In a press interview for the Netflix series "Bloodhounds 2" held at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 8th, Lee shared, “There was a time I was exhausted from having too much work. But since last year, I think I found the fun in acting again. Lately, acting has become really enjoyable.”
Lee, who built his career on stage in plays and musicals before starting dramas in 2017, has appeared in numerous projects over the past decade, including "Youth of May," "Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha," "No Gain No Love," and "Good Boy," rising to leading-man status. “I used to get very tense on stage,” he said. “Back then, I was just busy trying to claim things as ‘mine.’ At some point, it felt like my perspective widened compared to before.”
What put his mind at ease―and brought the fun back―was a shift in mindset. “Maybe the best thing is acting in the most ‘me’ way possible. Everything starts from me,” he said. His current focus is how to act in a way that feels genuinely real.
“Director Kim Joo-hwan of 'Bloodhounds' prefers what’s ‘real,’ the ‘for real’ stuff,” Lee explained. “Whether it’s action or showing your body as a boxer, those things only come out when you’ve truly trained. Watching that made me think, ‘I should try to be a little more real with my projects and my acting, too.’”
He added, “I used to be busier memorizing lines, reading the room, and I was more easily scared. But at some point, the fear faded, and I think I’ve become a little more relaxed than before. That ease is probably showing up in my acting these days.” Even so, Lee admitted with a laugh, “I still don’t really know. There’s a long way to go,” calling acting difficult as ever.
Released in 2023, "Bloodhounds" Season 1 delivered pure adrenaline with bare-knuckle action as two young boxers took on illegal loan sharks. Three years later, "Bloodhounds" Season 2 follows Geon-woo (Woo Do-hwan) and Woo-jin (Lee Sang-yi), who previously took down a brutal illegal lending ring, as they throw another cathartic straight hook at a global underground boxing league ruled by money and violence. RAIN (Jung Ji-hoon) joins as the ultimate villain, Baekjeong, who runs the illegal league.
The bromance between Geon-woo and Woo-jin―rivals-turned-friends in Season 1―only gets stronger. Geon-woo dreams of becoming a champion, while Woo-jin stands by his side as coach. They’re now like blood brothers. But to drag Geon-woo into the illegal IKFC league, Baekjeong turns up the pressure. To protect the people they love―and their “boxer’s heart”―Geon-woo and Woo-jin put everything on the line for a brutal showdown with Baekjeong’s crew.
"Bloodhounds 2", which dropped on April 3, shot to No. 1 on Netflix in Korea right out of the gate and hit No. 2 on the Global Top 10 TV (Non-English) chart, winning over viewers at home and abroad. The seven-episode season is now streaming on Netflix.
[Photo= Netflix]
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)