'Nevertheless' On Netflix: Get To Know Actor Song Kang

Netflix’s newest series ‘Nevertheless,’ has been stirring curiosity on how the partially rated 19+ story will pan out throughout its 10 episodes. As we await for the plot to unfold, let's get to know the lead actor with a seductive butterfly tattoo

Nevertheless is one of the highly anticipated Korean dramas of the year owing to its interesting “friends-with-benefits” theme and the new love team behind it. Starring Song Kang who showed his versatile acting talent in the successful two-season Netflix original Love Alarm, the inspiring tvN drama Navillera, and the apocalyptic horror series Sweet Home. Also starring Han So-hee, nominated at last year's Baeksang Arts Awards as Best New Actress for her fierce role as “the other woman” in World of the Married, the new Netflix series promises a rollercoaster of emotions that are sure to make viewers glued to their seats.

Above Song Kang as the guy with the butterfly tattoo, Park Jae-eon in Nevertheless (Photo: Netflix)

Expect to see a more mature Song Kang, a far cry from his handsome, affluent teenage student role in Love Alarm, and his 23-year-old ballerino stint in Navillera.

The first episode of Nevertheless, shows the flirty art university student who is kind and friendly to everyone but would rather have no-strings-attached type of relationships. "Jae-on doesn’t really say how he really feels so I thought it was kind of difficult to portray his emotions, as well as the lines. His anger, sadness, happiness isn’t shown through him, so I put a lot of thought into it and talked to director Kim a lot to pull it off," says Song Kang during the Neveretheless press conference.

While his character in Nevertheless, will make you question if he’s worth a place in your heart or not, his real-life journey might make you think twice.

Here are some fun facts about the unofficial “son of Netlfix” and Korea's next big leading man:

Above Song Kang

1. He will be in an upcoming drama with Park Min-young

Above Park Min-young and Song Kang

Just a few days ago, South Korean television network JBTC announced the cast of its upcoming drama, Cruel Story of Office Romance (alternate title: Meteorological Administration People: Office Romance Cruelty) which includes Song Kang, Park Min-young (What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim; Remember; When the Weather is Fine), Yura of K-pop group Girl’s Day and Yoon Park (Birthplace Center; Hello My Twenties!).

The series will be directed by Cha Young-hoon, the man behind 56th Beaksang Arts Awards Grand Prize for Television winner, When the Camellia Blooms.

Song Kang will play the role of Lee Si-woo, a free-spirited man who always thinks out of the box and has an impressive IQ of 150. Filming will begin summer of 2021 and the series is expected to air next year.

2. He stood out from among 900 other applicants for his role as Hwang Sun-oh in 'Love Alarm'

Above Song Kang in Love Alarm. Photo: Netflix

In an article in Singapore-based Zula, it was reported that Song Kang had to outdo 900 aspiring actors who auditioned for the role of Hwang Sun-oh in Love Alarm. The drama's director, Lee Na-jung, shared in an interview with Hype Malaysia that Song Kang was chosen for the role for his "innocent and sentimental aura". It was the same director who recommended the actor to Lee Eung-bok, Sweet Home's director.

3. He is a BTS fan and went to the same university as BTS' Jin

Above Song Kang (far right) with BTS in SBS’ music chart show, Inkigayo

In 2018, Song Kang hosted Inkigayo, a music chart show on SBS broadcasting network where he got to meet and talk with many idol groups, of which, he admits to being a fan of phenomenal South Korean group BTS in an interview with SPOTV saying his "heart especially fluttered" with them and he "fell in love with their stage [production]". And who wouldn't?

It was also reported that BTS's Jin is Song Kang's senior at Konkuk University's Department of Film Arts.

4. Being in 'Sweet Home', Netflix’s most expensive K-drama production to date, put a lot of pressure on him

Webtoon-inspired Netflix original Korean series, Sweet Home splurged a whopping estimated budget of 30 billion Korean won (PHP1.3 billion) for its production that includes impressive special effects and computer-generated images (CGI). And while Song Kang didn't have an idea of how hefty the production budget was for the series when he accepted the offer, he said he "suddenly felt a lot of pressure" when he learnt about it. He then worked on his toes to give the show his best and the justice it deserves.

The series was directed by Lee Eung-bok who was at the helm of blockbusters Descendents of the Sun, Goblin and Mr Sunshine—all of which also had huge production costs.

5. For him, acting is life

Committed to honing his acting skills, Song Kang reportedly turned down an opportunity for him to become an idol before his debut as an actor. His first love is obvious: acting. His perseverance, later on, landed him his first supporting role in the 2017 romantic comedy television series The Liar and His Lover, a drama based on the popular Japanese manga Kanojo wa Uso o Aishisugiteru by Kotomi Aoki.

When asked who are his role models in the industry, he cites Leonardo di Caprio in Titanic, a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed by James Cameron, as his first inspiration. He also looks up to his co-star Jung Kyung-ho (Hospital Playlist).

In the 2021 South Korean television series Navillera, which follows the story of a 70-year-old retired mailman (Park In-hwan) attempting to learn ballet and dance Swan Lake despite his deteriorating Alzheimer's condition, Song Kang had to learn ballet for about six months in preparation for his role as Lee Chae-rok, a ballet dancer who struggles financially and works part-time at a café.

“Chae-rok is someone who is bad at expressing himself. He started ballet at a later age than most people, but he has a lot of talent. He loses his way after his dreams collide with reality, but he meets Duk-choo and slowly begins to mature. I had a lot of concerns about taking on the role of a ballerino. It was important to pay attention to the overall lines of the body. I watched a lot of videos and thought a lot about how to express these lines in detail,” he said in a press conference. “I learnt ballet for about five to six months. Rather than any high-level or expert skills, I focused on lines and details. I’m an actor and I like seeing my body change, so I had fun doing it.”

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