Yoon Eun Hye has always been self-conscious about her weight. She has said that her frame is so slender that even a few extra ounces can make a difference.
When she appeared on "One Night Of TV Entertainment," she said that her bones were so thin it's easy for her to look as if she gained a lot.
The star of "Coffee Prince," "Princess Hours," "Future's Choice" and "Missing You," currently weighs about 100 pounds. As the youngest member of the girl group VOX, she weighed about 20 pounds more than that, but a rigorous diet and exercise program helped her successfully lose and keep the weight off.
So it was a bold move for her to take a role that required her to be a lot heavier. In the film 'Chronicle of a Blood Merchant," she plays Im Boon Bang, a village girl that weighs over 200 pounds. Fortunately, she did not have to actually gain weight to play the part. Makeup and costumes helped create the illusion that she was that heavy.
Director Ha Jung Woo praised her transformation when he was interviewed in The Star.
"Although the character, Im Boon Bang may belong to someone chubby and be of an easygoing image, I offered the role to Yoon Eun Hye who looks nothing like the character," said Ha. "She gracefully accepted the offer. Even though the her appearance in the film is short, I'd like to give her big applause for being flexible and facing the new challenge as an actress."
She plays the woman who causes misunderstanding between Heo Sam Gwan, the character played by Ha Jung Woo, and his friend Mr. Ahn, played by Cho Jin Woong.
This role makes Yoon Eun Hye the latest k-drama actress to bulk up for a role, whether the weight gain was real or enhanced by prosthetics. That list includes Kim Sun Ah, who actually gained weight for her role in "My Lovely Kim Sam Soon" and Kim Ah Joong, who used a silicon body suit and make-up for her heavier role in the film "200 Pounds Beauty." Go Ara was considered too slim and pretty to play the role of Na Jeong in "Reply 1994," so she actually gained weight. Lee So Jung gained 50 pounds the role of a plus-size model in the 2012 film "Plump Revolution."
"Chronicle of a Blood Merchant" is based on a bestselling Chinese novel and tells the story of a man who sells his blood to support his family.
