Being a handsome kdrama actor and having girls scream your name in public is apparently not enough to inspire self-confidence.
Even attractive actors have doubts about the way they look.
For example, Infinite's L, who is currently playing the young So Ji Sub on "The Master's Sun" and who played the pretty rocker Lee Hyun Soo in "Shut Up Flower Boy Band," has said he is not happy with his looks. When he was on the SBS show "Choi Hwa Jung's Power Time," the host, Choi Hwa Jung complimented the 21-year-old actor and asked how he felt about his face. L did not like it.
"No, not really, I'm not satisfied," said L, whose real name is Kim Myung Soo. "I always wished that my face had more character to it."
Yeo Jin Goo, the child actor who broke hearts playing the young Kim Soo Hyun in "The Moon Embracing The Sun" and the young Park Yoo Chun in "Missing You," is also not happy with his appearance.
He was recently on MBC's Section TV Entertainment Relay," discussing his new film "The Child Who Swallowed The Monster."
When asked if he thought he was good looking, the 17-year-old said, "Honestly, I don't think I'm a good looking actor. I'm more the charming type."
These actors' fans would disagree. At any rate, both of these actors are young and their faces are still going to change, so it's early to be dissatisfied with their looks.
Some actors are confident about their looks but feel insecure about being the focus of so much attention or not really being talented enough.
So Ji Sub was introverted and insecure when he was a teenager. He wanted to be a professional swimmer but got talked into modeling because he wanted to meet hip hop artist Kim Sun Jae.
"I was never really interested in becoming a celebrity," said So.
Being a star would mean entirely too much scrutiny for someone so insecure. Fortunately, years of modeling and acting have helped him overcome that fear.
And it's not just looks that actors get insecure about. Jo In Sung was insecure about his acting ability after he flunked out of acting school and despite his many starring roles and growing fan base, he still occasionally gets frustrated.
"There are times when I do not like my acting at all and I get so mad with myself," said Jo In Sung.
Some actors hide their insecurities very well.
When Choi Seung Hyun's childhood photos were posted on the Internet, fans were surprised to learn how chubby the idol singer and actor was during his younger years. Although he's tall and thin now, it must have affected his self-confidence.
Choi a.k.a. BigBang's T.O.P. is the only member of the group that has not removed his shirt off during the band's performances, and so far, his acting appearances as a cold-blooded killer in the drama "Iris" or a runaway in the film "Nineteen" have not required it.
If he still harbors some secret insecurity, T.O.P.'s fierce stare and swagger serve as a clever disguise.