This male star used to pay his family house’s monthly rent with the money he earned from shooting underwear commercials

This person overcame his difficult childhood to become a famous actor representing Asia.

The series “Decoy”, which marked Jang Geun Suk’s first comeback after five years, is set to unveil Part 2.

Jang Geun Suk was discharged after completing his military service as a social service worker in 2020. He then took some time to recharge himself. The male actor returned to the small screen through the drama “Decoy” on January 27th, 2023.

Nicknamed “Prince of Asia” by K-drama fans, Jang Geun Suk once revealed his unexpected debut story.

During his childhood, Jang Geun Suk’s family faced a serious financial crisis to the point that he had to freeload at his relatives’ house with only 200,000 won in hand. Revealing that the reason he made his debut in the entertainment industry was “money” on Mnet’s “Produce 101”, the actor shared, “My family was ruined because of my father’s business. I started my career as a child actor and even shot underwear commercials.”

Recalling the past, he said, “While I was active as a child actor, I earned 2 million won from underwear commercials. I was in middle school back then. Our house’s monthly rent was 2.2 million won, and I paid for it.” 

Despite being teased by friends at school, Jang Geun Suk said that he began to become more confident in his life. He advised the trainees, “You don’t need to look back at friends next to you. Look in the mirror and fight yourself. I hope you win that fight.”

Enduring his difficult childhood, Jang Geun Suk successfully transformed into an adult actor in 2006 with the role of young master Eun Ho in “Hwang Jini”.

Thanks to his diligence and seriousness in acting, Jang Geun Suk gained compliments from directors and screenwriters so they continued to cast him in their works.

Director Kim Chul Gyu, who directed “Hwang Jinni,” recommended Jang Geun Suk for a role in “Hong Gil Dong”. Later, writers Hong Jeong Eun and Hong Mi Ran of “Hong Gil Dong” cast him for the role of Hwang Tae Kyung in “You’re Beautiful”. Through this work, Jang Geun Suk made his name widely known to the public and gained the nickname “Prince of Asia”.

In 2011, he made his debut in the Japanese music market and became the first foreign singer to top the weekly chart with his debut single.

Jang Geun Suk also worked as a film director. Producing short films with his classmates from Hanyang University, he then successfully visited the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival in 2016 with his short film “The Great Legacy”.

Jang Geun Suk received the health assessment result of Level 4 and enlisted in July 2018 as a social service worker. His acting comeback after 5 years was marked with the release of Coupang Play’s original drama “Decoy”.

The actor said he decided to appear in “Decoy” because he could portray a character that was different from his previous images.

“Decoy” is a crime thriller drama that follows the secrets surrounding a criminal in the biggest fraud in history when he was identified as a suspect in a murder 8 years after his death. Jang Geun Suk played the role of Goo Do Han, a powerful detective who used to be a lawyer.

He surprised everyone with his return in an unfamiliar rough and cold image, which fans had never seen before.

In Part 1, Goo Do Han doubts the death of Noh Sang Cheon. Questions regarding Noh Sang Cheon’s whereabouts and the perpetrator of the serial murder case will be solved in Part 2.

“Decoy” Part 2 is scheduled to premiere on April 7th. Attention is focused on how Jang Geun Suk will perform in this new part.

Source: Daum