo said, "After I passed the audition, I asked director Park why I was cast, and he said it was because I didn't give off an intimidating vibe.
" This lack of a typical "villainous" appearance helped her emphasize the chilling nature of her character. These days, she hears the phrase, "I'll behave well from now on because you scare me," more than anything else from those around her. Jo Yoon-su in a scene from the drama "The Interest of Love," where she plays a character who has a crush on a bank security guard while preparing for the police officer exam.
Captured from JTBC Jo's casting as the lead in "The Tyrant" was nothing short of a breakthrough. Since her debut in the 2019 web drama "Cheese Film," she had only taken on minor roles. However, her passion for the character of Ja-kyung won over director Park.
From the day she first auditioned in October 2022, she began learning kickboxing and even enrolled in a driving school to obtain a truck license, as required by a scene in the script. She also cut off her long hair, which she had grown out since high school as part of her training in Korean traditional dance. Jo recalled, "During the audition, director Park asked if I had any previous acting footage, so I quickly wrote and produced a short film just to have something to show him.
" After three auditions, she thought she hadn't made the cut, but when the acceptance call finally came, she broke down in tears right on the street. "I had sent my profile photos to various places while preparing for my debut, but I didn't receive a single response for a year. I was so desperate that when the opportunity came, I grabbed it," Jo said.
"I started acting because I wanted to live through experiences I hadn't had as someone else, and as an actor, I want to continue exploring diverse roles." Actor Jo Yoon-su / Courtesy of Walt Disney Company Korea This article from the Hankook Ilbo, sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by generative AI and edited by staff at The Korea Times..
