Actor An Eun-jin. [Newsis]
Actor An Eun-jin. [Newsis]

Actor An Eun-jin has spoken candidly about developing facial paralysis during a drama shoot and the emotional toll of a miscasting controversy.

An appeared as a guest on the YouTube channel Yojeong Jaehyeong, published Sunday, where she looked back on the most difficult moments of her career.

Recalling the 2023 JTBC drama series "Bad Mother," An said she developed facial palsy. "I was washing my face and brushing my teeth on a shoot day when I noticed water leaking from one side of my mouth," she said.

She initially dismissed the symptom, but as it worsened she went to a hospital and was diagnosed with facial nerve paralysis. "I thought a few days of rest would fix it, but I kept getting worse. I was so depressed and heartbroken at the time," she said.

An halted filming to undergo treatment, but recovery proved difficult. "My face moved with a time lag, so they could only shoot my side profile," she said. "I got acupuncture every day at a traditional medicine clinic and strong steroid injections at a Western medicine clinic, but I still didn't get better. I ended up finishing the drama while my face was still swollen."

The hardship continued into her next project. An went on to achieve breakout success with the MBC drama series "Lover" that same year, but in the early stages of production she faced a cold public reception over a miscasting controversy.

"The pressure on 'Lover' was so heavy — I was scared and had no confidence," she said. "I agonized endlessly over whether I could actually perform well on set." Rather than hide her weaknesses, she chose to confront them head-on. "The answer is always the direct approach. I thought there was no other way than to lay myself bare and be honest," she said, adding that she asked the director for help.

She told the director: "I can't act if I don't feel loved on set. If you don't show me that love, my self-esteem won't build up. Please help me." The director responded by personally working through the script with her.

Host Jeong Jae-hyeong expressed admiration for her candor. "That's something most people couldn't bring themselves to say out of pride," he said. "The direct approach — that's truly impressive."

An is currently starring alongside Seo Kang-jun in the KBS2 weekend drama series "A Love Other Than Yours."


betterj@heraldcorp.com