Now praised for her acting repertoire, but Yoona actually failed 100 castings and suffered from heavy criticisms.
It’s not uncommon for actors to be rejected in the early days of joining the acting industry, but it’s still surprising to hear that this even applies to the “nation’s center” Yoona. What’s more noteworthy is that she was rejected in over 100 casting in the early days of her career.
Of course, this period of rejection was before Yoona debuted as a member of the top girl group Girls’ Generation. At that time, she was just an idol trainee, recently recruited by SM. With a passion for acting, Yoona diligently sought opportunities for herself even though she was just a middle school student at the time. She shared that she had applied for countless auditions to become an actress. After being rejected over 100 times for not knowing how to act, Yoona finally landed her first role in the 2007 K-drama “9 Ends, 2 Out,” produced by MBC. Also in the same year, Yoona officially debuted as a member of Girls’ Generation.
The female idol once shared, “I participated in many auditions to become an actress. When I failed continuously, I thought, ‘If I keep going, will they still choose me?’. And finally, perseverance paid off. When I passed some auditions, my acting skills expanded. At first, I was very shy, but then I became more proactive and thought ‘I will try this’. From there, I gradually developed my passion for acting.”
In fact, even when she became famous and had the opportunity to star in major projects, Yoona was still criticized for her acting. Many called her an “talentless visual” instead of an actress, without knowing that she had made efforts to pursue acting even before officially becoming an idol. In the early years of her career, Yoona’s acting in works such as “You Are My Destiny,” “Cinderella Man,” “Love Rain,” … or even in Chinese projects like “God of War, Zhao Yun” were criticized. However, it cannot be denied that most of these works were successful in terms of reputation.
In recent years, Yoona’s acting has improved significantly, especially as she actively expanded into the acting industry. Particularly outstanding, Yoona became the highest-grossing idol actress in the history of Korean cinema (surpassing 24 million tickets). This impressive achievement was accumulated through films including: “Confidential Assignment,” “Exit,” “Miracle,” and “Confidential Assignment 2.”
As of now, although Yoona’s acting is not considered perfect, the strong influence of the idol-actress every time she has a new project cannot be denied. Most recently, works like “Big Mouth” and “King the Land” have created a strong sensation in many Asian countries, even globally.
