Actress Nam Neung-mi has finally revealed the behind-the-scenes story of why she turned down the role of Ilyong’s mother in ‘Country Diaries’.
In the 528th episode of JTBC’s ‘Knowing Bros’ aired on the 9th, veteran actors Kim Young-ok, Sa Mi-ja, and Nam Neung-mi appeared and showcased their wit.
When Seo Jang-hoon asked about Nam Neung-mi’s representative works, the cast mentioned hit dramas with massive ratings, such as ‘Love and Ambition’, ‘The Sunny Side of Youth’, and ‘Moon of Seoul’.
Kang Ho-dong expressed admiration for Nam Neung-mi’s filmography, noting that ‘Love and Ambition’ recorded a 75% rating, ‘The Sunny Side of Youth’ 62%, and ‘Moon of Seoul’ 48%.
When asked if she had a secret to choosing her projects, Nam Neung-mi replied, “I cared more about the role than the work itself.”
She explained, “If I take on a comic role, I have to do a different kind of role next. If I only take similar roles, my image becomes fixed.” She added that she had no choice but to reject similar roles to try new characters.
She further confessed, “Because I kept rejecting roles, I even got the nickname ‘I won’t do it, Nam Neung-mi’.”
Nam Neung-mi mentioned ‘Country Diaries’ as one of the projects she missed out on.
“I’m talking about this for the first time on ‘Knowing Bros’, but the role of Ilyong’s mother in ‘Country Diaries’ was actually offered to me first,” she revealed. “I didn’t take it because it was a tone of role I had been doing continuously at the time.”
When Kim Shin-young asked, “That’s such a waste. Did you regret it later?” Nam Neung-mi caught everyone’s attention by replying, “I didn’t regret it. Shortly after, I did ‘Love on a Jujube Tree’.”
