Park Ji Hoon has opened up about the grueling process behind his dramatic 15-kilogram weight loss for the upcoming film 'The King's Warden.'
On January 27, Park Ji Hoon met with reporters at a café in Samcheong-dong, Seoul, to discuss his latest project, 'The King's Warden.'
'The King's Warden' is set in 1457 at Cheongnyeongpo and tells the story of a village chief who voluntarily exiles himself to revive his community, and a young former king who is dethroned and sent into exile. Park Ji Hoon plays King Danjong, a tragic monarch who ascended the throne at a young age only to be deposed.
Park Ji Hoon spoke candidly about his diet. He emphasized that his goal went beyond simply looking thin, but also wanted to portray the young King's distress. “I wanted to express more than just being ‘skinny,’” The actor explained. “I wanted to convey a state closer to being completely emaciated. I realized exercise wouldn’t achieve that, so I decided fasting was the only way.”
He explained, “It was very simple, and very difficult.” He elaborated, “I just didn’t eat. I barely ate anything, maybe a slice of an apple.” However, he continued to explain the struggle of his extreme diet, “I couldn’t sleep well, and I became completely drained as a person. I wanted to capture that state as authentically as possible.”
Director Jang Hang Jun initially expressed concern after seeing Park Ji Hoon with noticeably more weight than expected during the casting stage. Director Jang even remarked that he worried the film might become his “final work.” Reflecting on that, Park Ji Hoon laughed and said, “I can understand why he might have thought that.” He added, “It was an off-season for me at the time. I was eating, sleeping, and having fun without much thought. It was a vacation period, so I had no stress.” Park continued, “From the director’s perspective, he might have felt, ‘This isn’t the image of the actor I knew.’ That made me even more determined to lose the weight and live up to his trust.”
Park revealed that he weighed slightly over 70 kgs (154 lbs) at the time and lost around 15 kilograms (33 lbs) over approximately two and a half months.
The extreme diet made emotionally intense scenes even more challenging. “I had no energy left,” he recalled. “I realized how dizzy I was while filming a scene where I had to shout.” He added, “There was a scene where I had to yell at Yoo Ji Tae. After shouting, I started walking and suddenly felt the room spinning.”
Fortunately, his health did not suffer serious consequences. “I didn’t collapse,” Park said. “It wasn’t at a dangerous level. I managed to endure filming while mustering just enough energy.” He added with a smile, “I remember getting through it by eating a piece of jelly here and there.”
Meanwhile, 'The King's Warden' is set to hit theaters on February 4.
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