One of the highly paid actors in South Korea, Lee Jong Suk, was reportedly did not receive any money for playing the lead role in the drama Hymn of Death. He is known to be an actor who chooses scripts after giving them a good thought. So, why did Lee Jong Suk agree to do the drama Hymn of Death without a pay?
Called as Sukki by his friends, Lee Jong Suk has two reasons to accept the offer without any money. Here is what made Lee Jong Suk play the role of Kim Woo Jin that even earned him critical acclaim.
Hymn of Death is also known as the Death Song and us a short drama form. The 2018-drama has only three episodes and tells the story of Joseon dynasty's first soprano Yun Sim Deok and genius playwright Kim Woo Jin. The role of Yun Sim Deok was played by actress Shin Hye Sun and Lee Jong Suk played the role of Kim Woo Jin. It is a tragic story of the couple set in the Japanese colonial rule period when people of Joseon did not have the freedom to sing or fall in love.
Lee Jong Suk's Dream Role!
The true-life story is quite popular in South Korea. The story had already been adapted into a musical film. But Lee Jong Suk was moved by the story and wanted to play the role of Kim Woo Jin. There are times when an actor gets offered a role, but there are also times when actor aspires to play certain roles. Thus it was such a role for Lee Jong Suk and he didn't want to miss out on it for anything.
Lee Jong Suk was praised for showcasing his emotional side very well in the drama. As he knew it was one of his dream characters, Lee Jong Suk agreed to play the role without any remuneration. The second reason is his love for director of the drama.
Hymn of Death was directed by Park Soo Jin. Lee Jong Suk had acted in Park Soo Jin's directorial drama While You Were Sleeping in 2017. Both were not only on good terms but developed a friendly relationship after the completion of the drama. Thus he also wanted to show his respect to the work of Park Soo Jin and decided not to demand any pay.
Lee Jong Suk charges nearly $5,00,000 per episode. But his kind gesture was appreciated by the director Park Soo Jin. "I am confident that Lee Jong Suk will be able to perfectly portray the two sides of Kim Woo Jin as both a tormented intellectual and a young man in love. I am sincerely grateful to Lee Jong Suk for not only agreeing to appear in the drama but also decided to receive no guaranteed fee for his appearance," Park Soo Jin had said.
Another interesting fact about Hymn of Death is that through the drama Lee Jong Suk re-united with his co-actress Shin Hye Sun after a long gap of five years. They had acted together in the drama School 2013 which was released in the year 2012.
