What if your daughter turned into a zombie and you still couldn't stop being her dad? Actor Jo Jung-suk returns to the big screen this summer with "My Daughter is a Zombie," a quirky, heartwarming twist on the zombie genre that blends dark comedy with the story of a devoted father who will do everything for his child.

Jo, known for his roles in box office hits such as "Exit" (2019) and "Pilot” (2024), will reveal a new side of himself in this offbeat yet touching role.

"Both 'Exit' and 'Pilot' were great projects, but this summer, I'm greeting you with 'My Daughter Is a Zombie,'" Jo said during a press conference in Seoul Monday.

"'Exit' and 'Pilot' both opened on July 31, and coincidentally, 'My Daughter Is a Zombie' opens one day earlier on July 30. I hope for good results this time as well."

Adapted from a popular webtoon of the same title, Jo takes on the role of Jung-hwan, a father and zookeeper.

"Jung-hwan is a zookeeper who handles fierce animals. Because of his profession, he thinks, 'What if I can turn my zombie daughter back through training?' So he's a devoted father who tries to train her without giving up," the actor explained.

Director Pil Gam-seong, known for his previous works such as the 2021 movie "Hostage: Missing Celebrity" and 2023 TV drama "A Bloody Lucky Day," shared his long-standing admiration for Jo.

"I saw a musical starring Jo in the early 2000s and ever since then, I became a complete fan of him," Pil said. "From the scriptwriting stage, I wrote with actor Jo in mind."

Pil emphasized Jo's unique ability to combine humor and emotion.

"I believed that Jo was the only actor who could express both the comedic and heartbreaking scenes with such charm and appeal," he said. "When he agreed to appear, I felt like I was flying."

Jo added he also felt an immediate connection to the script.

"It's a work based on a popular webtoon, but I hadn't read the webtoon at all and read the script first. Even so, the script was incredibly fun," he said.

The film also marks a reunion for acclaimed actors Lee Jung-eun and Cho Yeo-jeong, who appeared together in the Oscar-winning film "Parasite" (2019).

Lee highlighted the role reversal in "My Daughter is a Zombie" as she plays Bam-soon, Jung-hwan's mother, while Cho plays Yeon-hwa, Jung-hwan's friend.

“Our roles have been pretty much reversed from 'Parasite,'" Lee said. "In 'Parasite,' I served Cho as madam, but this time, I am the landlord."

Cho also expressed her delight at working with Lee again. "In 'Parasite,' there weren't many scenes where Lee and I were together within the movie," Cho said. "So I wanted to meet her again, and now that I've done this project, I want to meet again."

Choi Yu-ri, who plays the zombie daughter Soo-ah, was stunned by her own transformation in this film. The 16-year-old actor revealed that it took about two hours to complete the zombie makeup look and she was "very surprised" when she first saw herself.

"It was a webtoon I had been following for a long time and after reading the script, I really wanted to be Soo-ah," Choi said.

By Baek Byung-yeul

The Korea Times (click)