Park Sung-woong reveals he was nearly cut from 'New World' — 24 minutes on screen, one near-deleted line

Park Sung-woong almost didn't make it into New World at all.

Appearing on Super Junior members Donghae and Eunhyuk's YouTube channel 동해물과 백두은혁 on July 27, the actor broke down the casting story behind his role as Lee Jung-gu in the 2013 film. He stars alongside Ryeo-un in the new film Okay Madam 2.

His name wasn't on the first promotional poster. Among the six final candidates for the role, the other five were all established lead-level actors. The investment and distribution company opposed the choice. "The investment and distribution company opposed me because there was risk," he said. The director, though, told him directly: "If the 이중구 character takes off, New World will be a huge hit."

The VIP preview screening changed everything. The moment it ended, the same distributor representative who had opposed the casting walked over and bowed at 90 degrees.

Then there's the line. "살려는 드릴게" — one of the most quoted lines from the film — was almost cut entirely for runtime reasons. It survived only because removing it broke continuity with the scene that followed. (Accidental preservation of a cultural artifact, basically.) Park Sung-woong appeared for just 24 minutes of a runtime exceeding two hours.

Thirteen years on, the role still defines how people address him. "Now 20-year-olds call me '중구 형님'," he said. "They were 7 years old when the movie came out and watched it after growing up." He puts his fanbase at roughly 80% male.

Ryeo-un gained around 10kg for his character in 약한영웅, which left some fans unable to recognize him in person. After the drama aired, his SNS following jumped by nearly one million.

On Okay Madam 2, Park Sung-woong described it as a film for all ages and genders. He made a public pledge: if the film surpasses 5 million viewers, he will personally treat 50 audience members to two drinks each.