There are plenty of reasons why actors undergo physical transformations for their roles by losing or gaining weight. In the case of Kwak Dong Yeon in Queen of Tears, his subtle weight gain and loss in the hit K-drama signified an important turning point for his character, as the actor revealed in a recent interview.
READ: Kwak Dong Yeon Gained and Lost 8 Kilograms for “Queen of Tears”
Just a few days after Queen of Tears’ record-breaking finale—which even surpassed its fellow phenomenon Crash Landing on You—actor Kwak Dong Yeon delved into his experience filming the drama with Korean outlet Sports Chosun.
Like his co-star Kim Ji Won (who played heiress Hong Hae-in), the actor had to go through physical change for his role of Hong Soo-cheol. According to Dong Yeon, he had initially gained eight kilograms for the series, which he eventually lost at a specific point in the story.
“In the beginning, I gained weight to widen the gap, then I lost it again in Yongdu-ri. I maintained it well in the beginning, and gradually lost it after the eighth episode,” he tells the outlet in a translation by Kbizoom.
In the series, Dong Yeon portrays Hong Soo-cheol, Hong Hae-in’s younger brother and the CEO of Queens Mart. The character is wedded to Lee Joo Bin’s Cheon Da-hye, but she later betrays and leaves for the United States with their son, who he discovers isn’t his biological child. Alongside his sister, Soo-cheol is spotted in the quaint village of Yongdu-ri, the hometown of Hae-in’s husband Baek Hyun-woo (played by Kim Soo Hyun).
During the 12th episode, Da-hye makes a grand return to Soo-cheol after she is stunned by his real concern for her and their son Geonwoo, unlike her former lover and Geonwoo’s biological father Han Joon-ho. This important shift in Soo-cheol’s state dictated Dong Yeon’s physicality. “When moving to Yongdu-ri and after Da-hye leaves, there’s an eight-kilogram difference.”
Aside from the physical aspect, Dong Yeon took great note of the emotionally-packed side of the role. “It was difficult to portray deep emotions. There were many times when I read the script and went to the set without even sleeping,” he says.
“When I stayed up for two or three days and went to the set without sleep, there were moments when I automatically acted without intending to. So, I thought ‘What should I do today?’ and tried not to sleep for three days on purpose to see if it would be effective. I tried my best, but there wasn’t much effect, so I ended up taking a nap for 30 minutes on the way to the set.”
We’ve seen the effort and the outstanding results, Dong Yeon!
Queen of Tears is streaming on Netflix.
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