Oh
Ji-ho: From silence to prominence
By Fung
L. Yong
February
28, 2013
Besides his warm dazzling smile and
award-winning roles, South Korean actor Oh Ji-ho is also known for several other
things. Born in April 1976 in Mokpo and
widely known as Zio, he worked as an extra for several months in the late 1990s
before he was noticed by a director. As
an extra, he would appear as an onlooker or passer-by several times in one
scene by merely modifying his physical appearance, usually by a quick change of
clothes. He fondly remembers that his very
first line as an actor was pointing at a young woman and yelled, “Hey, you’re
hot!” That memorable experience happened more than fifteen years ago, when he
decided to become an actor rather than a Korean literature teacher, his
childhood ambition.
As a model, Zio first appeared in a caffè latte advertisement in 1998. First, caffé latte is simply a coffee-based
beverage that consists of mainly expresso and steamed milk. Thence, how would Zio make a good cup of caffè
latte'? Possessing rather creative culinary skills, he most probably uses
one-third expresso, two-thirds heated milk, and one centimeter of foam to
create a love heart or smiley face.
In 2000, Zio was cast in the leading role for
‘La Belle,’ an erotic art movie that still raises eyebrows today. In retrospect, he has no regrets doing the
controversial movie, which was considered as one of the most explicit movies
ever shot in his country at that time; instead, he considers it as a golden
opportunity for a 24-year-old aspirant to gain ‘exposure’ that could lead to
more impressive roles. Moreover, he
appears in almost every scene of ‘La Belle’ in which he portrays a young
melancholic writer who is obsessed with a self-destructive model who heartlessly
exploits him as a surrogate lover.
Despite his limited acting experience, his
sculptured looks and soulful eyes in ‘La Belle’ have left a lasting impression
among many viewers. Even the female lead
was star-struck when she first laid eyes on Zio; she admitted that his stunning
looks absolutely took her breath away. The
movie itself has become a dark horse; as Zio becomes increasingly more prominent,
it is not surprising that more and more people want to watch it, mostly out of curiosity. Although ‘La Belle’ has earned Zio international
attention and praise, it has also influenced people’s perception of him as an
actor. For more than five years after his
debut, he had to deal with unfavourable comments concerning his statuesque
image - he seemed like another pretty lounge lizard equipped with a bag of smooth
and slick tricks.
In 2001, Zio played Ji-hoo in the movie ‘I
Love You,’ co-starring Kim Nam-joo (as Hyun-soo) and Seo Rin (as Yoo-jin). Ji-hoo was the boyfriend of Yoo-jin, who
attempted suicide because she could not tolerate of loving someone other than
he. On the other hand, Hyun-soo was a
video journalist who was trying to gather information for a documentary about
death. While visiting the dying Yoo-jin,
she found out that her boyfriend Ji-hoo used to attend the same elementary
school as she. She also noticed his
seemingly empty stare while Yoo-jin passed on.
Things became complicated when he telephoned her while she was busy
preparing for her own wedding.
After ‘I Love You,’ Zio did not receive any
movie offers for more than a year; however, he remained optimistic and
eventually managed to get a major role in the 2003 movie ‘Silver Knife’ in
which he played a boisterous college student trying in vain to seduce his
conservative girlfriend, who wore a silver knife without fail as a symbol of
chastity. His heart-warming smile, hilarious
antics, and endless buffoonery in the movie inevitably led many people to
typecast him as a romantic comedy actor.
After ‘Silver Knife,’ Zio started
concentrating on melodramas. He obtained
a supporting role in the 2003 SBS drama, ‘Detectives’ and another in the 2004
KBS drama, ‘The Second Proposal.’ In
2005, he received a more substantial role in two KBS dramas, ‘Super Rookie’ and
‘Autumn Shower’ that allowed him to expand his acting repertoire and increase
his fan base, particularly in Japan.
