Song Joong Ki Draws Attention With His Astonishing Appearance Fee For The Movie “Hopeless”

Actor Song Joong Ki’s recent project garnered much attention after he revealed the surprising appearance fee during the 28^th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF). 

Actor Song Joong Ki at the Actors’ House event at Busan International Film Festival | BIFF

Song’s career has been on a constant upward ride for the past few years, with K-Dramas like Vincenzo (2021) and Reborn Rich (2022) and films like The Battleship Island (2017) and Space Sweepers (2021). He is now hailed as one of the highest-paid actors in the Korean entertainment industry.

| Netflix | Netflix

Song Joong Ki’s latest project is a movie called Hopeless, which premiered at BIFF on October 7. Despite having a top star like him, the production way pretty low-budget, and it was reported that the actor didn’t charge any appearance fee for the movie. Earlier, he had explained that he was fascinated by the story and was very excited to be a part of the movie.

I didn’t receive any fee because I was worried that the original charm of the work would decrease if my appearance commercialized it. It’s not a big deal, but I was embarrassed because it was talked about too much.

— Song Joong Ki

However, it turns out that Song did receive an appearance fee in the end, and he shared the details during an open talk of the movie’s screening at BIFF. Song Joong Ki revealed that the CEO of the production company had gifted him the watch he was wearing when they were out having a meal together.

A few days ago, I had a meal with the CEO of the production company and received the watch he was wearing as a gift. I got a watch as my pay.

— Song Joong Ki

He then reiterated his reluctance to be in the limelight for such a reason, saying, “Not receiving fees wasn’t even that big of a deal. But it is embarrassing that there are so many articles about it.”

Song Joong Ki at the open talk | Naver TV

Meanwhile, Hopeless is the story of Yeon Kyu, an 18-year-old who joins a criminal organization to escape the bleak realities of his life. The film is scheduled for a theatrical release on October 11, 2023.