Park Bo Gum gains 5 kgs and makes THESE changes to body for Gwansik role in When Life Gives You Tangerines with IU

Park Bo Gum revealed gaining 5 kgs and trying to look darker for the Jeju boy role in When Life Gives You Tangerines.

Updated on Mar 28, 2025  |  03:10 PM IST |  186.6K
Park Bo Gum: courtesy of Park Bo Gum's Instagram
Park Bo Gum: courtesy of Park Bo Gum's Instagram

When Life Gives You Tangerines has been winning hearts with its portrayal of a rebellious girl and a persistent boy, turned from young lovers to responsible family members. Both the leads of the drama—IU and Park Bo Gum—have undergone various kinds of training and bodily changes to bring out the rawness of their respective characters. Recently, Park Bo Gum revealed gaining weight and getting distinct makeup for the apt portrayal of Yang Gwan Sik, as reported by K-media outlet Star News.

Since the character is someone who lived on Jeju Island from birth till young adulthood, Park Bo Gum needed to make certain changes in his appearance to fit the look. In his exclusive interview with Star News, he revealed gaining 5 kgs of weight because "I looked more muscular than I thought, but my face looked slim." As Yang Gwan Shik did all kinds of odd jobs like fishing and fish mongering, Park Bo Gum felt like he needed to look like a person who was suitable for harsh physical labor.


Besides weight gain, he also needed to look darker, as the character Yang Gwan Sik was supposed to be mostly out working in the fields and water bodies. There were also jokes as to how he did not fit the concept because of being too handsome. Even his co-star IU revealed thinking if it was okay for him to be "that good-looking" in a recent interview with Teen Vogue. Director Kim Won Seok of When Life Gives You Tangerines stated that he tried to make Park Bo Gum's face look ugly.

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The actor mentioned, "For this, the makeup team applied dark-colored foundation from my face to my toes. I tried to make the areas where flesh was visible darker and thicker with makeup." He shared that, to accurately portray the character who had lived on Jeju Island for a long time, he intentionally gave him a sun-kissed, tanned appearance.

In the interview, the actor also picked a memorable line of his from the 16-episode Netflix series. He revealed the line of selling cabbage, as the one that best describes his character as "it contains the feelings of support, affection, and care for the character of Ae Sun (IU).”

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Credits: Park Bo Gum's Instagram, Star News, Teen Vogue
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