Profile Jeon Jong-seo: From a Monster Rookie to Controversial Actress (2024 Updated)
Who is Jeon Jong-seo?
- Real Name: Jeon Jong-seo
- English name: Rachel Jeon
- Date of Birth: July 5, 1994
- Nationality: Korean
- Instagram: @wjswhdtj94
Jeon Jong-seo was born on July 5, 1994, in Seoul, South Korea, as an only child. However, the actress’ family moved to Canada when she was a child, leading to her going by the English name Rachel Jeon.
Jeon Jong-seo eventually returned to Korea when she was in high school, and is known to have attended Anyang Arts High School and Sejeong University (Film major). However, she dropped out of university to pursue acting.
Relationship + Controversy
On December 3, 2021, Korean media outlets reported that Jeon Jong-seo is in a romantic relationship with director Lee Chung-hyun, who she met while filming “The Call”. The couple later confirmed this news, and still stay together until now.
In 2024, before the release of her latest work, “Queen Woo”, Jeon Jong-seo faced allegations of school violence. However, the actress directly denied these rumors at a press conference for the aforementioned K-drama.
Prior to this, Jeon Jong-seo suffered from controversy over her poor acting skills in the K-drama “Wedding Impossible.” Her cool and dull facial expressions were deemed unsuitable for a romance drama. In addition, she was criticized for her poor ability to deliver her lines.
On October 16, Jeon Jong-seo was discovered to be following a private Instagram account that leaves various malicious comments about idol-actress Hyeri, prompting controversies. Said private Instagram account, meanwhile, is suspected to belong to Han So-hee, who was once in a “feud” with Hyeri after dating Hyeri’s ex-boyfriend, Ryu Jun-yeol.
Regarding this, the actress’ agency simply stated that they cannot confirm the situation since this is the actress’ personal life.
Career
Jeon Jong-seo participated in her first acting audition in 2017, where she tried for a role in the 2018 block-buster “Burning”. Despite being a complete rookie without any history in the Korean showbiz at the time, Jeon Jong-seo won the competition and landed the leading role, allowing her to star alongside recognized actors like Yoo Ah-in and Steven Yeun.
As the audition for “Burning” took place just 3 days after Jeon Jong-seo joined her management agency, Jeon Jong-seo was considered a “monster rookie”, even walking the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival for her role in the movie.
With her first role ever, Jeon Jong-seo received international critical acclaim, even selected for The Hollywood Reporter Critics’ “15 International Breakout Talents of 2018”.
She also received Best New Actress nominations at all 3 of Korea’s most prestigious acting awards – the Baeksang Arts Awards, the Blue Dragon Film Awards, and the Grand Bell Awards, for her role in “Burning”.
Following “Burning”, Jeon Jong-seo continued her acclaimed streak with her 2nd film, “The Call”, starring as an antagonist against star actress Park Shin-hye.
She also made her English-language film debut alongside Kate Hudson in the film “Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon” in 2021.
Then, she assumed major roles in the 2021 and 2023 movies “Nothing Serious” and “Ballerina”, alongside 2022 series “Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area” and “Bargain”, showing a wide range of acting capabilities across all genres.
Currently, Jeon Jong-seo is playing the main character, Woo Hee, in the historical drama “Queen Woo”.
Awards
True to her “rookie monster” title, Jeon Jong-seo already earned a fair share of awards and nominations despite her relatively short acting career.
In particular, she won Best New Performer at the 2019 Asian Film Critics Association Awards for her debut role in “Burning”, followed by Best Actress in a Film at the 2021 Baeksang Arts Awards and the 2022 Director’s Cut Awards alongside Best Actress at the 2021 Buil Film Awards for her 2nd movie “The Call”.
In addition, the mini series “Bargain” also earned Jeon Jong-seo the Beyond Cinema Award at the 2023 Marie Claire Asia Star Awards.
