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Kim Soo Hyun under fire as aspiring actresses expose disturbing auditions in club for film Real: 'Dancing on tables…’
New claims emerge about Kim Soo Hyun’s film Real, as actresses reveal disturbing details of the audition process, including inappropriate settings in a club and questionable casting methods.
As actor Kim Soo Hyun faces increasing scrutiny due to allegations regarding his past relationship with the late actress Kim Sae Ron while she was a minor, as well as questions raised by Sulli’s brother about her involvement in the movie Real, new claims continue to emerge regarding his past projects. The most recent controversy concerns the audition process for the female lead and supporting roles in Real, a 2017 neo-noir action film that starred Kim Soo Hyun.
According to translated reports from Pannchoa, the original audition announcement stated, “We are looking for the actresses who will star alongside Kim Soo Hyun in the movie Real.
Audition Roles: Two lead female roles (characters in their late 20s) and supporting female roles Those unable to perform scenes requiring nu**ty (high-level) cannot apply for the female lead roles.
Eligibility: Newcomers, experienced actresses, and aspiring actors aged 19 to 33.”
While the casting notice itself caused some concern due to the explicit requirement for nudity, it was the reported audition process that has now come under fire. Several women who attended the auditions have now come forward, alleging that the experience was deeply unsettling and far from a standard professional casting call.
One anonymous participant described a disturbing atmosphere at the public audition, claiming that it was held at the Octagon Club in Gangnam, one of Seoul’s most famous nightclubs, rather than in a traditional casting or production studio. She revealed, “The public audition for the movie Real was held at the Octagon Club back then. The audition instructions were, ‘Since you're supposed to be in the club, attend in club attire.’”
According to the participant, the audition process felt disorganized and inappropriate. She recalled, “During the day, young actresses stood in line in revealing outfits in front of Nonhyeon Intersection, and the club was filled with young women doing their best for the movie casting, dancing on tables, hanging from the bar. I vaguely remember camera operators filming the scene, but did any actresses actually get cast from that audition...? I never heard any news about it.”
The woman also recounted a troubling experience of being contacted late at night by individuals claiming to be film directors, production company representatives, or managers after attending the audition. The unsettling nature of these calls ultimately led her to change her phone number and step away from the industry.
Another aspiring actress who attended the audition voiced skepticism about the entire process, questioning whether it was a legitimate casting or something more exploitative. The second woman stated, “Here's what I strongly felt after that experience: an over-the-top and ‘acting without acting’ audition. The production company, labeled as a ‘cultural industry professional company,’ felt like one of those fly-by-night operations. But it's not uncommon for a company to be set up just for a specific project, so I guess it could be okay.”
She shared that upon entering the club, staff covered phone cameras with stickers, supposedly to prevent filming, though she questioned how enforceable that was. The entire setup felt unusual, with staff treating the event more like an actual club gathering than a professional audition. The actress also pointed out how the audition format made it impossible to assess talent properly. Rather than conducting proper evaluations, they simply recorded participants enjoying themselves, making it unclear how they intended to assess talent in such a dark setting without name tags or designated performances.
Unlike standard auditions, where candidates are asked to prepare a monologue or perform specific scenes, this event reportedly had no real acting component. “They didn't make us act at all. Before the audition started, it suddenly got really quiet, and I heard a candidate from the staff’s side doing a monologue, but I think they just asked randomly without any purpose,” she described.
When the lights dimmed, the audition reportedly began, with cameras roaming the crowd and filming participants. The woman expressed discomfort at the thought that these recordings could have been used for purposes beyond casting. She ultimately decided to leave, but even that process felt unsettling, as she was reportedly stopped at the door and questioned about why she was leaving so soon.
With Kim Soo Hyun already facing immense pressure due to the controversies surrounding his alleged relationship with Kim Sae Ron and his connection to Sulli’s past struggles, these latest accusations regarding Real’s audition process are adding to the growing concerns.
