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Kim Myung-min takes a Method approach to weight loss

Geez Louise, if Kim Myung-min pulls this off, I will have mad respect for him. Or at least, even more.

The Beethoven Virus actor plays a man suffering from Lou Gehrig’s disease in his upcoming movie with Ha Ji-won, My Love By My Side. And to portray his character’s gradual decline, Kim will be losing weight — matching his own weight loss as they film to parallel the character’s declining health.

The disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ASL), destroys motor neurons and is usually fatal; the patient loses gradual control over his ability to move, leading to muscle atrophy, although the brain usually remains active.

Lots of actors lose (or gain) weight for roles, but they usually do so well in advance. Also, filming usually occurs out of order with the movie’s chronology (production will shoot scenes to maximize efficiency rather than in page number order). Here, however, he takes the term Method acting to new levels: Kim is currently gaining weight in preparation, and once they’ve begun shooting, he will gradually lose weight to correspond to his worsening condition. (THAT IS INSANE.) Those around the actor say he is completely immersed in his role, and a little concerned that Kim may take his focus too far.

The movie will start filming in February. Barring health concerns, I’m really looking forward to seeing Kim pull this off. (I have never been gladder that Kwon Sang-woo dropped out of this!)

Via DongA

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omg thats crazy! hahahaha
i want to see him do it too!
and what are his weight loss/gains methods

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i just hope he doesn't lose too much in such a way that it would affect his own health later on! now i guess we can understand why kwon sang woo decided not to do this project? or is this one of the reasons maybe? i like kim myung min in BV & other projects & he looks good as he is now.

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woah such a dedicated actor.
good luck to him, I hope he remains healthy.

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That's bat-shittin' crazy! Kwon who? :P

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wow! no wonder he looks a bit rounder these days :)

but if KMM says he WILL do it, I believe he CAN do it...

i just hope that he doesn't take it too far though...

thanks so much for this update, beans!

hugs!

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omg that sounds totally insane
i hope he takes care of himself
and doesn't go too far T-T

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WOW!! He's showing a tremendous amount of dedication towards this project...
Now I'm really looking forward to the movie^^~~

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Hope KMM will not forego too much of his health for his role...

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isn't that a more sensible solution? if he gains extra, then he just sheds extra, plus some more. the contrast is more visible this way, than if he uses healthy weight as baseline and go down (which would be christian bale from The Machinist - too thin and weak to perform!)

KMM (or KYY: kim yo-yo) is smart :)

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He seems to one that really gets into his role....I remembered watching an interview where he talked about his character in the White Tower....even then, he immersed himself into his character. Amazing.

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the tom hanks of korea? (look up the movie philadelphia if you don't know what i'm talking about.)

best of luck to kim in this role

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whoa that IS INSANE.!!!

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wow..talk about an awesome actor..!

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He's an extremely talented and hard working actor. I have no doubt he can pull this off. As for Kwon SangWoo...that's an entirely different story.

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OMG! I know he can do it! He totally immerses himself with his role.
I just hope that his health won't suffer.
thanks for this update, beans!^^

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OMG. wow. i cant wait to see this. and just wow that KMM is trying to pull this off and really applaud him if he pulls this off. heck im glad he is playing this one for sure. be careful though KMM, dont let ur health go bad. take precautions. fighting!!

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Insanity aside...he is handsome in that pix. :D

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O.O Impressive. It's things like that that distinguish him as a serious actor. Let's hope he eats his fruits and veggies and doesn't get sick from the strain he'll put on his body.

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#17 popcorn: I totally agree! I love this photo. :D He is so handsome!

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wow! he really is an amazing actor but I hope his health won't suffer too much.

I love Sang Woo too but KMM beats him this time.

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ALS? is it like morrie's sickness... haha you know that old guy in tuesdays with morrie...

KMM is one amazing actor! I dunno if it's just me but Iwhenever I see Lee Min Ho, I really think that he's like the younger version of KMM,,, hahaha

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kudos to him. though i really won't know how he is going to do this...well, at least he is gaining more weight to lose so he won't be underweight by the time the shooting ends. maybe production will have to work around his schedule. but man. i wonder what the wife would think this time regarding his 200% dedication.

but at least he delivers. and very well at it too!

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Oh wow.. good luck to KMM.

I'm glad KSW dropped out of the movie too!! Enough of KSW in lovey dovey sappy drama stories.

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KMM did the weight-loss thing for White Tower and people said he didn't look healthy at the end of that series. He also told interviewers the stress of it all turned him into a smoker. Suffering for art. Within reason, please!

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damn that's intense. i just hope he doesn't become too immersed in his role that he forgoes his health. ie. fainting on set, being sent to the hospital, etc...
i know an American actor did this in the Sean Penn directed movie where the main character starves to death, and in order to make it believable, the actor dropped an enormous amount of weight gradually to make his character look emaciated.
good luck to KMM!

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"i know an American actor did this in the Sean Penn directed movie where the main character starves to death, and in order to make it believable, the actor dropped an enormous amount of weight gradually to make his character look emaciated."

Yup, Emile Hirsch for Into the Wild. Lost about 40lbs, and he did it during the shoot (which had breaks to allow this to be done safely.) Of course, Christian Bale went really scary in Machinist, but that was all done pre-shoot.

I have doubts whether Kim Myung Min will be able to do this, unless they have a flexible shooting schedule. Even if you're a Daniel Day Lewis-style Method actor, you'd still need to lose about 40lbs to convey emaciation from disease, and a regular shoot is only going to be a few months at most. Keeping in mind that there's intense concentration and energy required to play a patient with Lou Gehrig's disease (which would be big time catnip for a Method actor), it's not the best way to do this.

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I am really rooting for KMM to pull this off but hopefully he does it safely without any long term or life threatening effect on his health

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First time the word "gladder" is used so aptly ! LOL Yeah... me too... Kim Myung Min...AJA AJA... into your role is fantastic for us viewers... but...in contrast I hope you have a post movie super recovery health plan too....OMO

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This is how acting should be done, completely immersing oneself into the role at hand. There was a quote I read once where someone said that the creation of art is impossible without pain, and it's cases like these where I find that it really is true. KMM always impresses me and I'm sure that this movie will only showcase his tremendous talent once again.
I'm looking forward to the movie =)

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My Love By My Side trailer with English subs out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0msCkoTR6A

MBC Special Kim Myung Min Was Not There with English subs out:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=0293D754F44589E5

Credits to MyungMin International Video Team

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WOW!!!...I'm looking forward for this movie...I'm a fan since BV.That's what we call an actor...Kudos to him

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