[HanCinema's News] Jo Woo-jin Talks About "HARD HIT"

At a press conference held on June 16th for the upcoming feature film "HARD HIT" lead actor Jo Woo-jin discussed his humble beginnings, coming to Seoul some twenty-two years ago with only five hundred dollars and only just now being featured as the lead actor in a project. Best known for supporting roles, Jo Woo-jin confessed to nervousness wondering why he wanted to be so in focus as a lead actor. In "HARD HIT" he plays man forced to remain in his car lest it explode with his children inside.

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However, on further reflection, Jo Woo-jin said that his nervousness was more for the sake of his character. Jo Woo-jin described his performance as feeling deeper than his own feelings. This was an expression of how devoted Jo Woo-jin felt he was to his work. Jo Woo-jin also said that his character's own sense of claustrophobia was heightened by the fact that he could not leave his motor vehicle, the set of which is also where Jo Woo-jin himself did most of his acting.

Jo Woo-jin also claimed that once filming was over, he he to go to the hospital to deal with an elevated heart rate- a natural consequence of a performance he described as strictly circumstantially enforced. Jo Woo-jin also said that he was on medication now, and joked how even just speaking as the lead to aa press conference was causing it to spike even as they spoke. Jo Woo-jin made very brief mention of his co-star Ji Chang-wook, who was not in attendance at the press conference.

Despite being a major star and listed as principal cast, Ji Chang-wook's involvement with "HARD HIT" has been shrouded in mystery, most likely to protect the audience from spoilers. Jo Woo-jin mentioned having first worked with Ji Chang-wook in "Warrior Baek Dong-soo" some ten years prior. It's unknown how well the men know each other, or if this was a factor in Ji Chang-wook signing up for the project. "HARD HIT" will premiere in South Korean theaters this coming June 23rd.

Written by William Schwartz