Hyun Seung-min (Korean: 현승민; born September 17, 1999), known professionally as Jung Ji-so (정지소) is a South Korean actress. Hyun made her acting debut as a child actress in the 2012 television drama May Queen. She is best known internationally for her role as Park Da-hye in Parasite, which won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and the Academy Award for Best Picture. For her performance in the film, she won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
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Early life
Before her acting career, Hyun was a promising figure skater. She skated for six years, from second grade to her first year of middle school, and even won a gold medal at the Lotte Mayor's Cup Figure Skating Competition.
Career
2012–2019: Beginning as child actress and model
Hyun made her acting debut as a child actress in the 2012 television drama May Queen. In the series, she played the child version of In-hwa, the brash and affluent daughter portrayed by Son Eun-seo. She earned praise from the production staff for her impressive figure skating abilities, which she displayed in the show. She then appeared in the MBC morning drama It Was Love, portraying the young version of Kim Bo-kyung's character. She has also worked as a commercial model.
In 2013, Hyun took on the role of the young Samsaengi in the KBS drama TV Novel Samsaengi. She was praised by audiences for her natural dialect acting as she portrayed a character who lives bravely despite being treated as an outcast by her parents. She then appeared in The Blade and Petal as the daughter of Gil-bu (played by Yoo Jae-myung). For both roles, she won the Best Female Youth Acting Award at the 2013 KBS Drama Awards, sharing the honor with Kim Yoo-bin (Heaven's Order), Kim Hyun-soo (Good Doctor / The Emperor's Dream), Kim Hwan-hee (You're the Best, Lee Soon-shin), and Moon Ga-young (The King's Family).
That same year, she played the younger version of Ha Ji-won's character in the drama Empress Ki. She gained particular attention for her portrayal of the young Seung-nyang, who is forced to become strong to survive after witnessing her mother's death. Despite her brief appearance, she left a lasting impression and received praise from viewers.
In late 2013, Hyun was cast in Koo Hye-sun's third feature film, Daughter, which was released in 2014 and marked her cinematic debut. In the film, she played the young San-yi, a younger version of Koo Hye-sun's character. The psychological drama focuses on the conflict between a mother who uses corporal punishment and her struggling daughter.
Also in 2014, Hyun signed an exclusive contract with Better Entertainment. She was cast in the MBC drama My Spring Days, portraying Kang Pu-reun, the daughter of the character played by Kam Woo-sung. She received positive reviews for her role as a respectable girl who cares for her younger brother and father in place of her deceased mother.
She then auditioned for and won the role of Seon-yi Park Hoon-jung's film The Tiger (2015). Her character, who was in marriage talks with the main character, Seok-yi (played by Sung Yu-bin), since childhood, received attention for her use of a dialect and her deep acting. Also in 2015, Hyun acted as younger versions of Han Ji-min's character in Hyde, Jekyll, Me.
2019 to present: Transition from child actress and breakthrough
Hyun adopted her stage name at nineteen after considerable reflection, viewing it as a chance to start anew. The name "Jung Ji-soo" was chosen to honor her ten-year-old sister, who admired her greatly, and to express her desire to care for her. Her parents later gifted her the Chinese characters for "ji" (知), meaning "knowledge," and "so" (蘇), meaning "resurrection." Afterwards, Jung successfully passed three rounds of auditions for the role of Park Da-hye in Bong Joon-ho's film, Parasite. She later admitted that she had approached the audition without high expectations, which she believed helped her succeed. Before landing the role, she had faced a period of emotional distress due to failing numerous auditions and the extended hiatus from acting, which had led her to consider quitting the profession entirely. While Parasite went on to win the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and the Academy Award for Best Picture, Jung was unable to attend the award ceremonies due to a scheduling conflict with her next project.
Following a successful audition with a 100:1 competition ratio, Jung was cast as the lead character, Baek So-jin, in the tvN drama The Cursed. This marked her first time in a main protagonist role in a series. Her character is a high school student with the ability to cause death using names, photos, and personal belongings. The drama, which also starred Uhm Ji-won, Sung Dong-il, and Jo Min-su, aired from February 10 to March 17, 2020. The series's screenwriter, Yeon Sang-ho, hinted at a possible second season if ratings exceeded 3%.
On July 16, 2020, it was announced that The Cursed would be adapted into a film titled The Cursed: Dead Man's Prey. Jung and Uhm Ji-won reprised their roles, with Oh Yoon-ah and Lee Seol joining the cast. The film, directed by Kim Yong-wan and written by Yeon Sang-ho, was produced by Climax Studio under the planning of Studio Dragon. Filming took place from September 9 to December 5, 2020. The film was released on July 28, 2021. It was also selected for the 'Korean Cinema Today - Panorama Section' at the 26th Busan International Film Festival and was screened on October 8, 2021. Additionally, it was invited to the 40th Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival and screened for its Belgian premiere on August 30, 2022.
In 2021, Jung starred as the main protagonist in Imitation, a series based on the webtoon of the same name, which aired on KBS2 from May 7 to July 23, 2021. Jung portrayed Lee Ma-ha, the center of the new girl group Tea Party. After her initial debut plans were canceled, she spent three years working various jobs before getting a second chance with Tea Party. Despite facing severe online criticism as she strives for success, she begins a secret relationship with Kwon Ryok (Lee Jun-young), a member of the top boy group Shax, a move that is forbidden for idols.
