Actor Yoo Ji-tae is candidly sharing the serious health issues he faced during preparations for his role in the historical drama "The King's Warden," a series that has already surpassed 14 million views since its debut. The 49-year-old celebrity talked about the difficulties of physically changing for the part, particularly how it affected his health.

Yoo's thoughts on the movie's popularity were shown in a teaser for the March 25 episode of the tvN variety show "You Quiz on the Block."

"I think it is thanks to You Quiz on the Block that The Man Who Lives with King reached 10 million viewers," per MHNSE.

Yoo discussed the challenges of working with filmmaker Jang Hang-jun during the conversation. Yoo said, "I had to push myself with serious acting, but he would just say, 'Wow. Yoo Ji-tae, the symbol of Korean cinema!' and it completely broke my concentration."

Yoo also discussed the drastic weight increase he experienced in order to play Han Myeong-hoe. He explained candidly, saying, "I ate an absurd amount. Because of that, I contracted hyperlipidemia, acute gastritis, and colitis."

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Yoo talked about his creative choices for the character's body in a different interview with Sports Chosun. "Director Jang suggested that Han Myeong-hoe should have a smaller physique, but I thought this size was just right. Otherwise, I felt there might be some overlap with Prince Geumseong (played by Lee Joon-hyuk)."

As reported by Naver, he further noted, "I have gained about 5kg in weight for the film compared to now, but the reason I look bigger in the movie is likely due to the intimidating presence of the official robes".

Yoo also disclosed how he used AI technologies to enhance the character's visuals. He stated, "I wanted to see an image of Han Myeong-hoe. I was curious to see how the AI would perceive the figure of Han Myeong-hoe."

"The King's Warden," which was published on February 4, is about a young former king who was overthrown and a village leader who offers to go into exile to reinvigorate the community. By March 22, the movie had amassed over 14.57 million cumulative viewers, placing it third in South Korea's all-time domestic box office.

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