Lee Jong Suk once voluntarily left a movie with Kim Ji Won?

Lee Jong Suk and Kim Ji Won once co-starred in "High Kick". Photo: Naver

According to Korean media, actor Lee Jong Suk suddenly canceled his participation in the movie “See You Again” of online platform (OTT) Netflix just 1 day before the script reading in May 2018.

In this film, Lee Jong Suk is expected to star alongside Kim Ji Won, who worked with him in the sitcom “High Kick”. Viewers are looking forward to their reunion after 7 years.

But a staff member of the film crew stated on an online community: "Lee Jong Suk said he would not act in the film the night before the script reading."

Lee Jong Suk's representative at that time denied: "It is indeed one of the works that our actor is considering. However, no contract has been signed yet."

Ultimately, production on “See You Again” was canceled, with Netflix closing the case and saying, “We have no connection whatsoever.”

At that time, industry insiders were talking about, “Will Lee Jong Suk’s appearance on Netflix be difficult for a while?”

Coincidentally, Lee Jong Suk has not appeared in any Netflix originals since 2018. Only two rare works, SBS’s “The Hymn of Death” (November 2018) and tvN’s “Romance is a Bonus Book” (January 2019), were also released simultaneously through Netflix, but apart from that, he has had no other connection with the platform so far.

There is information that “Big Mouth” has been rejected by Netflix for release. Photo: Producer

After being discharged from the military, Lee Jong Suk appeared consecutively in the MBC drama “Big Mouth” and the movie “Decibel” (2022), but for more than 2 years now, he has not decided on his next work.

“Big Mouth” has also gone through its ups and downs. It was originally scheduled to air on tvN and be released simultaneously on Netflix. However, it was eventually moved to MBC and OTT to be released by Disney+.

It is said that at that time, Netflix rejected “Big Mouth” so there was no other way but to go to Disney+.

Amidst the poor performance of MBC dramas, “Big Mouth” surpassed 13% in ratings and gained popularity overseas through Disney+. That year, Lee Jong Suk also won the Daesang (grand prize) at the MBC Drama Awards.

In April this year, it was reported that Lee Jong Suk was planning to star in the Disney+ drama “1 Second” (working title). However, Lee Jong Suk’s representative later said that he had turned down the role.

Lee Jong Suk still hasn't had a new drama aired after 2 years, despite the success of "Big Mouth". Photo: Instagram

Lee Jong Suk is one of the most popular Korean actors abroad. With a series of hit films such as "Secret Garden" (2010), "School 2013" (2012), "I Can Hear You" (2013), "Pinocchio" (2014), "While You Were Sleeping" (2017), "Big Mouth" (2022)...

But an official said, “Lee Jong Suk tends to engage in a lot of ‘tug of war’ before putting his signature on the final contract. That will definitely cause difficulties for production and broadcasting companies.”

The preference for OTT has increased over terrestrial and cable TV channels, but commercial success is not entirely guaranteed, the person added.

Many movies from Netflix, Disney+, Coupang Play and Tving are still underperforming, so the platforms are more careful in choosing their next plans.

Source: https://laodong.vn/van-hoa-giai-tri/lee-jong-suk-tung-tu-y-bo-phim-dong-cung-kim-ji-won-1376691.ldo