Ju Ji Hoon revealed the struggles he faced before playing his famous lead role in the megahit K-drama "Princess Hours."

Curious about what the actor went through before rising to stardom? Then read on!

How Ju Ji Hoon Started His Acting Career

Before his much-awaited screen comeback with Han Hyo Joo, notable actor Ju Ji Hoon made his guest appearance on Jung Jae Hyung's YouTube talk show on March 24.

The sought-after actor recalled the challenges he experienced during his rookie days and revealed that he almost refused to headline the OG K-series "Princess Hours."

Ju Ji Hoon immediately rose to stardom after he starred in MBC's legendary drama "Princess Hours." But before he gained recognition, the actor confessed that he was also auditioning for a role in the series "Spring Waltz."

Surprisingly, while waiting for the result, he received a call from the "Princess Hours" team, and said he was cast for a lead role. He addressed the concern to the "Spring Waltz" team and advised him that if it was a lead role, he should grab it.

At that time, he also topped the nationwide audition for "Spring Waltz," but he ultimately chose to appear in "Princess Hours" instead.

Ju Ji Hoon Initially Declined To Headline 'Princess Hours' For THIS Reason

Days passed, he attended the script reading for the rom-com series and felt terrified to say his lines. He explained:

"The script reading was not just terrifying. It was indescribably terrifying. I am still traumatic to this day that I find it hard to say my lines at the table read."

The "Hyena" star shared that he was not even a drama major and was in the modeling field at that time, that's why he had a lot of worries about acting in his first lead role.

At that time, Ju Ji Hoon almost refused to play Lee Shin's character.

"Actually, for about three weeks after my agency asked me to join 'Princess Hours,' I refused.

I kept saying I didn't want to do it. I felt pressured into acting in the drama."

Thankfully, after careful consideration, the actor accepted the project. It was his debut drama and became one of the most-loved K-series of all time.

Ju Ji Hoon Receives Hate For His Looks In 'Princess Hours'

Since he was still a newbie, his acting was monitored by many. But he didn't fail to impress the audience as they recognized his improved acting during the airing of "Princess Hours."

But despite his good performance, Ju Ji Hoon received negative comments about his looks. He confessed that nowadays, people praise him for being handsome, but in the past, people criticized his features which initially became the reason why he almost declined the offer to play Lee Shin's role.

"Honestly, I didn't want to do 'Princess Hours' as my role was supposed to be this very cute, charming, and good-looking guy."

He admitted to closing his social media account back then because he was getting negative comments and even called him a "farmer-looking" person.

Despite the challenges he faced over a decade, Ju Ji Hoon built an outstanding acting portfolio and received awards for his notable performances.

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Shai San Miguel wrote this.