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Hyun Bin reveals that the physique he shows in Disney+'s Made in Korea is the largest he has ever had during his acting career.
A press conference for Disney+'s Made in Korea was held in Seoul, attended by the lead cast and director Woo Min Ho.
Made in Korea is set in the 1970s and follows Baek Ki Tae (Hyun Bin), a man driven by ambition for wealth and power, and prosecutor Jang Gun Young (Jung Woo Sung), who risks everything to stop him. The story depicts the lives of monstrous individuals who came to be from this harsh and chaotic era.
Hyun Bin plays Baek Gi Tae, a KCIA department head seeking to rise to the top of wealth and power; Jung Woo Sung portrays Jang Gun-young, a prosecutor from the Busan District Prosecutors' Office who chases him. Woo Do Hwan appears as Baek Gi Tae's younger brother, Baek Gi Hyeon, a military officer from the Korea Military Academy; Cho Yeo Jung plays Bae Geum Ji, the madam of a high-class courtesan house who secretly wields power that moves the nation from behind the scenes.
Talking about the changes he brought in his physique, Hyun Bin said, "When I was [preparing for] my previous film, Harbin, the director casually said to me, 'Hyun Bin-ssi, I'd prefer if you didn't have any muscles.' So for Harbin, I didn't work out at all. I lost muscle and weight. But for Made in Korea, I’ve put on about 13–14 kg."
"The reason I built my body that way is that the character belongs to the highest institution of authority, the then-Korean Central Intelligence Agency, and I thought it would be good if that sense of intimidation associated with the KCIA could be felt from the person himself."
He continued, "I bulked up and trained to build muscle. Compared to the diets I followed when transforming into other characters for other projects, I allowed myself to be a bit more relaxed this time," adding, "In this project, I have the largest physique I've ever had in my acting career. Out of all the characters I've portrayed so far, this one got the biggest build."
Director Woo stated the motivation behind the drama: "I was born in the 1970s. I vaguely remember the president passing away at the time, but more precisely, it was the era when my mother and father were in their youth. It may sound grand, but this could be an homage to my parents. Compared to other countries, Korea has a unique energy, and when I think where that came from, I think it came from the 1970s."
He added, "Recently, we too have gone through many events, starting with the December 3 (martial law) incident. Back then and now, we are all shouting 'patriotism,' but each person's gestures and stance are different."
Responding to rumors that the production cost exceeded 70 billion won, he said, "It's not a project that cost little. The scale combines seasons 1 and 2, but it's hard to say it was exactly 70 billion won," adding, "It's true that shooting a period drama with overseas locations required money."
As for the project's global appeal, he explained, "I wondered how overseas viewers would understand Korea's circumstances. I had the chance to meet staff members from Disney+ headquarters, so I asked them, and they said, 'There's no major barrier.' They said that since raging desire and power games surrounding authority exist everywhere, it was easy to follow and enjoy. I'm looking forward to seeing how viewers will react."
