Jo Jung-suk

Jo Jung-suk had always wanted to be on stage. He was admitted into the Theater department of Seoul Institute of the Arts on student loan, but after his father died in 2000, Jo's widowed mother became fully dependent on him. He was granted an exemption from military service due to family circumstances, and he quit school before graduating so he could start earning money by doing musicals. He made his professional acting debut in The Nutcracker in 2004.[3]

Jo then became active and well known in musical theatre, acting in a total of 25 musicals during the first nine years of his career,[4] including Organ in My Heart (musical adaptation of The Harmonium in My Memory),[5] Janggeum the Great (musical adaptation of Jewel in the Palace),[6][7] and Korean productions of Hedwig and the Angry Inch,[8] Grease, The Island,[9][10] and Spring Awakening.[11][12]

Jo Jeong-seok said this in an interview with the past media,

"To be honest, I don’t really like the word musical actor. I just want to be an actor. A really good actor."
Financial News article on May 3, 2007[13]

In 2011 he landed his first television role on cable series What's Up as an awkward but talented music student.[14] But 2012 would be his breakout year, starring in two high-profile projects. In his big screen debut, he played a supporting role in box office hit Architecture 101.[15] As the young hero's best friend Nab-ddeuk, Jo's performance brimmed with personality and comic timing, and he won Best New Actor at the Blue Dragon Film Awards,[16] as well as received nominations from the Grand Bell Awards and Buil Film Awards. He was once again a scene stealer in his third onscreen role as earnest soldier Eun Shi-kyung in the drama series The King 2 Hearts.[17] Jo's display of versatility and screen presence in those projects caused a surge in mainstream popularity for the actor, resulting in close to twenty offers for films and TV series, not to mention commercials.[18][19]

He next starred in big-screen comedy Almost Che, loosely based on a real-life incident from 1985, in which student activists forcibly occupied the US Cultural Center in Seoul and had a standoff with the police.[20][21]

In 2013, Jo Jung-suk starred in his first historical film, The Face Reader, alongside Song Kang-ho. Jo played the role of Paeng Heon, a character who holds the key to an important plot reversal in the film. He wanders around the eight provinces in the story. Jo received favorable reviews from critics for his excellent performance and established himself as an actor by winning the Best Supporting Actor award at both the Grand Bell Awards and the Korean Association of Film Critics Awards.[22] Song Kang-ho praised Jo's performance, saying:

"Jo Jung-suk is a talented actor. He was imprinted on the public through 'Introduction to Architecture', but in fact, he expressed various emotions in The Face Reader. He seems to be an excellent performer, capable of acting with emotional depth rather than a comedic appearance."
Sports Chosun, September 2, 2013.[23]

Then Jo returned to television in his first onscreen leading role in the 2013 family drama You're the Best, Lee Soon-shin.[24]

Jo appeared in two films in 2014: the period thriller The Fatal Encounter, where he played an assassin targeting King Jeongjo,[25][26] and the romantic comedy My Love, My Bride, a remake of the same-titled 1990 hit in which he and Shin Min-ah played a newly married couple.[27][28][29]

In 2015, Jo played an arrogant star chef who falls for his kitchen assistant who's been possessed by a virgin ghost in Oh My Ghost, which was a commercial and critical hit.[30][31] He also headlined The Exclusive: Beat the Devil's Tattoo, in which he played a TV news reporter who gets a scoop,[32][33] followed by the time-hopping thriller Time Renegade.[34]

In 2016, Jo played an announcer in SBS's romantic comedy Don't Dare to Dream who falls for a weather announcer (played by Gong Hyo-jin).[35] The series was a hit and led to increased popularity for Jo, who then became one of the most in-demand actors in the industry.[36] He then headlined the comedy-drama film My Annoying Brother alongside Park Shin-hye and Do Kyung-soo of Exo.[37] The film topped box office charts and earned positive reviews for Jo, who was praised for his comedic timing and chemistry with co-star Do.[38]

In 2017, Jo was cast in the gangster thriller The Drug King, directed by Woo Min-ho.[39] The same year, he made his small-screen comeback in MBC's fantasy comedy drama Two Cops.[40][41]

In 2018, Jo was cast in the action thriller film Hit-and-Run Squad in which he took a role as an antagonist,[42]

Jo Jung-suk 2018

After the contract with Cultural Depot was terminated in February 2018 Jo Jung-suk worked as free agent for awhile.[43] In March 2019, he signed an exclusive contract with Jam Entertainment, a new agency. Later, he took on the role of Baek Yi-gang, the eldest son of the notorious stranger Baekga in the historical drama Nokdu Flower.[44][45] Jo received critical acclaim for his perfect use of dialect and immersive acting in each episode. He won the Best Actor Award in the Mid-Length Drama category at the SBS Drama Awards.

In 2019, Jo starred alongside Im Yoon-ah in disaster action comedy film written and directed by Lee Sang-geun, Exit. The film follows the story of Yongnam, a young unemployed man, who attempts to reconnect with an old crush, but following a chain of events, they end up trying to escape from a mysterious white gas that threatens to engulf the entire Seoul district.[46] Exit first premiered in South Korea on July 31, 2019.[47] It was considered a box office success earning over US$69.5 million worldwide, becoming South Korea's third highest-grossing domestic film for 2019.[48][49] Jo established himself as a box office actor with his acting skills and ticket power combined. He was nominated for the Best Actor Award at the Blue Dragon Film Awards.[50]

In 2020, Jo starred in the medical drama Hospital Playlist, as Lee Ik-jun, an assistant professor of general surgery.[51] The drama was work of duo Shin Won-ho and writer Lee Woo-jung of the 'Reply Series'. The audience rating for the final episode recorded 14.1%, and it received a lot of love for its heart-warming human story. He reprised his role in season 2 in 2021.[52]

In 2022, Jo hosts the 2022 Jo Jung-suk Show at Mastercard Hall in Blue Square, Seoul for two days at 6 pm on September 3 and 5 pm on 4.[53]