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forleejehoon · 2 years ago

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[Interview] Lee Je-hoon: "No scandals broke out? Don't know, this year..." | From Woman Chosun

Translation by @forleejehoon. Please do not repost full or in parts without credits.

The pit everyone felt in their stomachs was momentary – thanks to soda-pop-type-of-refreshing punishments that washed away the heaviness, Taxi Driver 2 received lots of love. Broadcasting finished off with a peak viewership rating of 25.6%¹, and at the same time the confirmation for the production of the season 3 was released. A taxi company called "Rainbow Transport" that hides under the veil together with a taxi driver named Kim Do-ki fulfill wishes of revenge for victims that were mistreated; it's a drama that sheds light on crimes such as sex trafficking chat rooms, scamming of elders, religious cults and other infringements upon human rights. It offers a feeling of catharsis since there's an aspect of reality present due to cases in each episode being based off real life events, and by showcasing various kinds of imaginary punishments. Particularly those episodes that are reminiscent of Burning Sun Gate and JMS Church Cult concentrated public's attention, with the latter becoming an even bigger topic thanks to the timing of broadcasts overlapping [with another show about the same cult].

Episodes in season 2, just as expected, were based on real life events. Although elements of dramatization were added, didn't you feel any pressure when re-enacting true stories?

Although it's a bit embarrassing [to say], while seeing all these crimes on the news I had only one thought cross my mind: "Oh no, what do we do. Must be hard." There were many times like that. I don't know if it was because of the drama but I ended up watching the news regularly and realized how there are many people around us who suffered similar mistreatment. It's quite frustrating how cases like that still continue to happen. I want to believe that this project can be a good opportunity to look into societal issues from up close. Despite the plot not particularly focusing on being educational, I still had great desire to portray that there's hope for our society and that it can become a warmer place.

Seems like the "Black Sun" episode came extremely close to [the case that] it was based on – the Burning Sun Gate where fellow celebrities were involved. What were your thoughts on that?

Knowing that such events keep repeating, there's plenty of reasons for it to be treated that way and I felt a sense of duty for it to be portrayed precisely in the universe of Taxi Driver. I think there was a part of me wanting to alert young friends in their 20s who are overflowing with energy – as if I had a strong resolution for such events to not repeat again and to not let anyone fall victim anymore.

The episode about the religious cult aired next week right after Netflix' In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal docuseries were released. Did you perhaps arrange this intentionally?

Not at all. We also were really surprised. I hope that through more and more such stories like the documentary as well as the depiction in the drama – they will reach out to people around us that are in similar situations. It could be encouraging for them.

Although the process of punishing the assailants is satisfying, there's also reactions of the "does it make sense" sort. What are you thoughts on this?

All of the "Rainbow Transport" members have very exceptional skills yet in the process of unraveling them there are some absurd moments, of course. In the end, everything's possible due to the support from the viewers that despite [such absurd moments] believe in the universe [of Taxi Driver] and follow along it. If you think about this as a documentary, there are definitely parts that are hard to immerse in. Nevertheless, I'd like to believe that the aspect of vicarious satisfaction also plays a role here and it's about wishing for such punishments to be actually carried out in real life.

If you compare season 2 to season 1, characters solved the cases without being described themselves. When you think about it, there was a lot of talk about Kim Do-ki's personas but not about his essence as a character. Don't you think his character was consumed in a manner that's too utilitarian?

I do agree with this. However, if one decides to watch our drama, then it must've been someone's [conscious] choice as well as it requires concentration. So if you want to understand each of the character's story – it's going to be dispersed. Since one case is shown condensed into one week, it's actually a good decision to disengage after focusing on it. If we could continue on with the series, I'd like to think that it's a good idea to make it more colorful by melting in individual stories of "Rainbow Transport".

Kim Do-ki is a character that thoroughly punishes the assailants and personifies justice. As you embody him, doesn't it make you think "I can't let myself get carried away with it even if it's a minor case"?

Before I start feeling a sense of mission as an actor, upon witnessing injustice I respond to it personally [first]. For example, when I see someone littering on the street or jaywalking – there were times when I vocalized "don't do this". As of today, I think twice about making remarks. When I talk about something honestly, I have this fear that I'll say something that could have a negative impact on my career as an actor. But despite that, I continue to not hesitate and am brave to vocalize things like that.

On screen Do-ki has so much to take care of. The scale looked huge. Seems like it must've been really exhausting, how did you manage to endure it both physically and mentally?

