‘I take more chances’: Ju Ji-hoon, star of Netflix’s Kingdom and Along With the Gods films, on why he made mid-budget crime caper Gentleman

By Kwak Yeon-soo

Actor Ju Ji-hoon, best known for his roles in the Along With the Gods film franchise and Netflix series Kingdom, went against expectations and chose to pursue a mid-budget movie instead of vying for a role in another major franchise film.

In the crime comedy Gentleman, Ju plays Ji Hyun-soo, a private detective who is falsely accused of kidnapping his client. He disguises himself as a prosecutor to chase Kwon Do-hoon, an alleged mastermind of kidnapping and sex trafficking crimes.

Ju says he believes studios should produce more quality mid-budget movies because “they allow for a wider range of themes and genres to get explored” and that cinemas still need them.

“As long as a film has its own charm and an interesting concept, I am willing to take part in the project,” he says during an interview at a cafe in Seoul.

The 40-year-old actor says he now seeks advice from young staff when selecting movie roles.

“I take more chances because I have learned some things over the years. I want to make the kind of films that I would want to see,” he says. “However, I have to admit that I’m in my 40s now and I don’t know what genres young people like to watch the most. So I often ask my staff who are in their 20s about their favourite genres.”

Describing Gentleman as a straightforward caper movie with fantasy elements, he lauded director Kim Kyung-won’s creative endeavour.

“Although I had limited information about director Kim because this was his second feature film, I was able to sense the overall tone of the film by speaking to him directly,” he says.

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“I loved how he examines human emotions in a complex way. For instance, it’s hard to say whether my character, Ji Hyun-soo, is a good guy or not. He is a self-righteous, but snobbish character who breaks rules and tricks other people.”

Gentleman opens in South Korean cinemas on December 28. It is Wavve’s first original film and will be available on the Korean streaming platform at a later date. However, the release schedule has not been decided yet.

Read the full story at The Korea Times