Not Lee Jong Suk, This Actor Should Be Park Shin Hye’s Match in Pinocchio, Failed for Painful Reasons?

Korean drama lovers are no stranger to the Pinocchio series, starring Lee Jong Suk and Park Shin Hye.
Yes, the drama, which was first released in 2014, is about Choi In Ha (Park Shin Hye), who dreams of becoming a journalist but has Pinocchio syndrome, which makes him hiccup every time he lies.
Together with Choi Dal Po (Lee Jong Suk), they try to pursue justice by conducting an investigation. The drama, directed by Jo Soo Won, displays the intense chemistry between Lee Jong Suk and Park Shin Hye with an exciting story. Thanks to that combination, this drama successfully became one of the hit series of its time.
In addition, the success of the drama Pinocchio also helped Lee Jong Suk build his name in the acting world. Lee Jong Suk is known to have started his career as a model at a relatively young age.
The man, born on September 14, 1989, later became an extra in the enormous screen film Sympathy and a supporting actor in several dramas.
Only in 2012 was he first asked to play the leading role in My Prettiest Moment. Lee Jong Suk’s name then began to climb after the success of the drama School 2013 and Doctor Strange.
The actor, who was once an SM Entertainment trainee, is increasingly recognized thanks to Pinocchio’s great popularity. Quoting Kdramastar, Friday, July 15, 2022, the SBS series also managed to win around 6.2 billion, or the equivalent of US$5.62 million for broadcasting rights, in one year. Not surprisingly, through this role in Pinocchio, Lee Jong Suk received an acting award as the Male Top Excellence Award at the 8th Korea Drama Awards.
Behind the success of Lee Jong Suk in playing the character Choi Dal Po, there is an exciting fact where he almost failed to play the character. Because the actor, who is now 32 years old, is not the first choice the production team has targeted. Quoting KBIzoom, the production crew of the drama Pinocchio revealed that they first offered the role to Kim Woo Bin. Seeing the actor who previously worked with Park Shin Hye in the theater The Heirs, it is hoped that the two will be able to become a potent combination and make the drama explode in the market.
Unfortunately, Kim Woo Bin was too busy filming the Chinese film “We Are Young” and the action/thriller film “The Con Artists” at that time. He was forced to turn down the role because of his busy schedule.
Despite missing Pinocchio, Kim Woo Bin is a fan of the series.
Besides being starred by his best friend, Shin Min Ah’s lover also likes the storyline. Even though Lee Jong Suk had a perfect performance in “Pinocchio,” some netizens still regretted Kim Woo Bin’s inability to join. Not a few feel sorry for the actor because he was diagnosed with cancer three years later. He also had to experience a decline in popularity due to a long hiatus. But recently, Kim Woo Bin started to come back with a better condition through the omnibus series Our Blues.
Now, he is busy promoting his latest film, Alienoid, which also stars Kim Tae Ri, Ryu Jun Yeol, So Ji Sub, and many others.