“Queen of Tears” Kwak Dong-yeon “I gained then lost 8kg + My big goal is to continue to work hard and not lose my vitality”

tvN’s Saturday-Sunday drama “Queen of Tears” (written by Park Ji-eun, directed by Jang Young-woo and Kim Hee-won) depicts the dizzying crisis and miraculous rekindling of love between Hong Hae-in (played by Kim Ji-won), a third-generation chaebol heiress of Queens Group, and Baek Hyun-woo (played by Kim Soo-hyun), the son of farmers from Yongdu-ri, and their three years of marriage. The drama ended with the highest viewership rating of 24.85%, ranking first in tvN drama viewership ratings. Kwak Dong-yeon played Hong Hae-in’s younger brother Hong Soo-cheol, showcasing various genres from comedy to melodrama and action.

On April 30th, Kwak Dong-yeon met Sports Chosun at a cafe in Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

As the role showed a clear difference in emotions between the early and late stages, a change in appearance was essential. Kwak Dong-yeon transformed Hong Soo-cheol by gaining then losing 8kg through a clever method of transformation. He explained, “When moving to Yongdu-ri and after Da-hye (played by Lee Joo-bin) leaves, there’s an 8kg difference. In the beginning, I gained weight to widen the gap, then I lost it again in Yongdu-ri. I maintained it well in the beginning, and gradually lost it after the 8th episode.“

Through “Queen of Tears”, Kwak Dong-yeon showcased various acting skills from action scenes to deep emotional lines. He said “It was difficult to portray deep emotions. There were many times when I read the script and went to the set without even sleeping. When I stayed up for two or three days and went to the set without sleep, there were moments when I automatically acted without intending to. So, I thought ‘What should I do today?’ and tried not to sleep for 3 days on purpose to see if it would be effective. I tried my best, but there wasn’t much effect, so I ended up taking a nap for 30 minutes on the way to the set“, causing laughter.

Currently, he is considering his next project. He is a versatile actor who can act in various genres. Kwak Dong-yeon confessed, “Fortunately, I’m receiving proposals from various genres. So, I’m thinking about what I want to do the most and what I can do well among them. In addition to that, I’m discussing with the company about what other activities I can do as an actor and trying to make a good schedule. I think it’s the direction of my life to think about whether I’ll go for a long time or go high. My big goal is to continue to work hard and not lose my vitality.”