‘All of Us Are Dead’: Im Jae-hyuk Had to Gain a Whopping Amount of Weight to Play His Webtoon Character
Getting the characters right for Netflix‘s All of Us Are Dead Korean drama was imperative as the storyline is based on a webtoon under the name Now At Our School. While the main cast of All of Us Are Dead has their interesting casting stories, Im Jae-hyuk had to go above and beyond to play the role of Yan Dae-su. Fans might notice his physique in the K-drama is different from what they saw during press events.
Im Jae-hyuk gained almost 71 pounds for ‘All of Us Are Dead’
Before his standout role on All of Us Are Dead, Im had a smaller frame. According to Koreaboo, Im was asked by his agency to “lose a little weight,” and Im got to work. His dedication to his agency’s suggestion resulted in a 66-pound weight loss. When auditioning for All of Us Are Dead, his new physique did not fit the look the production team had in mind for Dae-su.
In the original webtoon, Dae-su has a stockier and bigger frame to embody the protective aspect of the character. Dae-su had to look like he could be the brute force in the friend group. Believing Im was a perfect match to play the lovable character, the team asked him to gain weight.
As a dedicated actor, Im went on a mission to look like his webtoon character. Im managed to gain 71 pounds to look like Dae-su. The actor’s new frame also tied into the K-drama social commentary on bullying and obesity.
Looking at Im’s Instagram and press interviews, fans will notice he looks slimmer than in All of Us Are Dead. As Park Ji-hoo admitted, the K-drama was filmed almost two years ago. After filming wrapped, Im lost 55 pounds due to personal preference.
Who is Im Jae-hyuk’s character in ‘All of Us Are Dead’?
The high school students from Class 2-5 go through hell trying to survive a zombie outbreak. While they are forced to kill the people they care about, All of Us Are Dead still includes comedic relief. Fans came to love the character Dae-su played by Im. Dae-su is seen as the group’s more physically stable character and shield who breaks the tension with comedy.
In All of Us Are Dead, fans and the other characters could not help but laugh at his outrageous suggestion for using the bathroom. As the main characters face possible death, Dae-su pushes his friends to keep fighting. Many would remember his impressive speech on the roof and his heartfelt song to uplift everyone’s spirits.
The Netflix K-drama is Im Jae-hyuk’s first major role as an actor
The cast of All of Us Are Dead are considered rising actors, with some having already played notable roles on the small-screen. For Im, All of Us Are Dead is his first breakout role in a global K-drama. As a fresh new actor, Im’s only other acting credit is an unknown character in the 202 K-drama Alice.
Im already shows promise as an actor and has become well-loved by international audiences through the Netflix K-drama. According to Koreaboo, he works many different part-time jobs to make ends meet. The global fame of the K-drama is only the beginning of his career as he is still not considered a full-time actor.
