Cho Yeo-jeong on Lee Chang-dong's 'Possible Love' and the Road to the Oscars

"I don't really have any thoughts on that," Cho Yeo-jeong said. "I'm still searching for the answer."

The actress had been asked what kind of senior she hopes to be to younger actors. It's a fair question. Cho is in her 30th year since her debut, and has already made it to the Academy Awards with "Parasite," directed by Bong Joon Ho. Even so, she says she is still learning what kind of actress she wants to be. Every new project brings new worries, and "Possible Love," directed by Lee Chang-dong, was not an easy challenge.

"There are a lot of great senior actors, and they're great because they're still 'ING,'" she said, using the English word to describe people who are still active and growing. "I'm still working hard, too. I'm still exploring, and I'm pushing myself hard."

The Netflix film follows a married couple who have both lost their jobs and a married pair of documentary filmmakers who want to record their lives. When the two couples meet, they come face to face with desires they have long kept hidden. Cho plays Ye-ji, one of the documentary directors. The character also reflects some of the struggles Lee has experienced throughout his career as a filmmaker.

Before she got the offer, Cho heard that Jeon Do-yeon, Sol Kyung-gu and Zo In-sung had joined the cast. She admitted she was jealous. So when Lee reached out to her as well, she said it felt like a scene from a movie.

"I met the director the day after I got the casting call," she said. "First, I got the script for 'Possible Love' and read it."

"When I finished, it stayed with me so strongly that I couldn't call him back right away," she said. "About three days later, I called and told him I really wanted to do it."

In the film, Ye-ji works hard to get close to Ho-seok (played by Sol) and Mi-ok (Jeon) to capture their lives on camera for her documentary. But when Ho-seok breaks down in tears at his lowest point, she still tries to get it on camera. Their relationship starts to crack. Ye-ji says she truly loves Ho-seok and Mi-ok. Her husband, Sang-woo (Zo), mocks her for it.

Cho said Ye-ji was hard to understand at first. She described her as "someone who has felt since childhood that she doesn't belong anywhere."

"Even after marrying Sang-woo, who's rich, she can't fully belong to that world," she said. "In school, she went to the same school as rich kids, but her father ran a laundry shop. I think she grew up to be someone who tries hard in every relationship."

Once she understood the character, she didn't settle on a fixed approach to portraying her.

"I think my scene partner matters," she said. "I think about what will happen when I'm face to face with this person."

It was her first time working with Jeon, Sol and Zo. She said that made her even more curious about what their chemistry would bring to their scenes together.

The film has already picked up major honors. "Possible Love" won the Silver Lion (Grand Jury Prize) at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival and the Ebert Director Award at the 51st Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). It was released on Netflix on Nov. 6 and quickly climbed to No. 1 on Netflix's Top 10 movies chart in South Korea soon after.

That puts Cho back in the Oscar conversation after "Parasite." She doesn't quite see it that way.

"It's my second Oscar race, but back then I was shooting a drama, so I couldn't take part. I only went to the Academy Awards ceremony," she said. "So really, this is my first." Then she laughed. "We're all taking care of our health and stamina."

She summed up what the film means to her in one line.

"'Possible Love' is a film that made me love acting even more. Saying that is a little cheesy, but it's true. Ha ha."