Jun Ji Hyun is back on the big screen after 11 years, and Colony is proving the wait was worth it.
Directed by Yeon Sang Ho, Colony follows survivors trapped inside a building sealed off by a mysterious infection as they fight infected beings that evolve in unpredictable ways. Starring Jun Ji Hyun, Koo Kyo Hwan, Ji Chang Wook, Shin Hyun Been, Kim Shin Rok and Ko Soo, the film was officially invited to Cannes and has already passed 2 million moviegoers in just five days.
Jun plays Kwon Se Jeong, a biotechnology professor and the survivor group’s leader. She attends a conference at the suggestion of her ex-husband Han Gyu Sung (Go Soo) and soon finds herself trapped in the outbreak.
Asked about working with Koo Kyo Hwan, playing Seo Young Chul, Jun said, “I spent the most time with him on set. He is cheerful and always tries to make the situation fun. He does not like things to get too serious, so we clicked well.”
“When I heard Koo Kyo Hwan was doing the role, I thought he would create something different. I was curious how he would play someone who controls zombies while blindfolded, and I think it came out with his own charm. He really lived up to expectations,” he added.
On leading the film as one of the last characters standing, Jun joked, “People kept disappearing one by one. At first, it was packed, but then the chairs started disappearing, and when it was just Koo Kyo Hwan and me left, I got anxious. I did not exactly love that other people got to go home before me.”
She added, “My belief that we had to finish the film well, along with director Yeon Sang Ho and Koo Kyo Hwan’s presence, helped me hang in there. Because there were so many actors, I did feel a sense of responsibility as the lead.”
Jun is now filming JTBC’s Human x Gumiho (literal title) with Ji Chang Wook. “During ‘Colony,’ I did not really talk with him at all. Our characters didn’t cross paths that often,” she said. “Now we are close. Watching the movie after getting close to him felt new. I thought if we filmed it now, it would probably feel different.”
On playing a gumiho, Jun said, “I tend to choose genres and characters that are not ordinary. It does not feel like I have often played people who are firmly grounded in everyday life. I do not seek out these roles on purpose, but I feel grateful because maybe that is something that makes me seem a little special. I am having fun playing gumiho now.”
Returning to Cannes with her first film in 11 years was also memorable. “Cannes is a dream place for people in film,” she said. “The feeling, the weather, the whole vibe — I will never forget it. Cannes is not my final goal, but it did make me want to go often.”
Asked whether she hopes to keep working in Yeon Sang Ho’s creative universe, Jun said, “I do. When I was talking with the director about his next project, he said he was preparing an action piece, so we talked about that. As a member of the ‘Yeoniverse,’ I am looking forward to it.”
>> Ji Chang Wook Praises Jun Ji Hyun’s Gumiho Role, Excited for Rom-Com
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