[Edaily Reporter Choi Hee-jae ] "I read the script and the afterglow lingered for three days."

During an interview held on the 10th at a café in Samcheong-dong, Seoul, to mark the release of the Netflix film *Possible Love*, Jo Yeo-jeong shared how she came to join director Lee Chang-dong’s new film and her thoughts on the project.

Released on the 6th, “Possible Love” tells the story of a couple—one a laid-off worker and the other wealthy—whose lives become intertwined through the production of a documentary, forcing them to confront their own desires and the cracks in their relationships. Jo Yeo-jeong plays the role of Ye-ji, the documentary director.

This film marks Jo Yeo-jeong’s first collaboration with director Lee Chang-dong. She said, “Directors have stories they want to tell the world through their films, and I’m most happy that I can be a part of that story.”

Jo Yeo-jeong, who was the last to be cast, said she had first seen the casting announcements for Jeon Do-yeon, Seol Kyung-gu, and Jo In-sung. “I vaguely thought, ‘That’s nice. But there isn’t a single woman…’” she recalled. “I was surprised when I later received the casting call, and I really wanted to have even just one line of dialogue. Don’t all actors have a strong desire to experience working on a director’s set?”

Jo Yeo-jeong said she held onto the afterglow of the script for three days after receiving it. “I contacted the director and said, ‘The script is so profound that it’s hard to even express how much I enjoyed reading it. Of course, I want to do this, and I’ll give it my all,’” she explained.

She then mentioned Jeon Do-yeon, saying, “I got a message from Do-yeon unni, and she said she was so happy to be working with me and that we should do our best together. It made me so happy.” She smiled and added, “I like her so much that I’d reach out to her out of the blue. I’d even buy tickets to go see her performances.”

The role of Ye-ji is also a character that reflects Director Lee Chang-dong from the perspective of an observer and chronicler. Jo Yeo-jeong also confessed that the process of portraying Ye-ji was not easy. She explained, “It was a really difficult character. I faced the major challenge of asking myself, ‘Can I really act like a real documentary director?’” She continued, “I focused on developing the character of Ye-ji in my own way—her background, her current circumstances, and how she’s lived her life.”

While preparing for the role, she also watched works by renowned documentary directors such as Frederick Wiseman. However, she drew the line at using them as direct references. Jo Yeo-jeong said, “Every actor has a different style, and I felt I shouldn’t delve too deeply into theirs,” adding, “I would watch them for a while and then stop on purpose. I decided I had to live out the rest myself.” As if documenting the set through Ye-ji’s eyes, she even took her own photos of Jeon Do-yeon, the set, and monitor screens.

Jo Yeo-jeong added, “The director cast the documentary crew in the film not as actors, but as an actual film crew. They were a real cinematographer and real film producers. He helped me naturally assemble my own real film crew.”

Because the role requires portraying someone else’s sacrifice or pain, Ye-ji’s character and her professional ethos may come across as deceptive to some. When asked how she interpreted this, she replied, “I thought of her as someone who, even though she grew up in Apgujeong, had a father who ran a laundromat, and even though she chose to marry the wealthy Sang-woo, still felt like she didn’t belong anywhere.”

She continued, “I saw Ye-ji as a character who has always been driven to work hard since childhood—someone who puts in effort in every moment and every relationship.” She explained, “Although she knows she doesn’t belong anywhere, she isn’t just a character defined by loneliness; she’s someone with aspirations. I believed that, the more she strives for self-realization and pursues what she wants to do, the more it brings balance to her life. That’s what I focused on.”

The team atmosphere on the set of *Possible Love* is already well-known. Jo Yeo-jeong credited Jo In-sung for the positive on-set atmosphere. “I didn’t do anything,” she said, “but Mr. Jo In-sung made everyone laugh with his perfect sense of humor. The two senior actors were also so lovely and cute that just watching their chemistry made me smile naturally,” she added, expressing her affection.

“Possible Love” was selected as South Korea’s entry in the International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards. It has won the Grand Jury Prize at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, the TIFF Everett Director’s Award at the 51st Toronto International Film Festival, and the Otter Award at the 49th Mill Valley Film Festival. It is available to stream on Netflix.