When we see a top star under the spotlight, we think about how he was cast by the casting director and later debut as a rookie. And yes, some of them would have followed the “standard procedure,” however, some of the most popular celebrities lived a normal life just like us. Let’s look at the five actors and actresses who had unusual jobs before they started their careers in the entertainment industry.
5. Song Joong Ki – Short track speed skater
Song Joong Ki has been a short track speed skater for about 12 years since his first year of elementary school. He even competed in three national sports events as a representative of his hometown, Daejeon City.
But he got into a car accident when he was in an elementary school that nearly crushed his ankle bone. He continued to exercise after rehabilitation but be suffered another ankle injury in middle school, and he had no choice to give up his dreams.
After giving up on sports, Song studied hard and entered Sungkyunkwan University as a business major. He dreamt of becoming an announced throughout his college days but was cast as an actor. If he had not hurt his ankle, we might have seen him as the national short track speed skater.
4. Kim Tae Ri – A soymilk salesperson
With her delicate feminine image, Kim Tae Ri seems like she has never worked a day in her life.
But in fact, from fast-food restaurants to convenience stores to cafes, Kim worked various part-time jobs before her debut. The most unexpected part-time job she had was as a soymilk salesperson at a supermarket. Kim once said that she was recruited by a cafe owner to work at his cafe while selling soymilk.
She dreamed of becoming an actress when she joined the theater club in college. After graduating from college, he worked in a theater company and walked the path of an actor.
3. Yoon Sang Hyun – Restaurant owner
Yoon Sang Hyun opened a bunsikjip (snack stand) before his career as an actor.
He once said, “When the school ended, female college students lined up in front of my store. I left the terrace as a decoration, but girls would sit on this terrace by the side of the road and ate the food.” It is said that he purchased his first apartment with the money he saved for a year.
2. Kim Nam Joo – City hall employee
Unlike her urban and sophisticated appearance, Kim Nam Joo lost her father when she was two years old and was raised by her mother who had to raise four siblings by herself.
To help her mother out, she started working as a public servant after she graduated high school. It is said that her job was to issue various certificates as an employee at Songtan City Hall in Gyeonggi Province.
In order to achieve her dream of becoming a celebrity, she resigned after three months and entered Suwon Women’s University as a dance major and later competed for Miss Korea and took the first prize.
1. Won Bin – Car mechanic
Growing up in rural Gangwon-do Province, his dream was to be a car racer since he was young.
After graduating from high school, he worked as a mechanic at a car center in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province, but received a monthly salary of 120,000 KRW (about $107).
Belatedly realizing that the path wasn’t for him, he participated in the SM audition to become a member of H.O.T., but was disqualified. Yet, he continued to pursue the path of becoming a celebrity, and while attending an acting school, he was discovered by designer Andre Kim and made his debut as a fashion model.
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