Currently dominating the top TV shows list on Prime Video is Island, a menacing K-drama that stars Cha Eun Woo, Kim Nam Gil, and Lee Da Hee. The series offers a more ominous view on Jeju Island, as evil spirits and restless souls wreck havoc on the vacation hotspot.
Casting for the show began as early as the first half of 2021, with Nam Gil being the first one on-board as reverend Van. Eun Woo followed suit as clergy man Yohan, but Da Hee didn't actually join the ensemble until later in the year, since her role was originally meant for someone else. Initially, Won Mi-ho was supposed to be portrayed by It's Okay to Not Be Okay leading lady Seo Ye Ji.
A 2021 report by Korea Joongang Daily revealed that Ye Ji was signed on to the drama until issues about her controversial relationship with fellow actor and then-boyfriend Kim Jung Hyun arose. To refresh your memory, Ye Ji was under fire after Dispatch Korea released screenshots of "manipulative" texts between her and Jung Hyun, who was busy filming the 2018 MBC drama Time with Girls' Generation's Seohyun.
Ye Ji was reported to be "controlling" towards Jung Hyun, instructing him to deny any intimate or romantic scenes with his co-actors. Shortly after, former middle school classmates of hers also came forward with their own experiences of bullying by the actress. Gold Medalist, her agency, denied such allegations last April 12, 2021 with an official statement.
Forbes Korea states that "the production team behind [Island] had no choice but to replace [Ye Ji] due to the amount of negative publicity she has recently been associated with. Several brands that she modeled for have also removed her image."
It was only in February of 2022 when Ye Ji broke her silence and apologized for the allegtions. She says: "Seeing all of the reproach and the many things that have been said about me, I have been taking time to reflect on myself up until now. I would like to sincerely apologize for making many people uncomfortable due to my shortcomings.
"All of this stemmed from my immaturity, and I will work hard to behave more carefully in the future and show you a more mature version of myself."
One of the repercussions Ye Ji had to live with after all of the controversies was being replaced in Island, which, at the time she apologized, was already in production with Lee Da Hee in her post. In lieu of this, the actress still managed to make her small screen comeback via the tvN drama Eve, where she played a vengeful chaebol heiress.
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