Screen debut and career as character actor
Cho made his screen debut in 2004 with the film Once Upon a Time in High School, an opportunity he came across by chance. While strolling in Samseong-dong, he met a military senior who worked at a film company and invited him to audition. he soon found himself in the company's office meeting teen star Kwon Sang-woo, which led him to believe the opportunity was legitimate. Despite being 29 or 30 years old at the time, he was cast as a high school student. Before the film's release, he asked his father for permission to adopt his name as his stage name, a choice he said was a pledge "not to bring shame to my father's name." His father's name, Jin-woong, written in hanja as "thunder" (震) and "male" (雄).
Early in his career, Cho gained a reputation as a scene-stealer in supporting roles in films such as Hwang Dong-hyuk's film Our Brother (2004), Jung Ji-woo's film Running Wild (2006), Yu Ha's film A Dirty Carnival (2006), and Kwak Kyung-taek's film Gangster High (2006). He expanded his presence on television with key roles in dramas like My Too Perfect Sons (KBS2, 2009), The Slave Hunters (KBS2, 2010), A Man Called God (MBC, 2010), and Deep Rooted Tree (SBS, 2011).
Cho's career took a significant turn with a series of acclaimed film roles, including Jang Hoon's film The Front Line(2011), Park Hee-gon's film Perfect Game (2011), and Yoon Jong-bin's film Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time (2012). His filmography continued to grow with notable performances in Jang Joon-hwan's film Hwayi: A Monster Boy (2013), Kim Seong-hun's film A Hard Day (2014), and Yoon Jong-bin's film Kundo: Age of the Rampant (2014). He was part of two films that each attracted over 10 million viewers, Kim Han-min's film The Admiral: Roaring Currents (2014) and Choi Dong-hoon's film Assassination (2015).
