Korean dramas and celebrities have taken the world by storm. Fans all over the world love the artists for their talent and beauty. Sometimes, to deliver the high-quality work that we, the audience, appreciate, the artist goes to any extent, such as acting in character in real life or putting on weight to resemble the character. In this article, we will talk about such celebrities who gained weight for a character in a K-drama or movie.
1. Heo Sung-Tae
Heo Sung-Tae is a South Korean, born in Busan, South Korea, is an actor. He began his career in 2011 with SBS's talent show Miraculous Audition. He is known for The Age of Shadows (2016), Your Honor (2018), and Squid Game (2021). For his character in the successful series Squid Game, Heo Sung-Tae gained about 15-17 kgs. He played the character of a gangster named Jang Deok-su.
2. Lee Sung-Kyung
Lee Sung-Kyung is a South Korean actress, model, and singer. The actress began her career as a model and then made her acting debut in 2014 with the K-drama It’s Okay, That’s Love. She played a supporting role in the drama. In 2016, Lee acted in the drama “Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo.” In the drama, she played the titular of Kim Bok-Joo. For the drama, the actor gained about 5 kgs. Though right after the drama, she lost the extra weight she gained for the character.
3. Go Ara
She is a South Korean model and actor. Go began her career with the KBS teen drama Sharp in 2003. She played the role of an ambitious and confident middle school student who gets caught in between instant fame. She was the lead in the drama, and it was successful, which led to its renewal with Go reprising her role. In 2013, she acted in the drama “Reply 1994” and played the character of Sung Na Jung. For the character and the drama, Go gained 15-18 pounds weight.
4. Ahn Jae Hyun
He is a South Korean actor and model. He began his career as a model in 2009. He has done numerous music videos like “Sad Song” by Baek A-Yeon, and “Gone Not Around Any Longer” by Sistar 19. He gained recognition after playing the younger brother of Jun Ji-Hyun in the hit drama “My Love From Another Star.” In 2018, the drama “The Beauty Inside” was aired, and Ahn played the character of Ryu Eun-Ho, an-about-to be peaceful priest. For his role in the drama, Ahn gained 8 kg weight.
5. Lee Yerim
Lee Yerim is a South Korean actress. She began her entertainment career with “My ID Is Gangnam Beauty” in 2018. She played the character of Kim Tae-Hee in the drama. For the character in the drama, Lee gained about 9b kgs. She revealed this information through Instagram. She has appeared in dramas like “At a Distance, Spring is Green” and “Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung.”
6. Kim Go-Eun
Kim Go-Eun is a South Korean actress. She began her entertainment career in 2012 with the movie “A Muse.” Some of her other notable projects are Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016), Yumi’s Cell (2021), The King: Eternal Monarch (2020), and Little Women (2022). In 2018,the film “Sunset in My Hometown” was released with Kim playing the character, of Su-Mi. For this character Kim gained 8 kgs. She said in an interview that it was her idea to gain weight for the role so she could be more convincible as a girl next door, and the director agreed to it.
7. Han So-Hee
Han So-Hee is a South Korean actress and model. She began her entertainment career with the television series Money Flower in 2017. She played a supporting character in the series. She has appeared in series such as The World of the Married (2020), Nevertheless (2021), and My Name (2021). She gained 10 kgs for the drama “My Name” to play the role of a vengeful, undercover cop.
8. Yoo Seung-Ho
Yoo Seung-Ho is a South Korean actor. He made his debut with a cellphone commercial in 1999. He appeared in the television drama Daddy Fish as a child actor. He appeared in the film The Way Home (2002) as a child actor, and it got him a lot of fame. His portfolio includes Remember (2015), I’m Not A Robot (2017), and My Strange Hero (2018). In 2020, the television series “Memorist” was released, and in this series, Yoo played the role of Dong Baek. For his role, he gained weight to play a strong detective. Though the weight gain was necessary for the drama and the character, he was criticized for it by the people.
9. Lee So-Jung
Lee So-Jung is a South Korean actress and model. She has worked in various television series such as Person Who Gives Happiness (2016), Happy Home (2016), and Dream (2009). In 2012, the drama series Plump Revolution aired, and she played the role of Do A-ra. The story of the drama revolves around a girl who gains weight to find love instead of the usual other way around. To play her character in the drama, she gained more than 20 kgs. She revealed that she followed a 10,000-calorie daily diet to gain weight.
10. Kwak Si Yang
Kwak is a South Korean actor. He made his debut with the drama “Glorious Day” in 2014. He has appeared in films like Night Flight (2014), The Witness (2018), The Battle of Jangsari (2019), and Elephant in the Room (2016). He gained 13 kgs to play his character in the movie “The Witness.” He gained the weight to fit into the 80s frame for the movie to look intimating as a criminal. To gain weight, he increased his calorie intake, which also led to some knee hurting problems for the actor. Later, he lost almost all the extra weight that he gained.
