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[HanCinema's News] Screenwriter Lee Shin-hwa Speaks Highly of Namkoong Min's Work Ethic

Following the win of "Stove League" at the Baeksang Art Awards on June 5th, screenwriter Lee Shin-hwa made a post on Instagram wherein he made a point of emphasizing the value Namkoong Min brought to the project far beyond his mere name recognition. According to Lee Shin-hwa, he was convinced that his vision for the story would never come to fruition. As "Stove League" was Lee Shin-hwa's first project, he knew he had relatively little clout to attract a high level actor.

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When Namkoong Min's name was first floated as a possibility for the lead, Lee Shin-hwa was doubtful of his participation for this exact reason. So when they first met, and Namkoong Min promptly asked if this was his first scenario, Lee Shin-hwa thought the worst of his chances. But Namkoong Min went on to explain how impressed he was with the quality and sincerity of the dialog.

According to Lee Shin-hwa, he realized that Namkoong Min was an even better fit for the role than he realized. Namkoong Min plays the manager of a struggling baseball team in "Stove League" and, much like his character in the drama, the real Namkoong Min zeroed in on Lee Shin-hwa's strength and value to the overall project to encourage him to do better. Lee Shin-hwa realized then that Namkoong Min brought much more to "Stove League" than just name recognition.

Lee Shin-hwa's post appears to have been inspired by Namkoong Min offering thanks first and foremost to the director and writer for "Stove League" for making the drama's Baeksang Art Awards win possible. The post has taken time to spread, as Lee Shin-hwa does not have a widely followed Instagram account. However, his heartfelt words have done much to improve the opinion of fans to Namkoong Min as a general class act.

Written by William Schwartz

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