During the January 14 broadcast of tvN’s You Quiz on the Block, Kim Hye-yoon reflected on her seven-year struggle as a rookie actress, a period marked by over 100 auditions and constant rejection before finally gaining recognition.
Kim Hye-yoon revealed that she began pursuing acting at just 17 years old, commuting alone by public transportation to attend acting lessons. Her first role came nine months later as a child actress in TV Novel: Samsaengi, but the experience was far from encouraging.
“I was so nervous that it felt lonely. During wide shots, I didn’t act because I didn’t even know I was supposed to,” she recalled. That confusion led to harsh criticism on set, including comments such as “What’s the point of having good pronunciation if you can’t act properly? That’s why you’re an amateur.”
Despite frequent scolding, Kim Hye-yoon said she tried to stay mentally strong. “ If I let myself feel too discouraged, I’d shrink even more on set. I had to keep telling myself to endure,” she explained.
She also opened up about her long string of failed auditions. “ I always went thinking, ‘I’m probably just here to get rejected again,’” she said. One recurring reason for rejection was her height, which became a major insecurity. Kim admitted, “I’m 158cm, but I wanted the roles so badly that I wrote 160cm instead.”
More distressingly, Kim revealed that the verbal abuse sometimes crossed the line. “There were words so severe they couldn’t be broadcast. I heard a lot of profanity on set,” she said. The emotional toll was heavy, as she often cried on her way home. “I cried in cars, on buses, and even on the subway almost every day.”
Over seven years, Kim Hye-yoon appeared in around 50 productions, mostly in minor roles. She revealed that she did not sign with an agency until after SKY Castle ended in 2018. Prior to that, she traveled alone to filming locations and endured long hours of waiting without even getting a chance to perform.
Despite the hardship, she fondly remembered the kindness of some staff members. “They gave me hot packs and set up heaters during winter,” she said. However, she often declined help, believing she hadn’t “earned” it yet. This mindset led to serious consequences when she suffered frostbite as a high school student, causing her fingers to swell and her fingernails to fall off.
Kim Hye-yoon’s emotional confession has resonated with viewers, shedding light on the often-hidden struggles of rookie actors in the Korean entertainment industry and sparking renewed discussion about on-set treatment and power dynamics.
Sources: Daum
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