Talented as he is, Song Joong Ki struck it big somewhat thanks to his actor refusing “Descendants of The Sun” and another famous work.
Song Joong Ki is now among the highest paid Korean actors, with popularity spreading way outside of Korea. Despite having spectacular visuals with brilliant acting capabilities, Song Joong Ki actually had a hard time with his career, playing mostly minor roles before gaining attention via “Sungkyunkwan Scandal” and truly exploding with “Descendants of The Sun”.
Therefore, it’s no exaggeration to say that another actor, Won Bin, undeliberately turned Song Joong Ki into a star, for he had rejected leading roles in 2 major hits, which are then both assumed by Song Joong Ki. First, there’s “Descendants of The Sun”, where Song Joong Ki wasn’t at all on the casting shortlist. Rumors had it that Won Bin was reluctant to play a military officer after suffering from a knee injury during enlistment, but whatever the cast, it remains unchanged that Song Joong Ki had his chance partly due to Won Bin’s refusal.
Next, Won Bin also turned down the movie “Battleship Island”, which eventually starred Song Joong Ki. At the time, the reason for his rejection truly shocked netizens, for Won Bin said that he avoided highly-invested projects. And so, “Battleship Island”, which accrued a total production cost of 26 billion win, turned to Song Joong Ki to play Park Moo Young, eventually became a box office hit in Korea. Song Joong Ki’s abilities also receive various critical acclaim after this role, having delivered a brilliant performance as the protestant leader Park Moo Young, who set foot on the war-filled Hashima Island to free the enslaved people there.
