Won Bin, 14 years of hiatus since ‘The Man From Nowhere’

While actor Won Bin's debut story has become a hot topic, fans' curiosity about his current status is also increasing.

Actor Choi Ji-woo appeared on SBS' 'Overindulgence in Life', which aired on the 25th, and reminisced about the late Andre Kim. The broadcast paid attention to the fact that when Andre Kim was alive, he did not only appoint top stars to his fashion shows, but often put on stage new talent that he personally discovered. A representative example is Won Bin. According to the broadcast, Andre Kim was impressed by Won Bin, who appeared in a small role on TV, and called the broadcasting station to invite him to a fashion show and have him perform on stage. With this, Won Bin became a star. In addition, Andre Kim discovered Park Bo-young, So Yi-hyun, Ji Sung, and Kwon Sang-woo, and they have established themselves as stars who are greatly loved to this day.

In the video, Won Bin expressed his gratitude to Andre Kim, saying, "When I think of him as a teacher, he seems like a benefactor." Won Bin, who is from Jeongseon, Gangwon-do, worked part-time catching and selling snakes in Jeongseon before debuting in the entertainment industry. Afterwards, Won Bin, who dreamed of becoming a celebrity, moved to Seoul alone, delivered newspapers, worked at construction sites, and became known through small roles in dramas.

Since then, Won Bin has hit the jackpot with the drama 'The Proposal', followed by 'Gwangkki', 'Top', and 'Autumn Fairy Tale'. He also made successful inroads into movies, and his representative works include ‘Killers’ Chat’, ‘Taegukgi’, ‘Mother’, and ‘Uncle’. However, since 'The Man From Nowhere' was released in 2010, he has not been active as an actor at all and has continued to film commercials only. The fact that he only works in commercials and not in acting, which is his main job, is causing public outrage in many ways. As of 2024, Won Bin has not been acting for 14 years.

In this situation, Won Bin of the group Rise, who has the same name as Won Bin, is gaining popularity and attracting attention. Rise, who debuted in September of last year, is becoming a rookie who is setting tremendous records, including selling more than 1 million albums with his debut single 'Get A Guiter' and achieving the first million-selling debut album of all time. Accordingly, some people are saying things like, “I think Rise Won Bin will soon become more famous than Won Bin.”

In relation to this, Won Bin's wife, actress Lee Na-young, was asked about Won Bin in an interview related to the Wave original drama 'Park Ha-kyung's Travels' last year, and said, "He keeps saying that to me," and added, "It's similar. I'm watching it intently. He's also watching it intently." He also said, “I am interested in (the work). I also watch movies and like them.” At the same time, he complained, "Why do you keep telling me... it's going to come out? Please wait a little longer. It's going to come out."

Choi Ji-ye, Ten Asia Reporter wisdomart@tenasia.co.kr