Ha Ji Won is shedding her long-held image as a righteous heroine and stepping into much darker territory.
In ENA’s Monday–Tuesday drama Climax, the actress takes on the role of Chu Sang Ah, marking her first full-fledged villain performance—and a dramatic one at that. Known for her strong, upright character, Ha Ji Won underwent a striking transformation for the role, both physically and emotionally.
To fully embody the sharp and sensitive actress she portrays, Ha Ji Won pushed herself to extremes, dropping her weight to 45 kilograms (approx. 99 pounds).
“The director wanted Chu Sang Ah to feel delicate and thin, but still very well-maintained,” she explained. “I lost weight and worked out, but when I tried on the costumes, they were too loose—I had lost too much. Since I naturally build muscle, losing it was actually the hardest part. I cut back on running and focused on stretching to make my body look more slender.”
The role’s intensity didn’t stop at the physical level. As her character struggles with anorexia in the drama, Ha Ji Won found herself experiencing similar symptoms in real life. “When Sang Ah was going through anorexia, I also found it hard to eat,” she shared. “It wasn’t an easy character, and at one point I even thought, ‘I want to finish filming this as soon as possible.’”
The drama also marks several firsts for the actress, including playing a villain and tackling provocative elements such as queer themes and actress-sponsor dynamics. To stay fully immersed, she made a conscious effort to strip away any trace of her usual self on screen.
“The director knows me so well, so he didn’t want my usual personality to come through,” she said. “There were times we re-shot scenes because he felt, ‘This is too Ha Ji Won.’ I had to erase myself to fully become the character.”
Her transformation has been so convincing that even those closest to her were taken aback. “Even my mom said I seemed scary after watching the drama,” she revealed with a laugh. “My friends joked that they’re glad they never made me angry.”
Rather than calling it just another acting challenge, Ha Ji Won described Climax as “a process of expanding myself as an actor.” She pointed to one line in particular—“I’d rather break than wither away”—as capturing the essence of her character, a woman driven by ambition and survival within a ruthless power structure.
When asked if giving so much to this role made her worry about what comes next, Ha Ji Won didn’t hesitate. “I’ll continue to show even more sides of myself,” she said.
Climax is currently airing on ENA and streaming globally on Disney+.
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