Ju Ji Hoon has revealed that he initially turned down "The Remarried Empress" two or three times before eventually agreeing to join the highly anticipated fantasy adaptation.
Speaking at Actors House during the 31st Busan International Film Festival on October 9, Ju Ji Hoon opened up about why he hesitated to accept the role of Emperor Sovieshu.
The actor admitted that he initially struggled to connect with the project’s fantasy world.
He explained, *“I thought my understanding of the world was lacking, so I think I turned it down about two or three times.”*
What eventually changed his mind was encouragement from someone he trusted, who even wrote him a letter asking him to reconsider.
Ju Ji Hoon recalled, *“Someone I trust wrote me a letter and tried to persuade me. That made me curious. I started wondering, ‘Why is this story loved so much, and what makes people enjoy it?’”*
Even after accepting the project, adjusting to its fictional setting was not easy. He admitted that the first script reading was particularly challenging because the story uses foreign-style character names despite featuring a Korean cast.
However, the reading eventually helped him discover how he wanted to approach Sovieshu.
Ju Ji Hoon said, *“At some point during the first reading, I got a feeling for it. Instead of approaching it in an extremely realistic way, I thought it might be more comfortable to treat it somewhat like a musical or a stage play.”*
While filming in the Czech Republic, he even asked younger staff members what they found so appealing about the original story. He jokingly admitted that despite their detailed explanations, some parts of its popularity were still difficult for him to fully understand.
He added that because *The Remarried Empress* already has a widely loved original story, he ultimately decided to trust the strength and appeal that had made the source material successful.
The fantasy romance stars Shin Min Ah as Empress Navier, Ju Ji Hoon as Emperor Sovieshu, Lee Se Young as Rashta, and Lee Jong Suk as Heinrey.
For Ju Ji Hoon, the project marks an unusual case where a role he rejected several times eventually became one he chose to approach by embracing the original story’s fantasy world on its own terms.
