[SBS Star] "I Failed Over 100 Auditions" Byeon Woo Seok Reveals His Difficult Journey to Stardom

Model-turned-actor Byeon Woo Seok talked about how he started his acting career.

On April 16, entertainer Hong Seok-chun uploaded a new episode of his YouTube show 'Jewel Box' where Byeon Woo Seok guested.

At the beginning of the episode, Byeon Woo Seok shared that he was working as a model when he first met Hong Seok-chun and that they had known each other for ten years.

"I began my modeling career first and later decided to pursue acting when I was a 20-year-old college student.", shared the actor.
"The first time I met Woo Seok, a model back then, I knew he was meant to be an actor because of how he looked.", Hong Seok-chun commented, "Every time we met, I encouraged him to pursue acting. 'You really should consider learning acting. You never know when the chance will present itself.', I used to say. And he followed my advice."

However, Byeon Woo Seok said things did not go smoothly when he started acting.

"I was rejected after auditions over a hundred times. I kept on failing. Even though I tried hard, I failed nearly every audition I attempted. But as I kept on trying, I started passing some auditions. Things started falling into place, one step at a time.", the actor remarked.
About his first project, tvN's television series 'Dear My Friends' (2016) where he worked with many veteran sunbae actors, Byeon Woo Seok said, "I was so nervous during the shoot that my memory of the set is hazy. Yoon Yeo-jung sunbae-nim was in many scenes with me, and she used to hand me fruits and stuff."

Hong Seok-chun then mentioned how successful '20th Century Girl' (2020), the film Byeon Woo Seok starred, was.

The actor replied, "I felt so grateful that the project received overwhelming love domestically and internationally. Following the film, people started showing more love for the projects I was in and the roles I played. It inspired me to work harder."
While talking to Hong Seok-chun, Byeon Woo Seok mentioned the skepticism he faced from industry personnel at the beginning of his career.

"I've heard a lot of, 'You'll not make it for several years.'. Someone has even provided me the number of years: the next four to five years. What's funny is that one of my projects became a success exactly after four to five years! Everything flopped before then!"

"I guess that person had a foresight!", Byeon Woo Seok playfully added with a smile.

(Credit= '홍석천의 보석함' YouTube)

(SBS Star)