In a candid revelation on Hong Seok Cheon’s YouTube show “Hong Seok Cheon’s Jewelry Box,” Byeon Woo Seok, currently starring in tvN’s drama Lovely Runner, shared that he faced more than 100 rejections in auditions before finding success.
Byeon started his career as a model in his early twenties before transitioning to acting. Hong Seok Cheon recalled Byeon’s early days, “His face was really suited for acting. Even when he was modeling, I always encouraged him, telling him to learn acting since the opportunity could come any time.”
His journey wasn’t smooth initially. Byeon shared, “I think I failed in auditions over a hundred times. It reached a point where I wondered if it was normal to fail this much. I really put in a lot of effort. But as I kept at it, I started to pass auditions, and things gradually began to fall into place.”
Byeon also reflected on his debut work Dear My Friends. He recalled being completely overwhelmed on set, “The environment was so intense that I couldn’t even remember how I felt.” He fondly remembered acting alongside veteran actress Youn Yuh Jung, who not only shared the screen with him but also looked after him, even bringing him fruit on set. Discussing the success of his film 20th Century Girl, Byeon expressed gratitude, “I’m very thankful. People really loved the film. Seeing how much they liked the work and the characters, I felt motivated to work even harder.”
The Lovely Runner star has also felt his growing popularity abroad. He recounted an amusing incident in Thailand, “A chef recognized me from my drama while I was there. It was so hot I had taken my shirt off, thinking no one would recognize me. I was quite startled.”
He then responded with good humor to some earlier discouragements her received, saying, “People used to tell me, ‘It won’t work out for you for a few years.’ I stepped into the limelight a few years later, so I guess they were right after all.
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