Is Cha Eun-woo about to be Korea’s next Hollywood darling? Reportedly offered the lead role in K-pop: Lost in America with Rebel Wilson, the Astro singer is loved for his K-dramas and endorsements
- The Astro vocalist and visual had his on-screen debut alongside Song Hye-kyo, while My ID is Gangnam Beauty and True Beauty got the 25-year-old’s popularity soaring
- The sensitive, so-called ‘face genius’ has modelled for Burberry and Chaumet, joined Blackpink’s Lisa to help launch Bulgari’s Colours exhibition, and has an IQ of 142
After a series of auditions and casting meetings, Cha was apparently selected among several rising stars who are active both in K-pop and on screen – although his involvement has not been confirmed yet. So what else do we know about him?
He was talent scouted outside the toilets at a music festival
Cha has said that he never expected to become an idol. But everything changed after a music festival at his middle school.
He’s the K-pop star with the highest paying ‘second job’ in the country
Debuting with his K-pop group Astro under Fantagio Entertainment in 2016, Cha quickly became popular as the outfit’s vocalist and “visual”. However, he technically debuted in the entertainment industry as an actor two years before with a minor role in the Song Hye-kyo led film, My Brilliant Life. After appearing in a few other dramas, he landed his first proper lead in romcom My ID is Gangnam Beauty (2018), which boosted his popularity both at home and abroad. By 2020, his role in True Beauty had cemented his reputation as an actor once and for all.
With such success in the space of just a few years, Cha has found himself not just more famous than before, but wealthier too. He is reported to have cashed in nearly US$5 million from acting, officially making him the K-pop celebrity with the highest-earning “second job” (in other words, as an actor) according to Mnet’s TMI News Show.