Zio’s star power became even more resplendent
after he played the now famous handyman role in the 2006 ‘Couple or Trouble,’ an
MBC drama that had received up to 20 percent ratings. Besides winning the 2006 MBC popularity ward,
Zio also held his first ever fan meeting in Seoul to mark his eighth year in
show business as well as to express his gratitude to those who have supported
him through thick and thin.
At the much- anticipated gathering, he
effortlessly won the hearts of more than 350 ardent fans with his firm
handshake and uncanny memory. Attracted
by his bright smile and charming personality, many of them have become his true
fans since. While admitting that he had
experienced many obstacles since debuting, he modestly stated that he would
endeavour to become a better actor who brings joy and laughter into people’s
lives.
In ‘Couple or Trouble,’ Zio owned a small construction
firm and had to take care of three young nephews. One evening, he gave a ride to an arrogant
hotel heiress who beat him up with a spade; after seeing some red paint in the
car, she mistook him for a murderer.
Later on, he found himself in her luxurious yacht, repairing a shower
tap. While threatening him, she slipped
over some skin lotion, landing neatly into his arms. Bending down, he noticed a mole on her chest. Instead of paying him, she accused him of
doing a sloppy job and demanded that he turn everything back to its original
state.
When he hollered that she was just another
bored rich shrew without any friends or lovers, she pushed him into the sea,
hardly believing her ears. Infuriated
and ignoring his pleas, she also threw his much-valued toolbox, which he
claimed containing his “weapons” into the water.
Upon reaching her hotel, she had a heated
argument with her own husband who threatened to divorce her. While nursing her wounded pride in the yacht,
she dropped her wedding ring while drinking a generous amount of wine. Chasing
the ring, she slipped and fell overboard.
After reaching home, he was still seething
over the fact that she not only almost killed him more than once, but also owed
him a substantial sum of money. Worse
still, he had to dive into the sea to retrieve his tools.
The loggerheads met again, this time at the
hospital. She almost drowned after
falling overboard in pursuit of her wedding ring. He experienced the same fate after stashing a
spanner, hammer, and other heavy tools in his pockets. Separated by only a curtain, she complained
that he was noisy, and subsequently, smelly.
Hearing a familiar voice, he abruptly drew the curtain apart and could
hardly believe what he saw. There she
was, unable to remember what had transpired between them.
An idea suddenly occurred to him: He would bring her home to be his homemaker –
someone who could cook, clean, and take care of three young children. The doctor and nurse were only too happy to
find that she was in good hands especially when he could provide evidence that
they were actually a couple; he told the nurse that the patient had a mole on
her chest.
She had a rough start, but she eventually
became a good homemaker. Meanwhile, many
hilarious yet poignant things happened between them. Once, she threw a hot pan on the floor when
it caught fire; he was taking his shower at that time. Hearing the commotion, he stepped out to
investigate, wearing only a short towel.
Stepping onto some hot oil, he started hopping without realizing that
his towel had already landed on the floor. He turned beetroot red standing
right in front of her in his birthday suit!
After ‘Couple or Trouble,’ Zio was offered
another much-coveted role in the 2007 SBS romantic comedy, ‘Get Karl, Oh
Soo-jung’ in which he played a successful golfer who tried to humiliate the
bride who abandoned him at the altar eight years preciously, and now wanted him
back. After many trials and
tribulations, the loggerheads decided to compromise and get married, giving the
drama a live-happily-ever-after ending.
In 2008, Zio assumed the leading role in the
KBS melodrama, ‘Single Dad in Love’ in which he portrayed a single father who
had to work long hours to save his little son from the ravages of brain tumour. Zio hoped that the role could be a source of
inspiration and moral support to all the single parents in his country. He also spent some time at the children’s
hospital where parts of the drama were filmed.
The kind-hearted actor was seen interacting with parents, blowing
balloons, or socializing with the children long after shooting hours.
