Choo Young-Woo revealed his challenging journey as an actor, including applying for numerous auditions.
On the 18th, in the tvN entertainment program 'You Quiz on the Block' (hereinafter 'You Quiz'), Choo Young-Woo, who returned after 6 years, shared stories from his acceptance into Korea National University of Arts and his acting challenges.
Choo Young-Woo has a history of being accepted to Korea National University of Arts, Sejong University, and Seoul Institute of the Arts, but he drew attention by revealing the story of why he had to reapply.
Choo Young-Woo first reflected on Sejong University, where he was accepted: "I was admitted as a current student the previous year. At that time, I was working part-time at a luxury brand store when I got a call saying my acceptance was canceled. They even returned my admission deposit. It turned out that I didn't know the tuition payment deadline had been moved up."
He continued, "I had become close with my classmates, but I couldn't enter the school. I even recorded a success video at the academy and received congratulations from my friends, but I told my teacher at the academy that I thought I would have to reapply," evoking a sense of sadness.
Choo Young-Woo then expressed his feelings at that time, saying, "I felt like the world had turned upside down. I had invested a whole year into it, and it was my first goal, but it evaporated. All motivation in life disappeared."
After reapplying, he entered Korea National University of Arts and shared that he auditioned for 100 roles but was rejected from all of them. Choo Young-Woo explained, "When I checked my documents, I found 200-300 short scripts. I must have auditioned for about 100 roles. But I applied for almost all auditions in 2021 and 2022 and got rejected."
Choo Young-Woo, who auditioned for numerous projects such as the dramas 'Shuroop', 'Penthouse', 'My Name', 'D.P', and 'Delivery Man', recalled, "I really auditioned for almost all of them. Seeing the title of Korea National University of Arts, comments like 'Is he really from Korea National University of Arts?', 'He acts very poorly', 'That guy needs to work harder', and 'He needs to practice his expressions more' still stick with me. I remember all of them because I was desperate."
He added, "My father said, 'If you don't become an actor, our family isn't wealthy, so you'll have to work to make a living. Shouldn't you at least get a certification in case you can't become an actor?' I got upset at those words and vowed to act until I die. I said I wouldn't care if I couldn't make money."
Choo Young-Woo stated, "Looking back now, I am very grateful, and anyway, having a short-term goal like an audition motivates me to live hard for the remaining days. That's why my acting had no choice but to improve."
After going through ups and downs, Choo Young-Woo emerged as a popular actor, with four works being released in the first half of this year, including 'The Tale of Lady Ok' and 'The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call.' He won the Best New Actor award at the Baeksang Arts Awards and expressed, "I hope my mother, who is in pain and struggling right now, watches this and smiles a lot."
He further shared, "After the awards ceremony, I visited my mother immediately. Seeing her delighted with the bouquet and trophy made me think, 'I made the right choice to pursue this career.'"
[Photo] Captured from the broadcast screen of 'You Quiz on the Block'.
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