00:05Actors that weren't the first choice for the roles they landed.
00:08In life, we don't always get what we want, but sometimes what we get instead ends up
00:12being so much nicer.
00:13And this also rings true in drama land, and especially in casting.
00:18Often directors or studio executives go into a project with an exact actor or actress in
00:23mind for a certain character, but sometimes those actors reject the offer due to scheduling
00:28conflicts or creative disputes, which then forces drama executives to go down a list
00:33of possible stars, looking for a replacement who might just be a better match for the role.
00:38In other situations, an actor might get replaced on the second season of the drama, for us to
00:43believe that some of our favorite characters were supposed to be played by other actors,
00:47especially when it seems like the roles were written specifically for them.
00:50Here are eight actors who weren't the first pick for a role, but killed it nonetheless.
00:58Sometimes life presents us with two good things and forces us to choose between them, and
01:03then we'd have to follow our hearts to pick the right thing.
01:05The same thing can be said about Mark Hwan, who stepped out of the drama, Here to Heart,
01:09to film his other drama, The Years You Were Late.
01:12And with him no longer being an option for the male lead of Here to Heart, the role went
01:16to Zhang Han.
01:17His character is a CEO, whose first love returns to him after a decade, as an employee under
01:22him.
01:23Despite their messy breakup, the couple work together to help the company overcome stiff
01:28competition and rid the industry of firms that employ dirty tactics to gain market share.
01:33And with time, love reblooms between them, so maybe your first love is your real love
01:38after all, right?
01:39While Mark Hwan has tremendous charisma, no one can deny that Zhang Han's astounding aura
01:45was fit for the role.
01:51Number 7.
01:53Dylan Wang As we mentioned at the start of the video, some actors
01:57replace others on the second season of dramas, and Dylan Wang is the prime example of that.
02:03In the first season of Ever Night, the male lead was Arthur Chen, but due to a scheduling
02:07conflict with his film Legend of the Awakening, Arthur stepped back from the second season of
02:12the drama.
02:13As so, Dylan Wang replaced Arthur Chen as the main character.
02:17In the first season, Arthur Chen played the younger version of the main character, who
02:21was fierce.
02:22In the second season, Dylan Wang played a mature and much calmer version of the character.
02:27And even though the behavior in the face of the male lead changed, his love for the female
02:31character stayed as strong as ever.
02:33Both actors excelled in playing the role, but who was your favorite?
02:37And who do you think made a cuter pair with Iron Song?
02:41Let us know in the comments!
02:42Number 6.
02:49Zhang Chao Back in 2016, Chinese and Korean fans of C-dramas
02:53were filled to the brim with excitement to see Kim Tae-hwan in another C-drama after the
02:58success and popularity the rom-com drama My Amazing Boyfriend gained.
03:02The Korean actor was supposed to star in The Fox Summer, alongside Seven Tan.
03:07The pair even attended a press conference for the drama together.
03:11However, Kim Tae-hwan abruptly pulled out of the project.
03:15No specific reason was given back then, but everything made sense once the Hallyu ban on
03:20Korean-Chinese co-production and celebrities was announced.
03:23In the drama, Zhang Chao plays the role of a walking lie detector who is an adopted son
03:28of a filthy rich family and the CEO of a fashion corporation.
03:31The female lead is a fashion designer who works under him, and she happens to be a pathological
03:37liar.
03:38The two share plenty of hilarious moments, but even more so heartwarming ones.
03:42Do you think Zhang Chao played his role well?
03:45Because we certainly do!
03:54Who Rules the World is a recent drama that absolutely captivated watchers.
03:59It's about a handsome and elegant man, and a majestic and unrestrained woman.
04:03The two are opposites like black and white, but they possess unrivaled skills.
04:07When they get caught in the warfare and chaos of the martial arts world, the flowers of love
04:12begin to bloom amidst bloodshed.
04:14Yang Yang is absolutely the perfect fit for the male lead, and he portrayed his role so
04:19breathtakingly.
