Gong Hyo Jin Speaks Shares The Story Behind Her Decision Join "When The Camellia Blooms"

Actress Gong Hyo-jin talked about her casting story for the drama "When the Camellia Blooms" which ended on November 21st. Gong played the role of Dongbaek (Meaning Camellia) as a lead female actress.

On November 25th, the press conference was held in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul about "When the Camellia Blooms". Gong Hyo-jin confessed that she had rejected acting in the drama but eventually changed her mind to join later on. 

Gong said, "At the time I got the offer, I was also preparing for another movie. It was 'The Most Ordinary Romance.' That came after I finished filming 'Hit-and-Run Squad', so timing-wise, it was tough. I didn't know if I was ready to take on another role."

"Besides, 'When the Camellia Blooms' was originally scheduled to be broadcast earlier this year, but it was delayed for several months because of me, so I could not accept the offer all the more," said the actress. "But I received the script until the fourth episode. It was so fun to read. I asked the writer Lim Sang Chun if I could read the fifth episode." 

"After receiving my call, the writer must have held on to me," Gong continued. "After all, the drama shooting was postponed to summer and I decided to play it."

Gong Hyo-jin worked so hard to shed tears to complete this drama. It was written for Gong Hyo-jin and her acting. In fact, writer Lim and PD Cha Young-hoon said that they started writing the drama considering Gong Hyo-jin in mind. In response, Gong Hyo-jin also said, "If I didn't do this work, I must have regretted a lot."

The actress said, "In the story, there was a part where it said 'A woman with a germanium bracelet on.' What people don't know is that before there was a photo of me who leaked and went on top of the search rankings, it was a photo of me wearing a germanium bracelet that was given by my mother. I thought maybe it's the writer's way to seduce me into joining."

"The script was really good from the very beginning. Reading the first episode was good. But the second episode was even better. That feeling continued until the seventh episode. It got better and better. There was no episode that felt less interesting," said Gong Hyo-jin. 

Gong Hyo-jin played the role of "Dong Bake (Meaning Camellia)," who was viewed as a social taboo as an orphan, running a bar and a single mom. 

The last episode of the drama, which aired on November 21st, recorded its highest viewership with 23.8% by Nielsen Korea.