Jang Hyuk has No Hard Feelings about Losing Hyun Bin’s “Secret Garden” Role

Actor Hyun Bin has reached new heights in popularity following his role in SBS drama “Secret Garden.” Playing the role of a second generation chaebol (or heir to a giant conglomerate), Hyun Bin perfectly portrayed the cynical yet lovely Kim Joo Won character, quieting many critics who had reservations about his acting skills. But not many people realize that that role initially was supposed to go to actor Jang Hyuk. The production crew of “Secret Garden” planned on casting Jang Hyuk for Joo Won’s character until his management agency declined the offer, and many fans have been wondering if there were any hard feelings about missing out on a grand opportunity for Jang Hyuk.

“’Secret Garden’ was such a great show and I’m glad that Hyun Bin’s become a better quality actor through this drama. But instead of thinking about ‘missed opportunities,’ I’m more focused on fully playing my current character in ‘Midas,’” Jang Hyuk said today at the press conference of SBS’s new drama “Midas,” regarding his missed chance in “Secret Garden.”

This is pretty interesting because Jang Hyuk was also originally cast for Kam Woo Sung’s role in the movie “The King and the Clown.” At the time he had to serve the military and had no choice but to decline the offer, which would have given him the leading role for a movie that brought in more than 10 million people. It seems like any role that Jang Hyuk declines go on to become a mega hit, but at least there aren’t too many hard feelings—at least on his end!

(Original article written in Korean by @alice; Translated by @eugenekim222; Photos by V-studio@naver.com)