04:20But even before the casting of the handsome Yang Yang, Yang Mi's name was already floating
04:25as the heroine.
04:26But rumor has it that Yang Mi turned down the role due to her busy schedule, and Rosie Chao
04:32landed the role instead.
04:33With either actress, the drama would have ended up being eye-catchingly fantastic anyway, as both
04:38actresses are stunning and tremendously talented.
04:42Did you watch Who Rules the World?
04:43Do you think Rosie Chao and Yang Yang made a fascinating couple?
04:52Number 4 and Number 3 Simon Gong and Zhang Zhehan
04:57For number 4 and number 3 on our list, we merged the actors together since they were both the
05:03leads of the same drama, Word of Honor.
05:05In recent years, there have been a handful of dramas that took the world by storm.
05:09And Word of Honor is undoubtedly one of them, even though it might be considered to have
05:14a smaller budget and also had little to no promotion.
05:18Perhaps the biggest reason for the drama's success is the main actors' performances,
05:22namely Simon Gong and Zhang Zhehan.
05:26And funnily enough, neither of them were the first choice for the roles they played.
05:29Initially, Lee Daikun was supposed to play the role Simon Gong ended up playing, but he
05:34did not think he suited the character, so he gave up the lead role to play a supporting
05:38character instead.
05:40As for Zhang Zhehan, he replaced Mao Zhejun when the latter prioritized filming his other
05:46drama while waiting for Word of Honor to roll in action.
05:49But when it was time to film it, his schedule was too packed and the role was passed to Zhang
05:54Zhehan.
05:54We honestly can't imagine a world where Simon Gong and Zhang Zhehan aren't our beloved
06:00main characters of Word of Honor.
06:072.
06:08Wu Zhinyuan
06:09In terms of casting, Royal Feast was always a win-win situation for C-drama fans, and Shikai
06:15fans in particular.
06:16At first, the producers of Royal Feast were planning to pair the beau actor with the gorgeous
06:21Bailu.
06:22The duo is largely loved across China and the world, for they've made an enchanting couple
06:27in many dramas, like Arsenal Military Academy and The Legends.
06:32They'd have portrayed another drama beautifully, but things didn't work out with Bailu.
06:36Fans got a reunion, but with Wu Zhinyuan instead, who starred alongside Shikai in the mega-popular
06:43drama Story of Yangji Palace.
06:45In Royal Feast, Wu Zhinyuan is a palace maid who joins the palace's kitchen and becomes
06:51in charge of preparing meals for the imperial family.
06:54Along the way, she falls in love with the young prince, who's played by Shikai.
06:59Did you watch this drama?
07:00Which pairing do you like more, Shikai and Bailu or Shikai and Wu Zhinyuan?
07:12Before the filming of the super popular 2021 drama, the long ballad even started.
07:17The male lead was determined to be Sha-Ku early on, and many announcements and news confirm
07:23that.
07:24But due to conflicts between the star and his management, he was dropped out of the project.
07:28As they say, someone's misfortune can lead to another success.
07:32This is especially true in business, and the sea drama world is no exception to the rule.
07:38After Sha-Ku was out of the picture, Liu Wu entered and got cast as the main role in
07:42the long ballad.
07:44His character is a smart general who managed to defeat the female lead, and later kept
07:49her in his service as his military strategist.
07:52And with time, he successfully made her fall for him too.
07:55Before the drama aired, many expressed their worry due to how young Liu Wu is.
07:59But once the drama aired, he absolutely stunned everyone with his impressive performance.
08:04Were you impressed too?
08:10And with that, we reached the end of our video.
08:13Who do you think has the biggest regret after passing such incredible roles?
08:17And did we miss out on any stars who weren't the first choice for the roles they played?
08:21Let us know all your thoughts in the comment section down below.
08:23And kindly subscribe to our channel!
08:26We'll see you next time!
08:27Bye, bye!
08:29Bye!
08:34Bye!
08:36Bye!
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