The reason Kim Nam Gil refused the casting offer for “Island” twice, “I’m a big fan of the webtoon”

On the afternoon of December 22nd, a press conference for TVing’s original series “Island” was held at  Conrad Seoul Hotel in Yeouido. Actors Kim Nam Gil, Lee Da Hee, Cha Eun Woo, Sung Joon and director Bae Jong attended the event.

On this day, Kim Nam Gil confessed, “I’ve been a big fan of ‘Island’ webtoon since a long time ago”.

He said, “In fact, I rejected love calls for the drama ‘Island’ twice. I felt burdened acting a live-action. I was wondering why ‘Island’ had not been made into a live-action despite the development of dramas”.

The actor explained, “As a fan of the original ‘Island’, which was a popular webtoon, I believed good acting is needed for the drama. I didn’t have the confidence that I would do well. I was worried about whether I would disappoint viewers”.

In addition, Kim Nam Gil said, “When I realized that, I was already in Jeju practicing acting with other actors”, drawing laughter.

On the other hand, Lee Da Hee shared, “I really wanted to do it. It was a work that made me feel linger, a work that I desperately wanted. Rather than worrying about ruining the original work, I focused on portraying the character Mi Ho well”. 

Expressing her desire for the role of Mi Ho, Lee Da Hee said, “I urgently, desperately, and really wanted to perform well”.

Cha Eun Woo said, “In my case, I read the script before getting to know the webtoon. I was into the friend named Yo Han. I wanted to play Yo Han. He’s an attractive character and I wanted to take that challenge. I visited the director and discussed many things. I also talked to Nam Gil hyung and acted with him”.

Sung Joon also explained, “To me, this work is really meaningful. It was such a big challenge. I was really worried because the character this time is different from what I’ve done so far. Since it’s an action movie, I thought I might only cause inconvenience due to my health problem. Nam Gil hyung strongly recommended me, so I ended up joining the team.”

“Island” tells about three people, Ban (Kim Nam Gil), who has endured thousands of years confronting the evil spirits that attack the mysterious Jeju island, Won Mi Ho (Lee Da Hee), who is facing her fate, and John/Yo Han (Cha Eun Woo), the youngest exorcít on Earth, asking questions about life while looking for a way to escape the law of cause and effect. It is expected to create a K-content sensation by entering the global market through Amazon Prime Video. 

“Island” will be available on TVing on December 30th. 

Source: wikitree