Ahead of Lee Joon's big-picture role for 'An Actor Is An Actor', director Shin Yeon Shik talked a bit of background on how the MBLAQ member came to be cast for his major role.

"The acting majors always say that an idol got in because they were idols, but I have no interest in idol actors," he said. "For Lee Joon, I only saw his possibilities and enthusiasm as a rookie actor."

"When I met him for the first time, he had a real desire to act," the director said. "Among actors in their 20s, there was no one like Lee Joon who showed that much urgency to be an actor."

SEE ALSO: Seol In Ah responds to backlash over wearing Mbappé jersey instead of Lee Kang-in at PSG game

"I think it's a bit pointless to measure who acts better or worse for actors in their twenty-somethings," he continued. "It's like determining who's the best student in elementary school. The most important thing is they way they treat their acting. Even though Joon was very busy with other show filmings, he worked very hard on the movie."

His casting came as a bit of a coincidence, the director recalled. "We weren't even thinking about him in the beginning, then we saw him on 'Strong Heart' with director Kim Ki Duk," he recalled. "All of the film crew saw his talents, so we started talking about his participation. I think heaven has a hand in casting."