"I was ready to leave at any moment"… Cho Ye-jeong says "The Concubine" became her turning point

Actress Cho Ye-jeong (45) revealed that the film "The Concubine" was a turning point in her acting career.

Recently, a video titled "Cho Ye-jeong, is it okay to be this honest? First-ever release of behind-the-scenes with Director Lee Chang-dong!" was uploaded to the YouTube channel 'PDC by PDC'.

In the video, Cho Ye-jeong stated that she takes time alone to reflect on herself between finishing one project and starting the next.

She said, "I am the type who digs deep into a cave to scold myself when I fail at a challenge," adding, "Isn't it important to know what I am good at and what I am not? That is why I retreat into my own room."

She further added, "When I accepted failure heavily, I crushed myself for several years, as if pressing kimchi with stones. Looking back now, I am taking out and consuming the things I gained during that time. It was a very good period. A truly necessary time."

Cho Ye-jeong also shared, "I thought in my mid-30s that 'I have no special skills in acting,' but that was also when I was active in many projects," revealing, "It mostly seemed fine on the surface, but in reality, there were my own successes and failures within it."

She continued, "Through that experience, I realized that I do not pursue acting mixed with flashy techniques," stating, "I used to think of acting as transforming into another person, but after that, I came to believe that acting is about showing who I am."

Cho Ye-jeong pointed to the film "The Concubine," which she filmed at age 30, as her turning point. She described it as "the work that pulled me above the surface," explaining, "My filmography started rolling while filming 'The Concubine'."

She then said with a smile, "Honestly, in my 20s, I always kept one foot out so I could leave (the entertainment industry) at any moment if things went wrong, but by my mid-30s, it became impossible to leave. So I go into the cave."

Cho Ye-jeong debuted as a cover model for the magazine "CéCi" in 1997. She has appeared in films such as "The Concubine: The King's Mistress," "Human, Space, Time," and "Parasite," as well as dramas like "I Need Romance" and "It's Not an Affair Right Now." In Director Lee Chang-dong's film "Possible Love," released on the 6th, she acted alongside actors Jeon Do-yeon, Sol Kyung-gu, and Cho In-sung.