Thanks to BTS, BLACKPINK, PARASITOUS..Identification and Direction Found With Hojo, XO, Kitty 2 (Roundup)
Jan 31, 2025
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Hojo, whom I recently met at a cafe in Seoul, was an owner of various charms. He was born in Korea and raised in a foreign country according to his parents' job. He went to college in the U.S. through Thailand, Singapore, and Israel. In Thailand, I went to an international school in England, and when I was in the second grade of elementary school, I saw my classmates doing musicals, so I wanted to do it. Since elementary school, I have been doing plays and musicals consistently no matter which school I go to. My heart was pounding (watching the smoke), and I wanted to do it. Then, I majored in acting at a university (University of Michigan)."
Hojo has been shining his passion for acting despite his parents' opposition that he thought acting was a hobby. Hojo said "My parents must have had a lot of anxiety. There's no one around acting, and at first they thought it was just a hobby. Still, I wanted to go to America unconditionally and learn acting. And I wanted to start there. Since I started acting in English for the first time, I was worried that the mayor of Korea would accept me. "I studied hard because my parents warned me that if I go to a university in the top 30, you should do it on your own." That's how I went to the University of Michigan and met my current agency through my graduation showcase."
Worries about the Korean market have naturally disappeared. This is because K-pop star BTS (BTS) gained worldwide popularity, and the award-winning news of the movie 'Parasite' continued. Hojo "It was also difficult due to COVID-19, but at that time, as the work "Parasite" and the group BTS gained attention, they highly appreciated the recognition of Korea in auditions and meetings. At that time, I felt many times that being Korean would be helpful, but I thought that I should come to Korea for a while during Corona. At that time, it was a very difficult time in the United States, but I felt so comfortable and safe to come to Korea. At that time, thanks to COVID-19, we were able to have video meetings online even if we didn't live in the U.S. "
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I also thought I wanted to quit acting. Because I was mentally and physically exhausted by COVID-19. It is explained that he actually got a job at a startup company and worked as a UX designer at a time when he was not sure about his activities abroad. Hojo studied UX design and worked for a startup company. It's hard to become an actor, but I think I'm too tired because COVID-19 broke out. I felt like I had lost my energy. However, (design) work is also an area that requires a lot of empathy, so I felt that it was something in common with acting. Then, I was contacted by an audition for an American production. I failed until the fifth audition, but then I had the will to act again."
After many twists and turns, 'XO, Kitty2' is lucky. 'XO, Kitty: Season 2' is a series about Kitty, who is attending her mother's international high school in Korea, returning to Seoul for the new semester, and according to Netflix's official site, Netflix TOP 10 ranked first in 32 countries around the world after ranking second overall in the TV show (English) in the third week of January. Since season 1 was already successful, expectations for season 2 continued. Hojo said "I thought I wouldn't be able to do it after watching the audition, but I got a call that it was me. I screamed in the car. 'Was there a mistake?' I thought so. I was actually in charge of reading the script at the audition, and I was lucky to have an audition. I thought it would be someone else, not me, because I was attracted enough to others while reading the script at the audition. While preparing for the acting, I also felt a great sense of happiness. It's been a long time since I've done this genre, and since it's a short romantic comedy, I needed a technique and the development was fast. I've had a lot of trouble."
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'XO, Kitty' instilled confidence and direction in Hojo for his next activity. Hojo came to think "Let's think it easy". First of all, I don't worry about it now, and I don't give it meaning, and I want to do it as much as I can if I have a chance. It's the same for any actor, but isn't there a character you want to play. I like acting in English and I want to use another language. There is such greed at this point in time when it is becoming global anyway. In a way, I may be an outsider, but I want to try a work that features diverse characters. I'm a huge fan of director Park Chan-wook's work 'Lady' and 'Bat', so I want to work with him someday, and I want to work with director Lee Kyung-mi who made 'Health Teacher Ahn Eun-young'" revealed the wind.
lunamoon@sportschosun.com