Compared to before, I think I surely feel an incredible amount of responsibility when it comes to acting. It's thoughts like: "If I break down this project can falter, I need to engage with an even stronger mentality and physical endurance so I could give it my everything." Moreover, I do it while thinking it could be my last. Especially with Taxi Driver 2 it was like that. Because 1st season did well everyone must've been keeping their eyes on it – while keeping this in mind, the sense of duty to showcase an even better performance became my driving force.

How are you feeling after pouring your heart out [for the project] and wrapping it up?

First of all, there are surely moments when I feel hollow and somewhat without a purpose. [Acting] is not something I do for wealth or honor, and because I bring out what's inside of me and do everything genuinely – my biggest wish is for the viewers to recognize that. Although sometimes the result's just like that, there are also times when I'm unable to do that. I decided to not take this to heart. Since I'm a person that wants to do acting forever, I hope that people watching my works can both cry their eyes out one moment and laugh the next. After 10 years have passed, even after 20 years have passed, making pieces that can bring out an "oh there's a movie like this?" from people is my dream.

# Actor that ages in fashion

Lee Je-hoon has directed a short film titled Blue Happiness from the omnibus project Unframed in 2021. Even if isn't necessarily acting, if it's a job that revolves around movies or dramas – he's okay with anything. Even if it's handing out tickets at the ticket office, recommending movies or just chattering about them.

You're acting, writing scenarios as well as directing. Looks like you're truly living a fulfilling life.

I started off as an actor but even if I wasn't acting, I think I'd still be pursuing creative activities in this field. I'm the happiest and I enjoy it the most when I watch movies at the theatre. By doing this I charge myself, I daydream how "I want to appear in a piece like that" and, should I say it, rekindle my passion. It's not only the job of an actor that I'm interested in but also various other positions; I like to offer my points of view. After the filming comes to an end it's not like my role also ends there – I enjoy communicating so that the piece we're working on can be complete. I truly do my very best in every moment and try to pour my heart and soul out into it. I very much welcome being utilized.

You decide on taking the role after reading the script, but how do you reach compromises if things like filming process or the course of directing don't match with your vision?

I've had experiences like that before. After reading the story I understood it one way but then the direction it took was actually quite different and I was baffled – such things happen, of course. After going through lots of trials and errors, I realized that communicating with the people I'm working with is of utmost importance. We constantly talk through whether we have the same direction in mind and whether we see the piece in the same light. I believe that the story can come out being amazing if in cases when our opinions get divided we search for a course of action that's focused on its own development.

Did you perhaps set up the one-man agency² because you had the desire to be producing?

There's truth in that, I want to do this work for the rest of my life. After the contract with the first agency ended, I was pondering a lot whether I should renew my contract, move to another company or do this on my own. If I went to another company and our beliefs didn't match, then I would've needed to look for yet another place. Although my business management skills are still poor, regardless of that I started it all because I wanted to get better little by little and grow as a person since I'm someone who wants to do this forever.

The image of you acting is very nice but I also would like to ask about the image of you getting married and having a family?

Of course I have thoughts about marriage. (laughs) Since the first digit of my age will change this year, I think about it even more. However, I believe it's not the timing that matters but rather the kind of person that I'll meet.

When you look at it, there were no scandals³ of you publicly dating or anything. Is it that you're hiding well..? (laughs)

Well, for this year I don't know yet. (laughs)

What about your ideal type?

I'm not selective about outer looks. I'd like to take delight in our relationship even when we talk about nothing important. As if we were soulmates. So it'd be interesting to talk to each other forever. While watching movies together and sharing good music.

Before you knew it, you became a 40 year old actor. What kind of actor would you like to become?

As an actor I want to age in fashion. Although it's a hard task, I'd like to continue staying fresh. I hope to become an actor who's synonymous with expectations such as "Lee Je-hoon's in it? What's the movie called?" Comments like "it's Lee Je-hoon again? Probably nothing new" make my heart ache. So I must try even harder to not become like that. I've been working hard so far, so now I probably should take it slow? No. I want to work like crazy for at least 10 years more. To make good movies with good people. I should probably take good care of my health. (laughs)

Published 2023/04/29

¹ Viewership rating peaked at 25.6% during one moment of the last episode according to Nielsen Korea. Officially, nationwide and metropolitan areas recorded the highest ratings of 21% and 21.8% respectively, which made Taxi Driver 2 secure a solid no. 1 spot amidst the dramas airing at the same time. ² Referring to Company On – his actor management agency. He also has set up a production company named Hard Cut with two of his friends from early acting days. The omnibus project Unframed was its first production. ³ In Korea they call any celebrity dating publicly "a romance scandal". It might seem extreme but in general I think the case is more so that the word "scandal" is leaning into Konglish – an English word that adopted a different meaning in Korea's context.

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