[HanCinema's News] Ji Il-joo Graduates to Leading Role With "My Bossy Girl"
By William Schwartz | Published on
Ji Il-joo has had an extremely strong run in recent dramas. From "Age of Youth" to "Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo" and plenty of other projects in between, Ji Il-joo has a distinctive face. But it only lasts for as long as he's on-screen to fulfill his limited narrative role, which usually isn't for that long.
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In "Crazy Romance", for example, he is critical as the ex-boyfriend to Kong Hyo-jin's character, but he disappears after the film's first act.
"Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo"
But with "My Bossy Girl" Ji Il-joo finally gets a chance to shine for a full runtime in the leading role, as opposed to the more temporary ones he has usually been tasked with. The sheer range of Ji Il-joo's roles have made the actor difficult to pigeonhole. He can and has run the gamut from anything from a naive young person to a psychotic to a man who investigates psychotics and anything in between. Ji Il-joo is also a director with the one part of "The First Issue" and all of "Huris" to his credit.
After all of this exposure, though, Ji Il-joo faced his best chance for a more permanent stardom with the upcoming "My Bossy Girl". The movie's overall prospects are difficult to judge. The romantic comedy's success will hinge on just how convincing viewers find the pair-up between Ji Il-joo and leading lady Lee Elijah. The actress doesn't have the breadth of Ji Il-joo's filmography, but she has had more substantial roles, as well as her own fan following.
"My Bossy Girl" will release in South Korean theaters on December 4th. Lee Elijah is currently appearing in "Chief of Staff - Season 2" and Ji Il-joo is currently set to make special appearances in three upcoming drama festas ("Drama Festa - Hi, Dracula", "Drama Festa - Luwak Human" and "Drama Festa - Recipe for Happiness").
Written by William Schwartz
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"My Bossy Girl" is directed by Lee Jang-hee-II, and features Lee Elijah, Ji Il-joo, Heo Jung-min, Kim Ki-doo, Lee Jini, Ryu Hye-rin. Release date in Korea: 2019/12/04.
William Schwartz
Staff writer. Has been writing articles for HanCinema since 2012, having lived in South Korea from 2011 to 2021. He is currently located in the Portland metropolitan area. William Schwartz can be contacted via william@hancinema.net, and is open to requests for content in future articles.