South Korean singer and actor Rowoon, a member of boyband SF9, wasn’t paid “any money” for his role in the new Netflix K-drama A Time Called You.
Last week, Netflix released its latest South Korean series, titled A Time Called You. The new K-drama, which stars Ahn Hyo-seop (A Business Proposal) and Jeon Yeo-been (Vincenzo), is a remake of the 2019 Taiwanese series Someday or One Day.
The series features a special appearance by Rowoon, who plays the character of Tae-ha, a friend of male protagonist Si-heon (portrayed by Ahn). In a new interview with Joy24 News, series director Kim Jin-won reveals how Rowoon was cast in the role and why he wasn’t paid for his appearance.
Kim said that it started out with him looking for “the right person”, as it had to be someone Ahn would be “comfortable” and have “good chemistry” with. “I asked Ahn, ‘Are you good friends with anyone in the industry’, and that’s how we started discussing Rowoon,” he added, as translated by Koreaboo.
“I got in touch with Rowoon’s management. I also asked Ahn to talk to Rowoon about the role, so Rowoon would have an idea about the details of the scene,” Kim added. “Some discussions later, Rowoon gladly accepted the offer.”
Kim then revealed Rowoon did not “take any money for the appearance”, instead only requesting that a meal truck be sent in his name to Ahn. The director also noted to Joy24 News that he would “specifically love this [point] to be publicised”.
Meanwhile, A Time Called You lead actress Jeon Yeo-been recently opened up about the “pressure” she felt working on the new K-drama, citing her “love” for the original Taiwanese version.