48-year-old South Korean actor Won Bin (real name: Kim Do-jeon), who rose to fame 16 years ago after starring in the movie “The Man from Nowhere,” has since faded out of the entertainment industry. Recently, he made a rare appearance through a new advertisement, revealing his current status. At 48 years old, he sports medium-length hair cascading down his neck, paired with a black turtleneck top, looking directly at the camera with his familiar handsome face showing almost no signs of aging, leading fans to exclaim, “The idol hasn’t changed at all.”
Won Bin’s popularity soared after starring in “The Man from Nowhere” in 2010, which is still regarded as a classic Korean action film. However, he has rarely appeared in public since then, except for occasionally taking on endorsements without any new acting projects coming to light. Fans have been clamoring for his comeback over the years, but so far, they have not seen any new works from him.
Recently, Won Bin became the official spokesperson for a certain brand. In the latest advertisement released, he sports a Japanese-style slightly curly medium-length hair, hair flowing down to his ears and back neck, dressed in a black turtleneck sweater, looking directly at the camera, showcasing a tight jawline, deep facial features, maintaining a frozen youthful look without any visible signs of aging.
According to South Korean anchor Kim Joo-ha who recounted on a program in June this year, Won Bin once admitted that his role as a tough guy with a crew cut in “The Man from Nowhere” was too iconic and deeply ingrained in people’s minds, leading to receiving fewer acting offers than expected.
As for the curiosity from the public about why he suddenly grew out his hair, Won Bin revealed the reason: “I don’t know what kind of role I will take on, so I’ve been preparing continuously.” This statement implies that he has not closed the door to a comeback but rather remains ready to step back into the industry at any time.
Facing the long-awaited appearance of Won Bin, fans were amazed and exclaimed, “The idol hasn’t changed at all,” “so handsome,” while urging, “Please start acting again,” “Stop doing ads, and start filming new works.”
As a representative of the South Korean entertainment industry known for its low production but high quality, Won Bin’s two milestone works, the TV drama “Autumn in My Heart” and the movie “The Man from Nowhere,” not only caused a frenzy in Asia but also hid many interesting and heartwarming stories behind the scenes.
After filming his earlier work “Mother,” Won Bin was eager to portray a tough guy character who could protect others, so when he saw the script of “The Man from Nowhere,” he readily accepted. He not only won the Best Actor award at the Grand Bell Awards for his role as “Cha Tae-sik” in the film but also showed his caring side behind the scenes. During the shoot, to ensure that the secondhand smoke did not affect the then 9-year-old child star Kim Sae-ron, who worked with him, Won Bin, who usually smoked, quit smoking off set, displaying a very gentlemanly and responsible senior figure.
At the beginning of their collaboration, the young Kim Sae-ron did not recognize the widely popular Won Bin and did not address him as “oppa (brother)” on set but simply called him “uncle.” Won Bin was very down-to-earth about it, not only taking care of her during filming but also regularly sending her text messages after the shoot, even buying her a computer out of his pocket as she came from an ordinary family, making him a true guardian off screen.
There was a joke circulating in the South Korean entertainment circle that said, “In the 16 years after ‘The Man from Nowhere,’ though Won Bin didn’t act, the scripts he rejected fed half of the Korean entertainment industry.”
This joke refers to several recent popular Asian dramas and films such as the TV drama “Descendants of the Sun,” where the lead role of the Special Forces overseas deployment unit leader Yoo Shi-jin (later portrayed by Song Joong-ki) and in the movie “Train to Busan,” the single dad Seok-woo (later played by Gong Yoo), the leader of the underworld emissary Jin-lim (later played by Ha Jung-woo) in the movie “Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds,” and the male lead with a 600-year-old body in the TV series “The Legend of the Blue Sea” (later played by Lee Min-ho), all initially considered for Won Bin.
Renowned screenwriter Kim Eun-sook, who has been called the “Golden Writer” for works like “Descendants of the Sun” and “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God,” has openly stated that over the years, the first choice for the male lead character in her scripts has always been Won Bin.
Won Bin’s wife, Lee Na-young, revealed in an interview that Won Bin actually wants to act but prefers non-commercial films that convey profound humanitarian spirit. However, there are very few outstanding scripts in the market that meet this high standard, coupled with his perfectionist nature, which has led to regretful instances of “unsuitable scripts,” and in the blink of an eye, 16 years have passed.