Actor Lee Je-hoon instantly captivated living room audiences in SBS drama "Taxi Driver 3" by varying the genre.
Lee Je-hoon drew strong responses from viewers with his chameleonlike performance that successfully exploited Kim Do-gi's successive infinite transformations in the SBS Friday-Saturday drama "Taxi Driver 3" (directed by Kang Bo-seung | written by Oh Sang-ho | produced by Studio S, Group8, BN Entertainment). In the last broadcast, it illuminated the dark side hidden behind the glitter of the K-pop industry, and a full-fledged confrontation and tense developments unfolded with the new villain Kang Ju-ri (played by Jang Na-ra).
In episode 9, a new story began when idol trainee Ro-mi boarded Do-gi's taxi. Ro-mi appeared outwardly to be an innocent teenage girl dreaming of becoming an idol, but after getting out of Do-gi's taxi she was shown crying loudly, prompting curiosity about what wound in her young heart caused such pain. Do-gi immediately sensed Ro-mi's vanishing danger and barely rescued her, and later found a suicide note in Ro-mi's bag. The Rainbow Transport team detected while assessing the situation that Ro-mi was a trainee of the idol group "Elements" and sensed there must have been a serious reason that drove this girl to consider an extreme choice.
After regaining consciousness, Ro-mi was met by agency official Song, but he instead assaulted her, and Do-gi stopped him by ramming Song with the Taxi Driver. Soon after, Ro-mi, who had boarded the Taxi Driver, confessed that she had been living as a trainee after signing with Yellow Star ENT while dreaming of debuting as an idol, but just before debut she lost her memory in a mysterious place and became the target of illegal filming and threats. The agency used the footage to pressure Ro-mi, taking the entire team hostage, and it was revealed that they were forced into the dark reality of penalty fees and canceled debuts, which saddened viewers.
The Rainbow Transport team disguised themselves as prosecutors to search Yellow Star ENT and discovered that the video used to blackmail Ro-mi was an inside job by the agency. Do-gi transformed into "Manager Do-gi" to infiltrate internally, staging an interview at a café where Kang Ju-ri was present with Representative Jang (played by Kim Eui-sung) to secure a manager position, adding unexpected big laughs. In that setting, Do-gi left a strong impression with an attitude of doing anything if it was the boss's order, and to win Kang Ju-ri's trust he even hit Senior Staff Park (played by Bae Yoo-ram) without hesitation.
On his first day as "Manager Do-gi," he displayed unusual loyalty from his first meeting with the deputy minister. He reacted sensitively even to the term used to address Kang Ju-ri, getting under the deputy minister's skin. Later, Do-gi directly witnessed Kang Ju-ri's reality of monitoring, control and violence toward trainees, excessive practice loads, extreme weight control and accumulating debts, confronting the event's ugly face and an unfair contract structure. In the ending, Do-gi, who infiltrated after finding the location where Ro-mi's video was shot, was on the verge of being exposed to Kang Ju-ri, ending dramatically amid suffocating tension.
Lee Je-hoon professionally demonstrated his ability to finely modulate the highs and lows of the character by deepening Kim Do-gi's emotional and role changes in this episode. From his unhesitating plunge into the water to save a teenage girl before taking on a new case to his warm gaze that listens to victims and his restrained emotional expressions, he genuinely conveyed Kim Do-gi's humanity and sense of responsibility, building trust in the character and increasing immersion in the drama.
Later, through his alter ego "Manager Do-gi," Lee Je-hoon showcased a nearly bobbed daring hairstyle, bold and audacious actions, and a loud manner of speaking to realize a new character never seen before, completely changing the tone of the drama and instantly captivating viewers with a career-defining twist while adding a lot of fun to the show.
Viewers responded with hot reactions such as "This is seriously shocking" "I want to know the behind-the-scenes" "Lee Je-hoon really acts well!" Amid Kim Do-gi's nonstop infinite transformations, Lee Je-hoon expanded the character's dimensionality with chameleonlike performances that defy genres, completing this episode as the core point of the retribution narrative and heightening viewers' curiosity about future confrontations with villains and the methods of operation to be carried out.
Meanwhile, the SBS Friday-Saturday drama "Taxi Driver 3," which leaves a strong impact each week with tense developments and satisfying retribution, airs every Friday and Saturday at 9:50 p.m.
[Photo] SBS broadcast capture of "Taxi Driver 3"
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