Singer and actor Jung Jihoon shared his thoughts on taking on a villain role for the first time through Bloodhounds 2.
Netflix held a press conference for the production of the new original series Bloodhounds season 2 on the 31st at the Ambassador Seoul Pullman hotel in Jangchung-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul. The event was attended by lead actors Woo Do Hwan, Lee Sang Yi, Jung Jihoon (Bi) and director Kim Joo Hwan. Under the moderation of broadcaster Park Kyung Rim, they spoke with domestic reporters about the project.
Bloodhounds 2 is a drama that tells the story of Geon-woo (played by Woo Do Hwan) and Woo-jin (played by Lee Sang Yi), who once beat a brutal illegal loan shark gang, delivering another satisfying straight hook against a global illegal boxing league dominated by money and violence. It follows the first season of Bloodhounds, an eight-episode series released in August 2023, and has been generating anticipation as a sequel.
Among them, Jung Jihoon is expected to make a distinctive presence as the villain Baek Jeong, who injects explosive tension by confronting Geon-woo and Woo-jin. Baek Jeong is a figure who runs a global illegal boxing league driven by massive viewership and huge bets, moving solely for money. His overwhelming, striking visuals and a fishy smile that seems to enjoy the situation hint at a remorselessly aggressive villain. In particular, Jung Jihoon attracts attention by challenging himself with villain acting for the first time since his debut.
Jung Jihoon, who newly joins season 2 as a villain, said, "I was such a fan of director Kim Joo Hwan. I think I had been steadily watching his works as a fan. By chance I was moving, and as soon as I turned on Netflix, Bloodhounds appeared. I planned to watch for only an hour but I stayed and watched all eight episodes. I thought, 'Really, a new kind of action has come out.' But I never imagined I would be in season 2. From the moment the director said he was doing it, I wanted to do it right away." He added, "I liked that it was different from existing action. You could feel how much effort Woo Do Hwan and Lee Sang Yi put in," increasing expectations for the new action.
Jung Jihoon joked, "I realized for the first time that I have that kind of side inside me," and laughed, "While the two (Woo Do Hwan, Lee Sang Yi) were in love, I was with my organization on the asphalt." He continued, "The director wanted him to smile but be scary, to smile but not have the eyes smile, to be extremely wicked, for any movement to be able to make the two miserable, and not to have a body that was too good — to bulk up and be able to box to a certain extent. There were a lot of demands. I liked it. It felt like being trained again after a long time. I thought, 'Except for me, let's just do whatever the director tells us to.'"
He continued, "I talked a lot with the director and always moved with the feeling of standing on the edge of a blade, as if I were holding the knife. I have no 'side.' In the organization, if someone had something I wanted, they were all 'enemies.' It wasn't that difficult to express. I kept reading the script and talking with the director and really soaked into it. I had to pretend I had lived that way my whole life, and I behaved that way at home and got properly scolded. It became unconscious. I lived as that character for a year. When I tied my hair, I really felt like that character, like a warrior. I'm still immersed," he said with a laugh.
Regarding Baek Jeong's intense styling, he said, "The director and I kept talking a lot — the makeup team worked hard on that Viking-style hair. It looked like a real psychopath with immaculate hair. The makeup team worked very hard," he said, expressing admiration.
Director Kim Joo Hwan said about casting Jung Jihoon, "First, there was no one else with the aura and charisma but Jihoon sunbaenim. We needed someone who could beat Geon-woo and Woo-jin at the same time, someone who could handle overwhelming physicality and action. There was no one but Jihoon sunbaenim. After actually filming together, he became a reliable eldest brother on set. Every time we saw Baek Jeong, there were many exclamations from the monitor side. People asked, 'Is this the Jung Jihoon we knew?'" adding to the anticipation.
Bloodhounds 2 will be released on Netflix on Apr. 3.
[Photo] OSEN reporter Park Joonhyung.
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