Actor Ju Ji-hoon has revealed the behind-the-scenes story of joining the cast of his highly anticipated upcoming project, "The Remarried Empress."

Attending the Actors' House event at the 31st Busan International Film Festival, held on the afternoon of October 9 at the Cultural Hall on the ninth floor of Shinsegae Department Store Centum City in Haeundae-gu, Busan, Ju Ji-hoon shared, "I turned down this project about two or three times because I felt I didn't have a deep understanding of its fictional world."

He then explained how he came to change his mind, adding, "Someone I trust deeply even wrote me a letter to persuade me. I also became curious about why it receives so much love and what aspects the audience would enjoy."

The Disney+ original series "The Remarried Empress" is a sweeping romance fantasy epic that unfolds when Navier (Shin Mina), the flawless empress of the Eastern Empire, is notified of a divorce by Emperor Sovieshu (Ju Ji-hoon), who has fallen for the runaway slave Rashta (Lee Seyoung), and accepts the divorce on the condition that her remarriage to Prince Heinrey (Lee Jong-suk) of the Western Kingdom is approved. In this series, Ju Ji-hoon plays Emperor Sovieshu.

Ju Ji-hoon spoke about adjusting to the setting and his character, saying, "It was difficult because we are Asian actors while the characters have foreign names, but during the first table read, I started to get a feel for it."

He continued, "I thought it would be easier to approach it like a musical rather than in a realistic tone," adding, "For instance, people don't feel awkward when performing 'Hamlet.' Approaching it that way broke down a lot of my mental barriers."

"The Remarried Empress" filmed on location in the Czech Republic for about a month. Recalling that time, he said, "I cooked meals for the directing crew at my lodging. I asked staff members of various ages what they found appealing about this story, and they explained a lot to me," adding, "To be honest, I didn't fully understand it at first, but I worked hard to bridge that gap and comprehend it."

(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)