Choi Kang-hee on why she quit acting: "It wasn't fun"

Actress Choi Kang-hee has opened up about the moment she considered walking away from acting entirely. On a day when her hands and feet trembled so much in front of the camera that she required assistance from the lighting team, she essentially tried to end her acting career, stating, "Acting is not fun."

After spending time working part-time jobs, such as cleaning and washing dishes at a meat restaurant, it was not a grand comeback project that brought Choi back to the stage, but rather an entertainment program she appeared in quite casually.

Recently, Choi and Oh Man-seok appeared on the YouTube channel "The Couple Next Door, Seo Hyun-chul and Jung Jae-eun" to share stories about their lives as actors and the timing of their careers. Reflecting on her past work selections, Choi said that opportunities did not always arrive at the "prepared moment." In particular, regarding "Another Miss Oh," she revealed, "The project came in when I wasn't ready." She explained that at the time, considering her age, she thought it was time to pass the romantic comedy genre over to junior actors, but the engaging script made her heart waver.

In fact, Choi explained that she ultimately could not choose "Another Miss Oh" when the filming schedule for the 60-episode drama "Glamorous Temptation" overlapped with it. She decided that handling multiple projects simultaneously did not suit her. Oh Man-seok also drew laughter by sharing an anecdote where he was offered a major role in the "Reply" series but turned it down due to scheduling issues, only to regret it later, saying, "I should have done this," after seeing the finished work.

However, the real crisis for Choi was not the selection of works, but skepticism toward the profession of acting itself. She recalled that after becoming an adult actor and working with junior actors, her sense of responsibility and pressure grew, leading to severe physical tension on set. Even though the "action" signal was given, her body would not move as intended; she thought she was acting, but she heard the director ask, "Kang-hee, why aren't you doing it?" Her hands and feet trembled so intensely that the lighting team eventually had to hold her hands.

The conclusion Choi reached at that moment was unexpectedly simple: "Acting is not fun." She confessed that she eventually decided to quit acting about four years ago, saying, "I realized acting requires technique. I thought, maybe I'm not a technician. I wondered if it was because I wasn't a major or because I hadn't learned it."

For someone who started her acting career in childhood, it was a paradoxical moment where the work she had done the longest became the most unfamiliar and overwhelming task.

Life after stepping away from acting was far from the glamorous image of a celebrity. Choi said she spent her time doing cleaning jobs and washing dishes at a meat restaurant. She evaluated that time as necessary, judging that if she had kept enduring, she might have reached a more serious psychological state given her personality. By temporarily setting aside her title as an actress and experiencing manual labor, she found the time to reflect on what she truly wanted.

Then, an unexpected turning point arrived. As the MBC show "Omniscient Interfering View," which Choi appeared in with a relaxed mindset, received great public interest, the perception of her changed. She said, "That is what brought me back to this place."

Rather than forcibly declaring a comeback or preparing a flashy return, the image of her living her own life after stepping away was embraced sincerely by the public, which ultimately provided her with the opportunity to act again.

Choi is currently appearing in the play "Closer" alongside Oh Man-seok. Performing at YES24 Stage Hall 2 from September 15 to December 6, this production holds more meaning for her than a simple comeback. It is a process where an actress, who once trembled in front of the camera and gave up acting, stands on stage again to confirm for herself, "Is this truly mine?"

Choi's sentiment of "Since I quit anyway, let's just try it" serves as both the determination of an actress returning after a long hiatus and a new beginning for a person who has once again chosen the profession of acting of her own will.