Before Park Eun Bin, IU was cast to play Woo Young Woo, but here’s why it didn’t come through
The original casting of “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” was supposed leaked back in 2021
There’s no denying the explosive popularity of “Extraordinary Attorney Woo”, an unique K-drama that follows an autistic lawyer trying to adjust to her demanding career. With the outstanding acting performance of lead actress Park Eun Bin, the gentle and soothing writing, and interesting plotlines, “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” has seen ratings increased ten-fold since its first episode, turning the no-name broadcasting channel ENA into a household name.
However, according to certain netizens, Park Eun Bin may not be what writers have in mind for the female lead Woo Young Woo of this extraordinary series.
In particular, news about the casting of “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” started to spread back in May 2021. Here, the female lead of the series was said to be assumed by IU, who recently made an impressive comeback via the movie “Broker”, which premiered at the 2022 Cannes International Film Festival.
At the time, the K-drama was even rumored to be a tvN production, before switching to SBS, being dropped, and then “falling into the hands” of the newly-established broadcasting station ENA. In addition, the name ‘우영우’ (Woo Young Woo) share the same consonants “ㅇㅇㅇ” , as “아이유”(IU), suggesting the screenwriter might have thought of IU when writing the script.
However, as new as ENA is, they probably weren’t well-funded enough to recruit IU, netizens said. Therefore, Park Eun Bin became the next name on the short list, although she didn’t agree to the role immediately. In an interview with “Allure Korea”, the actress shared that she was afraid to show her portrayal of autism, and was worried that her acting, if lacking, can severely hurt certain audiences.
In the end though, Park Eun Bin conceded, creating the Woo Young Woo we see today, and her excellent acting undoubtedly brings an unique charm to this just as unique series. “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” has managed to boost the popularity of both Park Eun Bin and the production station ENA, so it’s a win-win situation for everyone.
While the failed casting of IU in “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” is just a rumor, her missing out on the series didn’t badly impact the idol-actress career. In addition, many viewers believe that IU won’t be able to show Woo Young Woo as realistic and endearing as Park Eun Bin, and so the series may not be so famous if IU accepted the offer.
