[MyDaily = Reporter Gwak Myung-dong] Actor Yoo Ji-tae brought his signature wit to tvN's You Quiz on the Block.
On the 23rd, You Quiz posted a teaser for Yoo’s appearance on its official account. In the clip, Yoo playfully noted that his recent film, The Man Who Lives with the King, surpassed 10 million moviegoers — quipping that it might have been “all thanks to You Quiz.”
He went on to recount a set story about director Jang Hang-joon’s buoyant, easygoing style, which kept pulling him out of character. Yoo said he needed to lock into a serious emotional place and push the performance, but Jang’s constant praise — cheering, “Yoo Ji-tae, the living legend of Korean cinema!” — repeatedly broke his concentration and had the audience laughing.
Yoo also described the physical challenges of reshaping the previously slight character Han Myeong-hoe by putting on weight. “I ate so much it was almost reckless,” he admitted, later revealing that the extremes left him with high cholesterol, acute gastritis and colitis — underscoring his intense commitment to the role.
Anecdotes about his wife, actress Kim Hyo-jin, also drew attention. When asked whether he often plays villains because of her, Yoo replied bluntly that some material can feel “overly glamorized.” Host Yoo Jae-suk praised his frankness, telling him, “You’re a lot funnier than before,” and highlighting Yoo’s growing comedic presence.
Meanwhile, the long-running hit The Man Who Lives with the King follows the deposed King Danjong (Park Ji-hoon) as he spends his final days exiled in Yeongwol, forming a bond with village chief Eom Heung-do (Yoo Hae-jin) and the local residents. Audiences and critics alike have praised the film’s emotionally resonant, cross-generational storytelling.
