Jung Il-woo, Secret Two-Month Shoot in Japan: “Posted ‘Business Trip’ on SNS”

*This content was translated by AI.

Actor Jung Il-woo reflected on the filming of his first Japanese work, Criminal, as he embarked on a new acting transformation.

On the 30th, a press conference for Amazon Prime Video’s original Japanese drama Criminal was held at CGV Yongsan i-Park Mall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Director Matsunaga Taishi and Jung Il-woo attended the event.

Criminal is a crime mystery depicting three individuals — a detective, a reporter, and a survivor — who “would never have expected to meet,” as they pursue a life-or-death chase to uncover a massive truth.

Jung Il-woo revealed that he stayed in Japan for about two months to film his first Japanese work. He laughed, saying, “Although I was staying in Japan, I couldn’t reveal the filming details, so there was even an episode where I posted ‘Business Trip’ on social media.”

He continued, “There were difficulties arising from language and cultural differences, but the director provided a lot of help. Since I tried to focus on the filming on set, I don’t think there were any major hardships.”

He also actively contributed ideas during the process of adapting his character as Korean. Jung Il-woo explained, “In the original work, Takigawa is Japanese, but the director changed him into a Korean character. I thought adding Korean elements would make the character more vivid.”

He further added, “In the original, Takigawa touches an acupressure ball, so I suggested changing it to a walnut. I felt the sound of cracking walnuts would fit well with the eerie atmosphere, and the director accepted it as a good idea.” He also noted, “The combat boots worn in the work were actually ones I wore during my military service.”

Regarding instructions he received during the directing process, Jung Il-woo said, “Rather than telling me to do something, the director often emphasized ‘just approach the role itself.’ Whenever I tried to prove myself as an actor, he stressed that point. I made a lot of effort in those areas.”

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*This content was translated by AI.