Actors Jung Eun-ji and Lee Jun-young shared behind-the-scenes stories from their intense preparation for the KBS2 drama Pump Up the Healthy Love during their appearance on the May 1 episode of Problem Child in House.
Jung Eun-ji’s Shocking Transformation
Jung Eun-ji stunned viewers by revealing her incredible dedication to her role. “I gained 9kg in just a month and a half by eating a lot of late-night meals and chicken breast,” she explained. “It wasn’t just fat gain—it was a real bulk-up for the character.”
She added that shedding the weight afterward proved to be an even greater challenge: “I did cardio three times a day and managed to lose it all in just two weeks.” Her intense commitment to physical transformation has drawn praise for her professionalism and drive.
Lee Jun-young on Playing a Villain and Gaining Muscle
Lee Jun-young, her co-star in Pump Up the Healthy Love, opened up about the lingering emotional toll of his role in the 2023 film Brave Citizen. He described portraying Han Soo-kang, a brutal school bully, as the most emotionally taxing experience of his career. “There’s a scene where my character stubs out a cigarette in a grandmother’s gimbap. That wasn’t even in the script—it just came out. But afterward, I cried during the break because my own grandmother was sick at the time,” Lee recalled.
When asked how he managed to convincingly portray such a menacing character despite his gentle real-life persona, Lee said, “I try to focus deeply, but sometimes the director would say, ‘You still look too kind,’ so I’d have to dig deeper emotionally.”
Now in a vastly different role as a passionate gym director in Pump Up the Healthy Love, Lee also shared his physical journey. “I’m not someone who gains weight easily, so I had to eat five meals a day. I watched a lot of Kim Jong-kook’s fitness videos for research,” he said. After filming, he cut his body fat down to 13–14kg and teased upcoming shirtless scenes in the drama.
Both actors’ transformations – Jung Eun-ji’s disciplined bulking and rapid weight loss and Lee Jun-young’s emotional and physical journey—are fueling excitement for Pump Up the Healthy Love, which airs every Wednesday and Thursday on KBS2. With this level of dedication, expectations for the drama’s success are soaring.
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