Actor Cho Yeo-jeong shared that while she holds voting rights for the Academy Awards, she is unsure if she is currently able to vote due to unpaid membership dues.
Attending an interview for the film "Possible Love" held on the afternoon of November 10 in Samcheong-dong, Seoul, Cho Yeo-jeong was asked how she felt about participating in the Academy race once again, seven years after "Parasite" in 2019. She answered, "Back then, I was shooting a drama, so I couldn't take part in the campaign race. I attended the Golden Globes and the Oscars, but while the race was in full swing, I was filming in Seoul and followed the news through articles." She continued, "This is the first time I am involved right from the very beginning. Right now, I am focusing on everyone's health and stamina. It seems like stamina is quite necessary. As the director always says, our mindset is simply to do our best."
The Academy Awards ceremony lasts for just one day, but films eyeing the Oscars conduct massive campaigns spanning several months to win the votes of nearly 10,000 Academy members.
Cho Yeo-jeong played a leading role in the 2019 film "Parasite," contributing to its historic achievement of winning four Academy Awards. However, at the time, the cast participated in the Academy campaign on a limited basis due to drama and film schedules, and Cho Yeo-jeong also attended only the ceremonies.
Rejoining the Academy race after approximately seven years with "Possible Love," Cho Yeo-jeong expressed enthusiasm and determination for the campaign activities that lay the groundwork for potential awards.
Alongside this, she also touched upon her eligibility to participate in voting as an Academy member. Cho Yeo-jeong remarked with embarrassment, "To be honest, I'm not very familiar with technology, so I haven't paid my dues." She added, "If you don't pay your dues, do you lose your voting rights as well? I honestly don't know. I haven't been able to pay attention to it, so I think I should ask other actors about it."
When asked if she plans to vote for "Possible Love" if she has the right to vote, she answered cautiously, "I am careful to say this because there might be a secret ballot requirement, but if I am able to vote, I will naturally cast it for 'Possible Love.'"
Leading Korean actors such as Song Kang-ho, Jeon Do-yeon, Park Hae-il, Ha Jung-woo, and Cho Yeo-jeong, as well as directors including Lee Chang-dong, Park Chan-wook, and Bong Joon-ho, have been invited as Academy members and hold voting privileges. They can be award contenders as well as voting members.
"Possible Love" marks director Lee Chang-dong's first new project in eight years, telling the story of two married couples—a laid-off worker and his wife, and a documentary director and her husband—who meet to produce a documentary and confront their contrasting lives and hidden desires. In this production, Cho Yeo-jeong stars as Yeji, a documentary director who reflects director Lee Chang-dong.
The film was released worldwide on Netflix on November 6.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)
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