“Squid Game”‘s Heo Sung Tae Gained 37 Pounds For His Role After Being Told His Shoulders Were “Too Small”
As Squid Game continues to soar into newfound popularity, the actors have also been thrown into overnight stardom following their appearance in the series. The behind-the-scenes stories have started to appear left and right, with actor Heo Sung Tae‘s weight gain making headlines.
The actor, who played the villain Jang Deok Su in the series, revealed the backstory behind his sudden weight gain in a video interview. Heo Sung Tae shared that he lost a total of 73 kilograms (161 pounds) during the COVID-19 quarantine, but everything changed when he was contacted by the Squid Game production team.
Due to COVID-19, all of my productions were postponed last year. During that time, I lost 73 kilograms (161 pounds) while taking a 5-month break.
But ‘Squid Game”s production team contacted me and asked to meet up with me. I met director Hwang Dong Hyuk and he told me, ‘why did you lose so much weight.’ He shared with me that Deok Su’s physique is an important part of his character and that my shoulders were too small.
— Heo Sung Tae
The Squid Game villain shared that in order for him to fully digest the role of Jang Deok Su in the series, he had to gain weight — and he gained the weight in a short amount of time.
So because of that, I gained about 15-17 kilograms (33-37 pounds) in a span of a month and a half. That’s the most weight I’ve gained in such a short amount of time.
— Heo Sung Tae
However, while his dedication to the production was fully showcased through his role, the actor shared that the sudden weight gain brought forth a lot of health complications.
Because I gained weight in such a short amount of time, my health got noticeably worse. My calf muscles disappeared and my knees started to hurt. My body’s health overall just became horrible.
I have no problem losing the weight, but I think next time I’m offered a role that requires me to gain weight, I will have to give it some thought. I think it’s three times more difficult to gain weight.
— Heo Sung Tae
We would have never known, but we’re eternally grateful for his insane dedication to his portrayal of Jang Deok Su!
