Kim Min Ha to discard scale after 17kg weight loss for role

Actress Kim Min Ha has opened up about the hardships she is facing after losing 17kg for a role. While it was a physical transformation intended to portray a terminally ill character, she confessed that the weight management process was so difficult that she intends to "throw the scale away" as soon as filming ends.

On the 18th, a video titled 'I'll host the party. Who wants to drink wine? (w. Jung Jae-hyung, Kim Wan-sun, Go Hyeon-jeong, Song Hye Kyo, Kim Jae Joong, Ahn Shin-ae, Kang Min Kyung, Kim Min Ha)' was released on Uhm Jeong-hwa's YouTube channel. The video captures Uhm, who recently launched a wine brand, inviting acquaintances to her home for a launch party.

Uhm expressed her affection for the wine she personally planned. She explained that she spent about a year on the tasting and blending process to infuse her tastes and sensibilities into the wine, ultimately presenting four different varieties. It was a project that went beyond a simple product launch, embodying her personal taste and aesthetics into a single brand.

However, the process of hosting the party was not without concern for Uhm. She confessed that she is not the type of person who easily invites and gathers people, and even though she knew her friends needed to attend, she felt cautious about inviting them because there was no clear occasion, such as a birthday party. Ultimately, she sought advice from Jung Jae-hyung, and encouraged by his counsel, she found the courage to host the party.

The guest list caught attention with a glamorous lineup of actors, singers, and musicians. Among them, the first guest to arrive was Kim Min Ha. Kim greeted Uhm with a warm hug, and the natural friendship between the two was captured on screen.

The focus of the conversation shifted to the dramatic physical change Kim has recently shown. She has garnered attention as it was revealed that she lost approximately 17kg to play a terminally ill character in a project she is currently preparing for.

After seeing Kim's changed appearance, Uhm expressed concern, saying, "You lost it all while preparing. It must be hard for you. Take good care of your mental health."

Kim's response was even more candid. She said, "I am seriously going to throw this scale away as soon as this is over."

While it may sound like a short joke, the remark clearly conveys the fatigue from the continuous process of checking and managing her weight.

In particular, unlike the term "bone-thin" which is easily consumed online, a sudden weight change for an actor is different in nature from simply creating a slim appearance. In the process of preparing to embody a character's physical conditions, continuous management of meals, exercise, and weight changes may be required, and during the filming period, there is the added pressure of maintaining that weight consistently. However, it is difficult to confirm through public information alone exactly what methods Kim used to lose weight or what specific weight she is maintaining for filming.

Descriptions of the character played by Kim also reveal that this weight change is more than just a topic of conversation. When Uhm asked about the content of the work, asking, "Isn't it a sad story?", Kim gave an unexpected answer.

Kim explained, "But it's not that sad. The atmosphere is beautiful," describing it as a story where two terminally ill characters fall in love. She continued to describe the emotion of the work, saying, "It's sad because it's lovely. The way they struggle to live is beautiful."

This implies that while the story deals with characters facing death, it does not focus solely on the tragedy itself, but rather creates an emotional resonance through the portrayal of people striving to love and live within their limited time. Kim's expression, "It's sad because it's lovely," also compactly shows the emotional texture that this work aims for.

The setting of being terminally ill is a trope that has been repeated in films and dramas for a long time, but that narrative does not always emphasize the tragedy of death. Rather, it has been used in a way that paradoxically highlights the value of an ordinary day, relationships, and the meaning of love through the fact that the remaining time is limited. Kim's description of the work as a "sad but lovely story" aligns with these narrative characteristics.

To that extent, the preparation required of an actor is not limited to merely memorizing lines or emotional acting. Various elements used to build a character's world, such as physical appearance, movement, speech, facial expressions, and physique, are mobilized. Kim's 17kg weight loss can be seen as one of the physical variations chosen in that process.

Kim Min Ha is an actress who gained recognition from the Netflix series pachinko, gaining attention from global viewers. Playing the younger version of Sunja, she demonstrated both delicate emotional expression and strong character portrayal, subsequently expanding her career through various works. In particular, she has built her presence through an acting style that expresses the nuances of emotion rather than relying on external images.

Taking on a terminally ill character in this project can also be seen as another acting challenge for Kim. She must simultaneously change the character's physical condition and convincingly express the anxiety, love, and attachment to life felt by someone facing death.

However, caution is needed when viewing an actor's weight loss solely as a measure of successful preparation. Dramatic weight changes do not guarantee the quality of a work, and the range of acceptable changes varies depending on an individual's health and physical condition. Kim herself, through her comments, expressed the fatigue felt during the process rather than boasting about the weight loss itself.

This is why the conversation between Uhm and Kim at the glamorous wine party is so interesting. On one hand, there is Uhm, who spent a year working to create a wine that captures her taste and sensibility; on the other, there is Kim, who changed her own body to embody a single character. Though their fields differ, they share the commonality of investing significant time and energy to complete their chosen tasks.

In particular, Kim's remark, "I am going to throw the scale away as soon as filming is over," paradoxically shows the traces of labor existing behind a star's glamorous appearance. While the image is completed in seconds on screen, the preparation process an actor must endure to reach that image is by no means light.

This is also why the terminally ill character Kim will portray in this work is more important than the number 17kg. Physical change is merely one device used to construct a character; ultimately, what the audience remembers is the character's emotions as they strive to love and live despite facing death, and the actor's ability to convey those emotions convincingly. Beyond the buzz of extreme weight loss, interest is gathering to see how Kim will complete the life of the character she described as "sad but lovely" on screen.