Red Flag Reviews From “Real” Audition Resurface Amid Kim Soo Hyun’s Ongoing Scandal—Original Director Responds
Actor Kim Soo Hyun‘s 2017 K-Movie Real has been scrutinized amid his ongoing scandal with the late actress Kim Sae Ron, more so after the late idol Sulli‘s older brother hinted at problems with its production. As revelations unfold from the cast, more stories from those who tried out to be in the movie have also resurfaced.
Across online communities, an ad “looking for the female lead” of Real has circulated. The ad reads, “REAL S.P.C is looking for actresses to co-star alongside male lead Kim Soo Hyun in the movie ‘Real.'” While the ad doesn’t reveal much about the roles, it does make clear that those unwilling to show skin cannot be cast in the main character roles.
Open Audition For The Female Lead of Real
REAL S.P.C is looking for actresses to co-star alongside male lead Kim Soo Hyun in the movie ‘Real.’
Production: REAL S.P.C
Director: Lee Jung Sub
Shoot: Begins end of October 2015
Roles: Two female leads (characters in their late-20s) and multiple supporting roles *Nudity (explicit) involved. Those unwilling cannot be cast in the main character roles.
Eligibility: All actresses, aspiring to experienced, between the ages of 19-33
[Application Instructions]
Note: After the first round of application screening, we will individually notify the applicants eligible for the second round with information regarding the schedule, location, and dress code.
As the ad made its rounds online, (former) actresses who auditioned have come forward and recalled what the process was like. One Threads user claimed that the audition was held at Octagon, a popular nightclub in Gangnam, Seoul now permanently closed.
The user, once an aspiring actress now turned pilates instructor, noted, “In broad daylight, young actresses dressed in revealing outfits lined up in front of Nonhyeon Intersection.”
As news about actor Kim Soo Hyun is being updated every two hours, one memory suddenly crossed my mind.
The open audition for the movie Real was held at the Octagon Club at the time. The audition notice stated, “Since we’ll be observing how you enjoy the club atmosphere, please attend in club attire.”
In broad daylight, young actresses dressed in revealing outfits lined up in front of Nonhyeon Intersection. And inside the club, it was filled with young women doing their best for a movie casting—climbing onto tables, hanging onto poles, dancing.
I vaguely remember a few video directors holding cameras…
— @jisoheun/Threads
Another user on DC Inside recalled similar things, claiming that the whole thing felt “very off,” like “an acting audition without any actual acting.”
“It was exactly like the other review going around, LOL. To add to that, what stood out the most to me was how over-the-top it felt—an acting audition without any actual acting.
1. The production company felt like it was just trying to make a quick profit and disappear. But since it’s not uncommon for companies to be formed for one-off projects, I figured it might be fine.
2. Holding an audition at a club in broad daylight felt weird. They did officially announce a “club dress code,” but I just ignored it and wore whatever I wanted. Some people showed up in outfits that looked like party dresses, while others dressed more normally.
3. When I arrived at the club, they handed out stickers and told us to put them over our cellphone cameras, lol. They didn’t want anyone filming. Who would even be recording? It felt unnecessarily secretive, and that’s when I started feeling uneasy.
4. Everyone got seated and then the staff told us to just have fun. So, we were asked to act like we were actually at a club and they’ll go around and film as they see fit. At this point, my suspicion grew stronger. Like… How would they even identify the applicants they liked? The place was dark, they weren’t watching anyone act, and we weren’t wearing any numbers or name tags.
5. There wasn’t a single evaluation for actual acting. Before the audition started, the room suddenly went dead silent, and I overheard one hopeful actor loudly performing a monologue near the staff’s table. But it seemed random and meaningless. The only instruction we got was to ‘just have fun’ while they filmed us. Usually, at auditions, you prepare a free acting piece and sometimes get an assigned script on the spot. But there was nothing like that here.
6. Then the lights went off, and the ‘actual evaluation’ (whatever that means) began. That’s when a few camera operators started moving around, filming people. It felt unsettling to be recorded like that, even at an audition, so I got annoyed when the cameras got close. I even considered going to the bathroom just to leave. It made me wonder—were they really looking for talent from aspiring actresses, or was this footage going to be used for something else?
7. I finally decided to leave. But as I was walking out, some staff member or security guard at the door was like, ‘Oh, why are you leaving so soon?’ as if I were actually a club guest or something, lol.
Honestly, I wasn’t convinced that this movie would turn out well (the audition felt so unorganized), and it didn’t even seem like a real audition—it felt like they were hunting for extras. I don’t know, the whole thing felt really strange. It didn’t have the usual structured feel of a movie audition at all. As I left, I couldn’t help but wonder—would it even be worth it for the actresses who get cast? I went for coffee, still feeling uneasy about the whole vibe inside the club. It felt like a frenzy… very off. The people running it seemed very, very peculiar.”
— Anonymous DC Inside Kim Soo Hyun Gallery User
As these reviews raised even more red flags about how Real came to be, some demanded that the original director Lee Jung Sub explain the audition. Lee Jung Sub was the director who is said to have filmed most of the movie before getting swapped out.
Regarding the director switch, the replacing director (and GOLD MEDALIST‘s CCO, as well as Real‘s production studio CEO) Lee Sa Rang once said in an interview that it was because Lee Jung Sub and the producer did not agree on how the movie should be edited and produced.
During this interview, director Lee Sa Rang addressed the sudden director change that occurred during the production process, stating, ‘We went into this with no fixed boundaries defining what a director should do or what a producer should do.’ He added, ‘Director Lee Jung Sub and the production team collaborated and prepared the film together.’
He continued, ‘However, we had differences in opinions, and our artistic styles were quite distinct. So, we felt it would be better for the film to be led by a single creative vision, which is why we decided to change the director. In the end, we successfully completed the project together.’
— Hankyung.com
In response to the horror stories from Real auditions, Lee Jung Sub revealed he was not a part of the process now deemed “peculiar”—and that he was only introduced to “the final eight or so actresses” after “the early stages of this audition process” had taken place.
또한 당시 신인이었던 조우진 배우 역시 오디션까지 진행되어 고심해서 뽑았고, 내부자들 개봉 전 VIP 시사회에서 처음 만나 함께 제가 작품 인터뷰하고 캐스팅했어요.
저는 공개오디션을 통해서 두 배우와 함께 하게 되었습니다.
하지만 이 내용 역시 제게 리얼 “감독”크레디트가 없기에 해명자격은…— 이정섭 LEE JUNG-SUB (@RagingBull2017) March 29, 2025
I am not the credited director of ‘Real,’ so I am not in a position to make an official statement.
However, if I may respond to some of the articles that have been published about it all, I can share that during the early stages of this audition process, the production team did not allow me to be present on-site. To ensure fairness, I was excluded from the selection process at the audition venue.
I was only able to meet the final eight or so actresses chosen by the production team, and from them, I personally selected one—actress Han Ji Eun who was a rookie at the time—to cast in the lead role. I had no issues shooting the movie with her.
Similarly, actor Jo Woo Jin, who was also a rookie back then, went through the audition process and was carefully selected. I first met him at the VIP premiere of Inside Men before its release, and it was there that we conducted our first interview and confirmed his casting. I was able to work with both of these stars through open auditions.
But again, since I do not hold the official ‘director’ credit for ‘Real,’ I am not in a position to provide an official explanation.
— Lee Jung Sub
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