Actor Jeon Jong-seo. Provided by Andmark

“Although two strongly individualistic actors have come together, I hope that when this film ends, the faces of Mi-seon and Do-kyung are remembered together.”

The move Jeon Jong-seo made was not a ‘solo’ but ‘coexistence’ between two actors. Meeting with Sports Kyunghyang on the afternoon of the 9th at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, she recalled her chemistry with partner Han So-hee, whom she met through the film ‘Project Y’, and opened up about the grueling nights she could never have reached alone.

Official poster for the film ‘Project Y’.

Opening on the 21st, ‘Project Y’ is a crime entertainment movie about two friends driven to the edge, ‘Mi-seon’ (Han So-hee) and ‘Do-kyung’ (Jeon Jong-seo), who steal gold bars. Jeon becomes Do-kyung, who carries a glass-fragile anxiety behind a sharp-edged exterior. Recalling the moment she first encountered the script, she hinted at a new kind of performance that breaks from existing molds.

“I felt sure there was another layer I could act. I thought it would be fun to try playing something more precarious, as if it might shatter like glass. I wanted to convey that sense of precariousness to the audience.”

With not a single set, every moment on set was a hurdle. Jeon looked back on enduring overnight shoots and the cold by leaning on her best friend and partner, Han So-hee.

“It is not actually common to have a chance to make a movie together with a same-age actor like this. Around this time last year, we really shivered in the cold every day and lived with our days and nights flipped. Because it was night shooting with no sets at all, there was never much leeway on site. At times like that, having someone by my side going through the exact same hardship was such a huge comfort. The expression that So-hee used, ‘a bond of the times’, feels exactly like that to me as well.”

Jeon Jong-seo. A still from the film ‘Project Y’.

In this work, Jeon dialed herself back a bit and filled that space with balance alongside Han So-hee. It is a meaningful shift for her, who has mostly led films with bold characters through ‘solo play’.

“In terms of acting, I wanted to deliver a decalcomania-like reversal. Do-kyung looks tough but is actually more precarious, while Mi-seon, who seems soft, is the one who is resolute. Above all, this time I hoped the two of us would be remembered ‘together’. We tried to match our balance by holding hands, running together, and cheering each other on. Thanks to Han So-hee enduring like a pro, we were able to shoot with everything we had.”

She also stated a clear conviction about the rising expectations around recently active ‘female-centered narratives’. Remembering a past when the range of choices for actresses was narrow, the current change is all the more precious to her.

“It is truly a good trend that there are more good scripts and opportunities that actresses can perform. There were times when there was virtually no place at all, so the very fact that a space is being made now feels like a positive development.”

Actor Jeon Jong-seo. Provided by Andmark

Even so, Jeon emphasized the inherent pleasures of a genre film rather than becoming fixated solely on the work’s message. She also made clear how she hopes the work will reach audiences.

“I hope audiences do not feel it only as something too solemn. This is a fun film that can blow away stress like a popcorn movie. I hope you enjoy, just as they are, the faces of the actors on the big screen and the energy that those close-ups convey. ”

As she has moved through her twenties, she says the words and tastes of her life keep changing, and she is meeting a new turning point as an actor. When asked how she wants to be remembered, she gave an unvarnished answer.

“I would like you to see me just as I am. In fact, I am also still in a stage where I need to get to know myself better. Just as one’s taste in picking a single gift can change, I think I will come to you with a different kind of acting from what I have done so far. It feels like the time to become more deliberate has come.”