Lee Dong Wook Almost Retired Over Hate Comments From A K-Drama Role—Until Gong Yoo Stepped In

Actor Lee Dong Wook opened up to Na Young Suk (also known as Na PD) about a time in his life when he nearly quit being an actor and was prepared to leave the industry altogether.

After starring in the 2018 medical drama Life, Lee Dong Wook confessed he experienced a “serious slump.” Besides the low ratings the drama received, Lee Dong Wook took the hate comments personally and was hard on himself about his performance.

I was unhappy with my acting in the series… The drama was getting hate online, and all of that negativity seemed to be aimed at me. I began to think I was to blame and felt bad about it.

— Lee Dong Wook

The actor fell so deeply into his slump that he thought the drama would’ve been successful without him. He revealed, “I never said this on air, but I seriously considered retiring and moving to another country.” So he isolated himself and only focused on exercising.

But his time in the gym didn’t improve his mental health and put an end to his slump as planned. That’s when Gong Yoo interfered and changed everything.

Gong Yoo broke Lee Dong Wook’s slump by calling him late at night and finally getting him to leave the house for something other than exercising. Their time together reminded Lee Dong Wook of the life he needed to live. He eventually made his return in 2019’s Touch Your Heart with actress Yoo In Na—which viewers crowned as one of the best series of the year.

He kept urging me to come out. So I went out, and we had a drink. He didn’t ask me anything about it. [We had] a very ordinary chat.

After talking about ordinary stuff, I realized this was where I belonged. This is where I should be. Then I started going out more and more.

— Lee Dong Wook

Without his friend Gong Yoo, Lee Dong Wook would’ve given up before starring in his other successful series like Tale of the Nine Tailed, Strangers From Hell, and A Shop for Killers. Now the actor is so famous that he’s fully booked years in advance.