[SBS Star] Yoo Ji Tae Says He Was Told to Get Plastic Surgery on His Face After Debut

Actor Yoo Ji Tae shared that he was once told to get plastic surgery at the beginning of his career.

On November 21, Yoo Ji Tae guested on 'Salon Drip 2', a YouTube show hosted by comedian Jang Do-yeon, to talk about his latest work, Disney+'s drama 'Vigilante'.

In the action-triller drama based on a webcomic, Yoo Ji Tae plays 'Jo Heon', the chief investigator of a Metropolitan Investigation Team Unit.

Yoo Ji Tae said he liked the original webcomic 'Vigilante' well before he was cast in the drama adaptation.

"Going through the webcomic, I thought that 'Jo Heon' is a character worth portraying.", he recalled, "I recommended my friends to check out this webcomic soon after it came out because I had this feeling it could blow up in Korea. But I never imagined myself being a part of its franchise. When I received the casting offer for this character, I thought it was a destiny."
Yoo Ji Tae said he intentionally gained 20 kg to do intense action scenes with his 'Jo Heon', adding, "My shirt tore apart a lot shooting those scenes."

"I'm confident with the action sequences in 'Vigilante'. I'm sure that the praises the original webcomic has been getting will soon be directed towards the drama.", he remarked.

During the talk, Yoo Ji Tae talked about a time when his appearance was not received well in the industry.

"When I started my acting career, one industry personnel told me to get plastic surgery on my whole face. They said, 'Fix your eyes, nose, and lips.', basically telling me that I needed a complete transformation.", he said and added, "I said goodbye and walked away. I couldn't possibly do it."
Yoo Ji Tae continued, "After being an actor for 25 years, I learned that everyone is attractive in their own way. You don't have to change yourself to follow the trend. An actor needs to have a strong sense of who they are. Being yourself has its own worth if you're an actor."

The actor, who is also a full-time professor in a film department at a university, shared,  "Celebrities are often anxious because of the unstable nature of our jobs. I tell students to not let fear control them and to believe that they can make progress. I tell them that as long as they can express themselves freely, someone will always appreciate their value."
(Credit= 'TEO 테오' YouTube, Cinema Service)

(SBS Star)