In 2009, Zio and Kim Nam-joo co-starred again
in the MBC drama ‘Queen of Housewives’ that had received favourable
ratings. It was a prominent role for
him, this time he acted as a man who had to depend on his wife to get a job at
a food company. Things became chaotic
but hilarious when the director’s wife, who had known him since college,
intended to snatch him away. The
director, on the other hand, was deeply interested in his own wife. Fortunately, he managed to prevent his
marriage from hitting the rocks through sheer diligence and commitment. Zio hoped that his role could inspire all the
jobseekers in his country to remain optimistic and persistent while trying to
earn a stable income to support the family.
To show his appreciation to the ‘Queen of
Housewives’ crew of 100 members, Zio endowed each with a jacket, reflecting his
generosity and kindness. Most
importantly, the two co-actors have established a firm friendship since ‘I Love
You’ in 2001; having experienced rather similar problems in show business, they
are not only able to celebrate their achievements together, but also giving
each other encouragement and moral support during challenging times.
In 2010, Zio was offered a hefty role in “The
Slave Hunters,’ portraying a military general who served a crown prince in China. After returning to Joseon, they found
themselves embroiled in a political struggle.
The crown prince died mysteriously shortly after his return; all his
family members were murdered, except the youngest son who was exiled to Jeju
Island. The general himself was framed
for stealing military supplies and was reduced to slavery.
Determined to save the exiled prince and
declare him to be the rightful heir to the throne, the general-turned-slave
escaped from the prison camp and embarked on a dangerous journey to the
island. A slave hunter (Jang Hyuk) was
employed to capture the general, who rescued a young woman on the run from an
arranged marriage. She turned out to be the girlfriend of the slave hunter whom
had been seeking for more than a decade.
In 2011, Zio acted in ‘Strangers 6,’ a
Korean-Chinese-Japanese collaborative drama about six secret agents from Korea,
China, and Japan who had to protect the joint economic zone of their countries. It was a fictional city named Haiwan, a
borderless economical hub for South Korean, Japanese, and Chinese companies. However, the city was threatened by a
gigantic earthquake predicted to occur within three months. To reduce the
impact of the disaster, the countries had to install a special device underneath
the city; however, it would require cutting-edge technology and heavy funding
from all three countries.
To promote socioeconomic progress, the three
nations decided to have a joint-operation to install the device as soon as
possible. However, an unknown person was attempting to stop the project by
killing the people involved. To
implement the project and to find the murderer, ‘Strangers 6′ was formed,
comprising top-notched agents from the three countries.
In 2012, Zio successfully completed two acting
projects: ‘The Grand Heist’ and ‘Third Ward.’
‘The Grand Heist’ became a box office hit when
ticket sales skyrocketed to 4.7 million after 19 days. In the historical movie, Zio portrayed a
Joseon warrior employed to guard the royal ice warehouse. One night, a corrupted minister stole all the
ice blocks and the civic-conscious guard was subsequently accused of theft and
destruction of loyal property. While in
jail, he met a masked ice thief whom he had tried to capture previously, and
together, they decided to escape and rob the ice warehouse according to a precarious
but foolproof plan. When the guard firmly
stated that all the stolen ice and other valuable goods would be used for
non-profit purposes, the comrade reluctantly agreed. The movie, which has a
touch of ‘Ocean Eleven,’ contains many hilarious scenes and amusing lines,
making it one of the most watched 2012 movies in Korea.
On the other hand, ‘Third Ward’
is a medical drama in which Zio acts as an acupuncturist who often has to
endure the arrogance of a neurosurgeon, who happens to be his own brother. He has experienced several interesting
moments while acting in the drama, one of which was that his kissing scene with
the female lead was cut for fear of offending her fans. Nevertheless, he was impressed with her
acting ability, besides being happy to be in a love line with her in the drama.
However, he found it a real challenge to
administer acupuncture precisely besides remembering mind-boggling terms
associated with traditional medicine. He
also had to practice mountain-climbing as one of the scenes required him to
procure a rare herb on top of a mountain. Finally, contrasting traditional and modern medicine,
the drama features an attractive cast of well-known actors and pop singers,
resulting in favorable viewership ratings.
Please send your comments to fung.yong@ymail.com
Thank you.
