On the October 22 episode of SBS variety show ‘Master Hangjun’, South Korea’s biggest stars lined up to pitch themselves to director Jang Hang-jun, turning the show’s casting auditions into a star-studded love-call contest. Song Joong-ki led the pack with a playful but pointed appeal: cast him as the master.
The episode aired video interviews with stars connected to Jang Hang-jun, who has become the industry’s hottest director since his latest film. In his interview, Song Joong-ki joked about the director’s newly elevated status, saying, “Since you’ve become a 16-million director, I feel something has changed. I feel like I need to make a good impression.”
“Don’t you need to cast someone for the master role?” Song continued. “I don’t think there are many besides me. I’ll talk to you seriously, hyung, when no one’s around,” he said, drawing laughs with his bold casting bid.
He was not alone. Seolhyun sent a heartfelt appeal: “I respect him. As an actress, I really want to work with him once. I want to receive his directing. Even for a small role, if he calls me, I will run over.”
Shim Eun-kyung recalled warm words the director once gave her, saying, “‘Eun-kyung, you’re a superstar, so hold your head high.’ I respect him deeply in my heart. I keep thinking in my heart that someday he will definitely call me.”
Kim Eui-sung played up the competition with humor, joking that he would have to pay to appear: “I have to pay to be in it. He thinks the actors’ coffee truck support is very important. I think I’d need to send about 20 coffee trucks to be cast.”
Comedian Jang Do-yeon exposed the director’s changed habits, teasing, “His position changed, so he’d drink soju, but I saw him drinking whiskey.” When the production team asked how she would respond to an actual audition offer, she rubbed her hands together and pleaded, “It would be such an honor. Please cast me just once.”
Close friend Jang Hyun-sung added a joking “threat,” saying, “You know it. That I’m holding a few pieces of your history. Don’t forget it.”
The playful appeals come as Jang Hang-jun holds auditions for his autobiographical blockbuster ‘Master Hangjun,’ which documents the casting process on SBS. According to Sports Seoul, the director joked that while acting skill and script understanding matter, his most important casting criterion is “loyalty.”
Song Joong-ki, who married British actress Katy Louise Saunders in 2023 and is a father of two, has been a vocal supporter of the director. With stars openly competing for a spot, anticipation is building over who will ultimately play the master.
