'The Tyrant' star Jo Yoon-su surprised director with 'natural' fighting ability during action scenes

All four episodes of the Disney+ action thriller series "The Tyrant" were released on Aug. 14.

A still from recently released Disney+ action thriller series ″The Tyrant″ [WALT DISNEY COMPANY KOREA]

Lead actor Jo Yoon-su can clearly remember the day she shot her first intensely violent scene for the Disney+ action thriller series "The Tyrant." It was while shooting this scene that the director came up to her and asked, "Have you beaten up a lot of people in the past?"

The director, Park Hoon-jung, said that she looked "too natural" in the action scene and that he couldn't believe it was her first try, Jo laughed as she told the story during an interview with reporters on Tuesday.

“He told me that he'd have to look into my past,” Jo added.

It was from that moment when Jo felt relieved. "It gave me the courage to confidently perform my action scenes."

Actor Jo Yoon-su [WALT DISNEY COMPANY KOREA]

All four episodes of the Disney+ action thriller series "The Tyrant" were released on Aug. 14.

Director Park is widely known for “The Witch” film series, which includes "The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion" (2018) and its sequel "The Witch: Part 2. The Other One" (2022). The Disney series is an expansion of the films' universe, and follows the supernatural storyline.

The series revolves around the battle to secure the last missing sample from a secret project known as the “Tyrant Program,” conducted by Korea’s intelligence agency. The last sample contains a drug capable of creating a human with superpowers.

The series features a stellar lineup, with actors Cha Seung-won, Kim Kang-woo and Kim Seon-ho starring alongside rookie actor Jo.

The rookie actor says she was given great support by both the star-making director and the cast — as well as the opportunity to work with such experienced collaborators.

Actor Jo Yoon-su [WALT DISNEY COMPANY KOREA]

Director Park is known for discovering new talents, as he has often cast rookies for his films, like actor Kim Da-mi in “The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion." She has now become a renowned actor in the industry.

Jo, the 26-year-old actor, kicked off her acting career in 2019 through a web-based drama made by YouTube channel Cheeze Film and started to appear on TV in small roles, starting with tvN's series "True Beauty" (2020-21).

“Rather than feeling pressured, I think it was more about a strong sense of responsibility,” Jo said. “I felt a deep responsibility, as I did not want to damage the director's reputation or disappoint those expecting great things from me.”

Jo’s character, Ja-gyeong, has a split personality, holding both her own identity and her brother’s, which was one of the biggest concerns that the actor had while portraying the character.

The actor explained that she “delved into the details” to differentiate between the two identities, such as the characters’ mannerisms, head angles, facial expressions and speech patterns.

A still from recently released Disney+ action thriller series ″The Tyrant″[WALT DISNEY COMPANY KOREA]

“For Ja-gyeong, I tried to show expressions and looks of constant struggle,” Jo said. “For Ja-gyeong’s brother, I tried to show a brighter, more excited and enthusiastic demeanor, especially when the character kills people.”

Being a newbie in the field, there were a lot of firsts for Jo, such as her short hairstyle and action scenes.

“There was a point where I got a bit teary seeing myself with a hairstyle that I’m not used to,” Jo said, remembering the moment when she cut her hair short. The actor added that she always had long hair her entire life. “But at that moment, the director messaged me saying, ‘Do you feel colder with short hair?’”

The actor added that she replied that it was okay — to which Park answered back with compliments.

A still from recently released Disney+ action thriller series ″The Tyrant″ [WALT DISNEY COMPANY KOREA]

“Park replied saying that my new style perfectly fit the image of Ja-gyeong, adding a different vibe,” Jo added. “The compliments washed away everything I felt upset about and made me even happier.”

Jo's hard work was also noticed by her co-star Kim Kang-woo.

"Her character goes through so much, and the fact that she pulled it off is amazing," he told reporters in another interview held Monday.

"Managing to portray such a character without much prior experience shows how impressive she is," he added. "I'm proud to see this unique and awesome character come out of her."

While everything was a first for Jo, “The Tyrant” was Kim Kang-woo’s second collaboration with director Park, as well as Kim Seon-ho, as they had previously met in the director's other action film, “The Childe” (2023). Since they already knew a lot about each other, the process was "more efficient," according to Kim.

Actor Kim Kang-woo [WALT DISNEY COMPANY KOREA]

For Kim Kang-woo, who played U.S agent Paul, his English lines gave him major homework to do, especially as the series was set to be on a global platform.

“[At first,] I felt lost,” Kim said. “Simply memorizing the English lines is something I could do, but conveying them with emotion and the right nuance is something else.”

The actor also mentioned that he put a lot of effort into pronouncing the F-word correctly, which often appears in his lines, jokingly saying, “I always ended my day with practicing the pronunciation.”

He added, "Even if I practiced my English lines thoroughly, I thought it would all fall apart if I couldn't get the 'F' pronunciation right.”

A still from recently released Disney+ action thriller series ″The Tyrant″ [WALT DISNEY COMPANY KOREA]

Jo showed great gratitude toward Kim Kang-woo, Cha and Kim Seon-ho, referring to them as her “tear triggers,” as she felt so cared for by them.

Despite "The Tyrant" being out for just over a week, many viewers are already asking for more. When asked about a second season, however, actors Kim Kang-woo and Jo said that they had not heard anything about the show's future nor have discussed it.

However, Jo showed strong confidence in improving her role if a second season was put into action, saying, “If a second season is set to be released, I’m ready to show the next stage of Ja-gyeong.”

BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]