Yoon Shi-yoon revealed that she almost lost the lead role in the drama Bread, Love and Dreams before the series became a national phenomenon with peak viewership of 49.3%.
During the July 1st broadcast of the MBC variety show Radio starYoon appeared together with Ryu Soo-young, Choi Jin-hyuk and Sandeul. During the conversation, he shared behind-the-scenes stories of landing the lead role in the iconic KBS2 drama.
Yoon explained this after making his acting debut through the sitcom High kick through the roofhe was unexpectedly considered for his first leading role in a serious drama. “There was a lot of opposition from people around me,” he recalled. “In the end, both the director and the writer intended to replace me.”
According to the actor, he was initially invited to a meeting where he believed he would be informed that the casting had failed.
“Looking back on it now, obviously it had to be a meeting where they would apologize and tell me I couldn’t play the role,” Yoon said. “But I showed up without knowing it, having prepared enthusiastically.”
He added that the drama centered on a tragic story, while its protagonist was someone who faced hardships with an optimistic spirit.
“The director looked at me and then said: ‘Let’s trust him and move forward'” Yoon reminded. “That’s how I ended up keeping the role.”
Although he eventually secured the part, Yoon admitted that the early stages of filming were far from easy, especially when it came to emotional scenes.
“There were so many heartbreaking moments in the drama,” he said. “At the beginning of filming, I struggled so much with the crying scenes that I couldn’t produce tears even after an hour or two.”
He continued, “Even when filming was postponed to the next day, I still couldn’t cry. The pressure only made it harder.” Yoon expressed gratitude to veteran actor Park Sung-woong, who stepped in to help him by acting as his on-screen mother during rehearsals.
“After crying with his help, I finally understood how it works,” Yoon said.
The actor also shared memories from his early days onwards High kick through the roof. He recalled breaking down in tears with his mother after learning he had been cast in the sitcom.
Yoon revealed that despite being an adult newcomer, he relied on child actors Jin Ji-hee and Seo Shin-ae, who were only around 11 and 12 years old at the time, to teach him how to read scripts and explain industry terminology such as “Shot hit.”
He also entertained viewers with a funny story about buying his first new car. Wanting to show it off, he planned an outing to the Han River with the child actors, only to be surprised when Jin Ji-hee secretly invited senior actress Shin Se-kyung to join them.
Reflecting on his early career, Yoon said he was able to grow as an actor thanks to the support of veteran performers, including Lee Soon-jae, as well as his younger co-stars, to whom he remains deeply grateful.
Sources: Daum
