Ha Ji-won and Ju Ji-hoon explore ambition and power in new drama Climax

The upcoming Korean drama Climax is already drawing attention for its intense psychological storytelling and the first on-screen pairing of Ha Ji-won and Ju Ji-hoon as a married couple driven by ambition.

In a recent interview and pictorial with allure, the two actors offered a deeper look into their characters, their acting process, and the drama’s central theme: the raw nature of human desire.

A story about fame, marriage, and dangerous ambition

Climax follows top actress Choo Sang-ah and elite prosecutor Bang Tae-seop, a power couple whose relationship is built not only on love but also on mutual ambition.

Their marriage becomes a battlefield of status, control, and emotional survival.

According to Ha Ji-won, every episode felt like “a true climax” because of the constant tension and fast-moving emotional conflicts.

The series focuses on how people change depending on who they stand next to, and how desire shapes their choices.

Ha Ji-won on playing an actress who is losing herself

For Ha Ji-won, the role was one of the most psychologically demanding of her career.

To portray Sang-ah, she had to strip away her own public image and fully immerse herself in a character suffering from insomnia, anxiety, and emotional collapse.

She revealed that even people close to her noticed how sharp and distant she became during filming.

The character’s name, which evokes the idea of abstract art, reflects a woman whose emotions are open to interpretation and cannot be defined in simple terms.

Ha Ji-won said the role made her question her identity, her career, and the meaning of ambition.

Ju Ji-hoon’s method: preparation before the camera rolls

Ju Ji-hoon approached Climax with an unusually intense pre-production process.

Instead of the standard one or two script readings, he held more than ten meetings with the director to analyze character logic, narrative flow, and emotional motivation.

His character Tae-seop is a man obsessed with rising higher in society. But as he chases success, he begins to question why he wanted it in the first place.

Ju Ji-hoon described the drama as a story about the temptation everyone knows they should resist but still wants.

Explosive chemistry and a marriage built on tension

Both actors emphasized the physical and emotional intensity of their scenes together.

Their confrontation sequences were so well synchronized that some were completed in a single take.

Ju Ji-hoon praised Ha Ji-won’s warm personality and said their partnership quickly became one of the most comfortable collaborations of his career.

A drama driven by desire, not heroes

Rather than focusing on good and evil, Climax examines how ordinary people make extreme choices when ambition, insecurity, and love collide.

The story presents five central characters whose relationships constantly shift depending on power and circumstance.

This layered structure is one of the reasons the project was developed with film-level pre-production despite being a series.

Why Climax is one of the most anticipated Korean dramas

The drama brings together:

• Two veteran actors known for transformative performances
• A production team with a strong cinematic track record
• A character-driven narrative about fame, marriage, and identity

For Ha Ji-won, the project felt like starting over with the mindset of a rookie.

For Ju Ji-hoon, it was a reminder that even after 20 years in the industry, he is still searching for who he is.

That shared sense of reinvention may be what gives Climax its emotional power.

A story about the price of success

At its core, Climax asks a simple but unsettling question.

How far are people willing to go for the life they think they want?

With its focus on raw desire, psychological conflict, and the fragile balance of power between two ambitious partners, the drama is positioning itself as one of the most talked-about Korean series to watch.