Actor Woo Do Hwan revealed that he gained 13kg for Bloodhounds 2, the follow-up released after three years, drawing surprise.
Netflix held a press conference for the new original series Bloodhounds season 2 on the 31st at the Ambassador Seoul Pullman hotel in Jangchung-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul. Leading actors Woo Do Hwan, Lee Sang Yi, Jung Jihoon (Rain) and director Kim Joo Hwan attended. Under the moderation of broadcaster Park Kyung-rim, they spoke with domestic reporters about the work.
Bloodhounds 2 is a drama that depicts how Geon-woo (played by Woo Do Hwan) and Woo-jin (played by Lee Sang Yi), who once beat up a vicious illegal loan shark gang, land another satisfying straight hook against a global illegal boxing league ruled by money and violence. It is the sequel to Bloodhounds season 1, an eight-episode series released in August 2023, and has raised expectations.
Among them, Woo Do Hwan is expected to show the flavor of K-action as the more mature Geon-woo returning. After a fierce fight in which he succeeded in wiping out the illegal loan shark gang, Geon-woo begins another battle to face a new threat in order to protect his loved ones.
Emphasizing that the easiest change was his appearance, Woo Do Hwan said, "The change in appearance, the change in action, and the power the script gives. If the script felt like a young person just starting out in life, season 2 tried to show a slightly more grown, slightly more adult version," underscoring Geon-woo's tougher, more hardened side compared with season 1.
At the same time, he said, "Safety was the most important thing. Breathing was important, but we had to check. I kept checking with Sang-yi hyung and Ji-hoon hyung to say let's meet again tomorrow, we kept checking and matched our schedules. At first the choreography was too long, so we adjusted it to be a little longer or shorter," and added, "All of it was fun, but the scene that appears in part 2 has laughter, fun and is even satisfying. In my view, the action is the longest," expressing anticipation for the part 2 ending.
In response, Woo Do Hwan cited action as a viewing point, saying, "It definitely seems to be the action. After season 1 ended, I wondered if there would be any action left for me to show with my two fists. But when I received the season 2 script, I realized there was still more to show. There's still a lot. There are still many things that can be done with my two fists. Please look forward to it," he said confidently.
He also commented on Jung Jihoon's villain performance, saying, "He was truly a bad person. Watching the on-set rough cut, there were moments when we hadn't encountered the senior so often on set. He commits bad acts where I don't see him. But when you see the on-set rough cut, you really think he's bad. That motivated me more, and I tried to beat him somehow," he said.
Above all, he spoke about his physical transformation: "I had to show that I worked out harder over the three years and bring home a world champion title, so my weight was about 13kg more than I am now. I gained that much. I had also gained weight for season 1, about 5kg more. Having done it once, I thought season 2 would be a bit easier, so compared with other things, as long as you keep exercising steadily it's relatively easier, I thought. I believed building the body for character research was easier than other things, like refining the inner self or studying," he added.
Bloodhounds 2 will be released on Netflix on Apr. 3.
[Photo] OSEN reporter Park Joonhyung.
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