[Sportschosun Lee Woo-joo] Actor Jung Joon-won has been caught up in an attitude controversy after appearing on 'What Are You Doing When You Play?'
On the MBC variety show 'What Are You Doing When You Play?' aired on the 1st, actors Gong Hyo-jin and Jung Joon-won appeared.
Yoo Jae-suk took part in talent interviews for the production of Season 2 of a short-form drama. Gong Hyo-jin then appeared to promote MBC's 'Married Woman Killer.' She showed a positive attitude toward the appearance and recommended her co-star Jung Joon-won to the members, saying, "If I do a drama with him, doesn't the male lead become hugely popular?" As Jung Joon-won appeared hesitantly, Gong Hyo-jin worried, "He's really bad at this kind of thing, like variety shows."
Yoo Jae-suk asked, "Have you seen our work? What did you think of it?" After hesitating for a long time, Jung Joon-won replied, "It's good for light viewing." Yoo then asked, "Is there any work that you would say feels like our drama?" but Jung Joon-won again failed to answer, and Gong Hyo-jin stepped in for him, saying, "Oldboy" or "Mother."
As the questions continued, Jung Joon-won grew increasingly flustered and could not answer, while Gong Hyo-jin kept having to step in for him.
The members then suggested a so-called "Were you poor growing up?" line challenge for Jung Joon-won. When asked to change it to "How old are you?" he seemed ready to take the lead and asked, "Where am I supposed to look?" But he still could not say a word for a long time and shut his eyes tightly. Yoo Jae-suk then said he would move on to the next one, and Heo Kyung-hwan demonstrated first. Yoo gave Jung another chance, but he again could not speak and closed his eyes once more. Yoo reassured him, saying, "From the viewers' perspective, they'll probably wonder when you're ever going to say anything. Do it next time," and Gong Hyo-jin took on the challenge instead.
After the video was released, fans criticized Jung Joon-won's insincere attitude. They reacted sharply, saying, "His behavior is so frustrating," "Male actors should stop with the introvert concept already," "Why did he even come out and ruin the mood?" and "Gong Hyo-jin is working that hard, so who does he think he is?"
On the other hand, some defended him, saying that his real personality is shy and that he is still unfamiliar with variety shows, so his behavior is understandable.
Meanwhile, actor Jung Joon-won gained recognition through tvN's 'Resident Playbook.' At the time, he faced negative reactions over his romance line with Go Youn-jung, with some saying their visuals did not match. In response, Jung said, "I was certain that people would bring it up. I didn't feel bad after hearing that. Even so, I have to do this with the expectation and confidence that public opinion can change."
He also faced miscasting rumors in the recent webtoon-based drama 'Married Woman Killer,' where he played a role originally described in the source material as a handsome man. Jung said, "From my perspective as an actor, that wasn't such a necessary setting. I think he can still look cool by loving his wife and daughter, being kind, and working hard at his job."
wjlee@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
