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Jeon Ji-hyeon comes back to domestic film scene

Jeon Ji-hyeon is swooping down on the domestic film market again after a brief hiatus involving her latest effort to expand her career outside Korea.

Jeon, who has built her Asia-wide fame with "My Sassy Girl" (2001), is playing opposite Hwang Jeong-min in a new film, "A Man Once a Superman", to be released early next year.

The 26-year-old fashion icon's return to the domestic cinema scene follows the completion of "Blood: The Last Vampire", a film that critics said marks her full-fledged debut in Hollywood. She joined the shooting of "Blood", directed by Ronny Yu, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The film, a remake of a Japanese animation with the same title, is also expected to be released in 2008.

Jeon is using "Gianna Jun" as her official English name to increase the familiarity for English-speaking audiences, following advice that her original Korean name is hard to pronounce.

In the new Korean film project, Jeon proved her star status. In July when the shooting for "A Man Once a Superman" began in southern Seoul, the streets were filled with people trying to get a glimpse of Jeon.

On Wednesday, a shooting session in Haeri, Geyonggi Province, was open to the local press, and Jeon held a press conference where she said the role was harder than she had originally imagined.

"I am feeling a lot of pressure since I'm coming back to the domestic film industry", she said. "In this film, I'm depicted as a person who does not put on any make-up, which is very different from my well-known image, but in fact that's closer to my real image".

In the film, Jeon plays a documentary producer who helps out a man (played by Hwang) who believes that he is a superman who used to have, well, super-power.

But there are still concerns about her chance to prove her box-office power. Except for the blockbuster hit "My Sassy Girl", which represents the advent of the Korean Wave throughout Asia, Jeon has not impressed the local audiences that much.

For instance, "The Uninvited" (2003) was not so inviting, after all, with tepid reaction from the local moviegoers. In 2004, "Windstruck" was released and the expectations were almost at a sky-high level because the film seemed to be perfected designed to maximize Jeon's charm as an innocent yet provocatively sexy girl. But the results were equally disappointing.

In 2006, Jeon tried her luck again with "Daisy", but despite the huge media attention toward her, the film did not make any strong impression on the local market, raising questions about her acting talent.

Even though Jeon is the most sought-after fashion icon who wins one lucrative television ad contract after another, her acting seems to have hit a plateau since "My Sassy Girl", and critics are keeping their eyes on whether she can show any improvement in "A Man Once a Superman".



Jeon Ji-hyeon, "If all actors were like Hwang Jeong-min"

"Thinking it would be nice if all actors were like Hwang Jeong-min, I am currently greatly enjoying filming this movie", says Jeon Ji-hyeon of 'The man who used to be Superman'.

At the press conference held on the 28th, Jeon Ji-hyeon also commented, "I feel a lot of burden as I haven't acted in a Korean film for a while, but I feel very good about the movie itself. Hwang Jeong-min is a nice person beyond being an actor and I am also learning a lot (about acting)".

Jeon Ji-hyeon recently finished filming 'Blood: The Last Vampire' in Hollywood making this is her first Korean piece since "Daisy" which opened early last year.

She changed her style for the movie, changing her trademark long straight hair into a perm and lower bangs. She says, "I am very good at surviving. I don't put on makeup and my wardrobe is careless, but I am not concerning myself with it".

Hwang Jeong-min added, "I think her look right now is sexier and nice. At times she can be silly, but she is a very good person overall. Our teamwork is wonderful on set".

In response to a question asking what type of super power she would like, Jeon answered, "I want a super power that lets me act well. Working with Director Jeong and Hwang Jeong-min, I am making that power a reality".

Director Jeong commented, "The Korean film industry is suffering right now, but I want to become a Super Director that can save it. This movie is about letting people know that anyone can become a super hero if they want to, and giving them power and hope".

Jeon Ji-hyeon commented on an episode during filming, "I had to smoke a cigarette for the first time but it was tough as I usually consider health to be the most important", to which Hwang Jeong-min quickly replied, "It was a prop cigarette made of sagebrush".

This movie is about human documentary producer Song Soo Jeong (played by Jeon Ji-hyeon), who is sick of filming hypocritical programs that touch on people's sympathy, who starts to change by meeting a man (Hwang Jeong-min) believing himself to be a superman who has lost powers but still tries to help everyone around. The movie is scheduled for release early next year.