Kim Nam Gil, Lee Da Hee and Cha Eun Woo shared why they chose to star in Island during its press conference today.┬Ā Kim Nam Gil said, ŌĆ£I rejected the casting offer two times because I felt pressured to play the role. The original work received great love from many fans, so I thought I should do more than just a decent job. I was not sure If I could pull it off. But I ended up hopping on the project as I got fascinated by the script.ŌĆØ Lee Da Hee stated, ŌĆ£I really wanted to join the project, so I begged for the part. The idea of ruining the original project didnŌĆÖt worry me as much as thinking about how I should portray the role of Mi Ho.ŌĆØ Cha Eun Woo commented, ŌĆ£I received the script without knowing about the original cartoon. I was immediately drawn to John, the character, as I read the script, so I really wanted to the part. I talked a lot with the director and Kim Nam Gil. After much discussion, the actor told me, ŌĆśWhy donŌĆÖt you join me in the show?ŌĆÖ and I thankfully said, ŌĆśSure, why not?.ŌĆÖ ThatŌĆÖs how I hopped on the show.ŌĆØ Regarding the character, the idol explained, ŌĆ£John is a cheerful and bright character with a heart-wrenching past. I tried my best to portray such nature of him. He becomes very serious and powerful when he performs exorcism on evil. So I focused on highlighting those contrasting sides he has.┬Ā Director Bae Jong revealed that he waited for a year and a half to cast Cha Eun Woo. Source (1, 2, 3, 4)