Ahn Hyo-seop Opens Up About Early Career Struggles and Near Retirement

Actor Ahn Hyo-seop candidly revealed that he once considered retiring early in his career.

On the 26th, Ahn appeared on the YouTube channel 'Yojung Jae-hyung' and shared his journey to becoming an established actor, along with his honest feelings about his projects.

Ahn's beginnings were far from glamorous. Raised in Canada, he was scouted as a JYP trainee and moved to Korea, but his debut was ultimately canceled. He humorously admitted, "I thought I could manage singing, but dancing was too difficult. I would have cut myself too," though it was a significant setback at the time.

After his trainee days ended, Ahn shifted his focus to acting. However, his start as an actor was also challenging. He confessed, "Initially, my Korean pronunciation was awkward, and my acting was lacking," adding that he attended voice acting classes to relearn the basics.

During that period, Ahn was busier than anyone. In 2016, he appeared in four dramas, including MBC's 'One More Happy Ending,' 'Happy Home,' 'Queen of the Ring,' and SBS's 'Entertainer.'

Despite receiving offers from various places, Ahn revealed, "My pay was low back then. My first broadcast work paid about 500,000 won per episode." When surprised host Jae-hyung asked, "Isn't that a complete loss, especially with a company?" Ahn replied, "It was barely enough to cover labor costs, but I was more grateful at the time."

In 2018, Ahn took on his first supporting lead role in the SBS drama 'Still 17.' He admitted, "I considered retiring then. I was physically exhausted and contemplated quitting acting," describing it as feeling "on the edge of a cliff."

However, that experience became a turning point. Ahn shared, "The project I struggled with received a positive response, making me wonder if I should continue," and added, "For the first time, I felt both responsibility and pressure."

Reported by Kim Eun-jung, TenAsia, eun@tenasia.co.kr