Fashion and entertainment magazine The Star unveiled a New Year pictorial and interview with the actor. Shot under the theme “Lee Je-hoon’s Winter Morning,” the spread captures an easy, cozy start to the year, with Lee lounging in bed and getting ready to head out, leaning into effortless charm.
Fresh off wrapping the hit SBS drama "Taxi Driver 3", Lee also shared how he plans to spend some rare downtime. “I’m going to binge all the movies I’ve missed,” he said, clearly excited. “I want to duck into arthouse theaters, see how they’re run ― how the projection looks, what the seats are like ― and just enjoy it on my own.”
He reflected on the shoot as well. “It was a truly grueling production, but everyone ― the cast, the writer, the director ― poured everything into making something that would entertain and move viewers, and deliver some cathartic payback,” he shared.
On his mindset for Season 3, he added, “Because the series is so loved, I wanted to make it even better. By the third season, the bar for ‘fun’ is high, so I felt we had to level up across the board. I dug deep into Kim Do-gi and all his disguises, and I put real care into casting so we could bring in strong actors for the villains.”
Asked how far he is from Kim Do-gi in real life, Lee replied, “On a scale of 1 to 100, I’d say 21. Kim Do-gi is very far from who I am; when I first played him, I agonized over how to create and express him.”
When asked which of his past roles he’d take to a deserted island if he could bring only one, he didn’t hesitate: Kim Do-gi. “He’s ex-special forces, so he could survive anywhere,” Lee laughed. “I’ve played a lot of characters, but with Kim Do-gi around, I’d feel truly secure.”
As for how long it takes him to shake off a role after filming, Lee said, “It depends ― case by case. Usually, I don’t get out of it quickly,” adding, “It’s less that a character fades with time and more that starting a new project gradually pushes the previous one out. Otherwise the afterimage lingers ― sometimes it’s hard, sometimes it’s happy or nostalgic. Those feelings keep crossing over.”
He also shared his goals as an actor: “I want to be the kind of actor who leaves you with something ― laughter, sadness, a lump in your throat ― so it never feels like a waste of time. I’m working tirelessly toward that.”
Meanwhile, "Taxi Driver 3" airs Fridays and Saturdays at 9:50 p.m. KST on SBS.
[Photo= The Star]
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)