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Jo Jung-Suk's "Pilot" is a controversial gender drama, but why has it been successful?

Jo Jung Suk has recently appeared in a new K-Drama movie Pilot which is a controversial gender drama. With Korea being so conservative with regards to gender and sexuality why has this drama been so successful? We dive into why this movie has the whole country watching!


Photo: Jo Jung-Suk 'Pilot'
Photo: Jo Jung-Suk 'Pilot'


Actor Jo Jung Suk who stars in this controversial drama actually went through great lengths in order to get cast for the role in the comedy. The star lost 7kg to fit the casting call for the main character, for me this screams dedication! The movie itself shows the main character portraying a male character in disguise as a woman, for me, this was shocking considering how conservative Korea is with gender and sexuality.


Jo Jung-suk disguises himself as a woman in "Pilot." - Lotte Entertainment
Jo Jung Suk disguises himself as a woman in "Pilot." - Lotte Entertainment


Pilot follows the story of Han Jung Woo, played by Jo, a once-celebrated pilot who loses his job due to a mistake, leading to a series of personal and professional setbacks, including a divorce and ruined reemployment attempts. The drama which aired on July 31st has gained a lot of views already and rightly so, with Korea changing as a nation and becoming more open-minded, I think that this drama was released at a key time, and the over 1 million views already show that people are interested in this topic.


Let's check out one of the trailer!




The trailer showcased a good portion of what I would expect to see in a comedy, and the outfits actually showed the star really well as a female character and likewise as a male character. It's also funny and engages me, especially the airport scenes.


IMDB have also mentioned: Jung Woo goes from being a successful, popular pilot to being unemployed one morning. However, he succeeds in getting a new job after accidentally taking on a newly laundered identity.


This has also caused a controversial opinion, as many people believe strongly that portraying a woman or male for that matter is wrong, and shouldn't be done. I think with many transgender athletes, stars, and people in society now, it is an important topic to be brought up.


Han Jung Woo, who, after getting fired from his job and divorced by his wife, is now searching for a new job. Out of desperation, he disguises himself as a woman to get a position at Han Air, a company seeking a female pilot. I found this funny, that the plot was based around an airline, however, since I love to travel I found it even more interesting!


Let us know your thoughts on this new controversial drama in the comments below.




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