Unless they were child actors or pursued the craft in college, it’s nothing new to hear most of our favorite K-drama stars actually worked different jobs prior to entering the industry. While Ahn Bo Hyun is no exception, the Itaewon Class star once revealed that he still had to take on jobs outside of acting, years after his debut.
During his appearance on the variety talk show Knowing Bros, Bo Hyun shared that he struggled a lot to pay off his living expenses before and after he started acting. “I had many part-time jobs. I worked at a gas station and a food court. I also delivered newspapers in Gangnam,” he recounted.
The actor debuted in 2014 with the revenge drama Golden Cross. However, he only gained public recognition after his portrayal of Im Gwang-nam, a.k.a. Piccolo, two years later on the hit series Descendants of the Sun. Despite his growing fame though, he still wasn’t making enough to live off of acting alone. “I worked part-time even after Descendants of the Sun. It was a mega-hit drama, but being recognized did not exactly equal to having enough living costs,” revealed Bo Hyun.
Among the many jobs he took, Bo Hyun shared a particular awkward moment while working at a construction site after DOTS wrapped. “Among my friends in Busan, I am as popular as Song Joong Ki…” he said. “One day, when I was working at the construction site, they video-called me. I picked it up thinking that it was just going to be my friends there. But it turned out some of my friends wanted to show off their friendship with me to their friends. As I was wearing the safety helmet at that time, my friends as well as their friends all went completely silent.”
Luckily, by 2018 Bo Hyun finally found stability in his acting career. He then went on to garner more recognition for his role on Itaewon Class as Jang Geun-won, Park Seo Joon’s rival in the first half of the series. As things continue to look up for the actor, lately, he’s landed the opportunity to build himself up as a rising leading man, top-billing two 2021 K-dramas—My Name and Yumi’s Cells.
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