[Sportschosun reporter Ahn So-yoon] Actor Kim Ji-seok said he worked out hard for the film 'Husbands.'
Kim Ji-seok met with Sportschosun at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 23rd and said, "I worked out hard for the project, but I was disappointed that I couldn’t take off my jacket."
The Netflix film 'Husbands,' released on the 19th, is a comedy action movie about an unpredictable rescue mission by an ex-husband and a current husband who join forces by chance to save a wife kidnapped by a criminal organization. It was directed by Park Gyu-tae, who helmed '6/45.' Kim Ji-seok plays Ma Do-jun, an intelligent criminal who expands his influence by using a cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence program.
Kim Ji-seok also spoke about the changed styling of his character before and after marriage. "The costume and makeup teams did such a great job, and I styled myself so much that I wondered if it was okay to go this far. It was the first time I wore earrings while acting, and the first time I wore more than four rings. I liked being able to match different outfits with necklaces and colorful clothes, so I could dress differently each time. It felt like putting on a helmet and armor before going to war, so I enjoyed filming it. Before marriage, and before meeting Hye-ran (Lee Da-hee), he was just a low-level thug and drug addict. After meeting Hye-ran, I tried to portray him as someone who had built a big business. He is a man from the shadows, but I wanted to express him with bright, lively colors rather than a dark mood. I also benefited greatly from Lee Da-hee. She is so stylish and does such a great job with a commanding performance that every two-shot scene had visual appeal. Da-hee has fair skin, while I am dark-skinned, so I wondered whether the contrast would be too much, but surprisingly, the difference looked good," he said.
He then explained why he gained 5 kg for the role. "I felt a strong sense of duty and pressure about the action scenes, and I was determined to do them well," he said. "To do that, I thought my body needed to get bigger first. Ma Do-jun was designed as a power-action character, and I wanted to show an almost brutal level of strength whenever he fought."
He also talked about the steady effort he put into building his physique. Kim Ji-seok said, "I’m saying this now, but I really worked out hard to bulk up. I was actually cast very early. I heard that Gong Myung and Jin Seon-kyu were offered roles around the same time, but I was told much earlier. Since he is a villain and the role involved action, I spent a long time building my body and attending action school. Once I had bulked up, I wanted to wear a sleeveless shirt under my jacket and take it off later, but unfortunately there was no scene that showed that (laughs). I paid a lot of attention to my abs and shoulder line, so that part was a little disappointing." He added, "As people get older, some gain weight and some lose it, and I’m the latter. After bulking up, I’m trying to maintain it as much as possible, but I’ve already lost 2 kg. I’m managing my diet now and taking better care of myself than I did in my 20s and 30s."
Ahn So-yoon, antahn22@sportschosun.com
