Song Joon-ki and Jin Goo were not initially cast for their roles in megahit drama “Descendants of the Sun,” according to news reports.

A local report by Newsis on Friday called their final selection “a turnaround” for both Song and Jin.

(KBS 2TV)

Lee Eung-bok, producer of “Descendants of the Sun,” told Chinese news agency Xinhua that Song was “not ideal for the role of Yoo Shi-jin role,” since he is too slender to act as a heroic special forces officer.

Jin also said that he was a friend of chief executive Kim Woo-taek of New Entertainment World, which produced the series, so he was interested in acting in the drama. But he was told the cast had already been finalized.

Jin treated the production staff with beverages “just to say hello to CEO Kim.”

An unnamed actor was cast as Yoo Shi-jin, but was dropped after he had disputes with the production unit.

The unit then sought a fresh actor for the role of Seo Dae-young role, who would be as large as Song in body size. Their choice was Jin, who was “very surprised to hear the news.”

This is not the first time for Song to gain stardom from a role, in which he was not initially cast. He was the second choice for his role as a feral boy in “A Werewolf Boy” which released in 2012. He rose to stardom with only one line, “Don’t go,” in the movie he costarred with actress Park Bo-young.

The report also added that TV network KBS 2TV was not the first choice as broadcaster for “Descendants of the Sun.” It was chosen after another TV network SBS declined to air it.

By Son Ji-hyoung (json@heraldcorp.com)