(following interview②) 2PM member and actor Hwang Chan-sung spoke about his chemistry with singer and actor as well as senior from his former agency JYP Entertainment, Jung Jihoon (Bi), in "Bloodhounds 2".
Hwang Chan-sung recently met fans through the popular Netflix original series "Bloodhounds 2." "Bloodhounds 2" is a drama that depicts Geon-woo (Woo Do Hwan) and Woojin (Lee Sang Yi), who beat up a vicious illegal loan shark gang, delivering another thrilling straight hook against a global illegal boxing ring ruled by money and violence.
Following season 1 of "Bloodhounds," which was released in 2023, season 2 was released three years later, and Hwang Chan-sung gave a passionate performance as Tae-gum, the right-hand man of villain Baek-jung (Jung Jihoon). Recently, I met Hwang Chan-sung at an office in Yeouido, Seoul, and talked about the work and his recent activities.
As Tae-gum appears as Baek-jung's henchman, Hwang Chan-sung shared most of his screen time with Jung Jihoon. In addition to them, there are Man-bae, a money-obsessed villain and former National Intelligence Service (NIS) operative played intensely by Lee Si-eon; Tae Won Seok as Kang In-beom, who even escaped from prison to take revenge on Geon-woo and Woojin; and Lee Myung-ro as the hacker Allen. Jung Jihoon even judged the performances of these villains he worked with by saying, "We were like H.O.T."
Hwang Chan-sung said of the villains' chemistry in "Bloodhounds 2," "The set was so good. From before we started, I was so happy just to know I would be working with Jihoon hyung. I was very glad. I thought that regardless of the characters' relationships, there needs to be a closeness between actors so they can be considerate of each other's acting, and that would help me immerse myself more comfortably. From the moment I heard Jihoon hyung would be joining, I was so happy," and he emphasized, "Si-eon hyung also became closer while preparing before filming. Won-seok and Myung-ro also met several times before filming and we all became close."
He continued, "On set, we actually covered for each other a lot and asked each other things. Jihoon hyung watched over me a lot and sometimes asked, 'How was it this time?' He worried that the lines for Baek-jung had so many curse-like expressions that it might be excessive. I rather kept saying, 'It's great, 100 points.' I thought it suited the character," he said.
He revealed a behind-the-scenes story, saying, "When Baek-jung kills Tae-gum, he spits and says, 'I'll kill your daughter too.' That wasn't in the original script. But from my lying position, I could see blood pooling in the standing hyung's mouth, so I thought it would be good if he spat it at me. I had that thought during the first take, and on the second take, when we said 'okay' and were monitoring, hyung asked me, 'Chansung, sorry, can I spit?'."
He laughed, saying, "I thought it would be really good for me. I saw it as completing each other's narratives. I thought my death could reinforce Baek-jung's cruelty, so I told him to spit. Jihoon hyung was worried and said it felt 'so trashy' even after doing it, but it was already far gone, so I told him, 'Hyung, you have nowhere to go back to. Go all the way.'"
Baek-jung's sadistic scenes also sparked debates over whether the brutality led to sensationalism. It's a talking point in the "Bloodhounds" series that has continued since season 1. As a cast member, Hwang Chan-sung assessed, "Those moments seem to show 'why Baek-jung is a terrifying villain.'"
Hwang Chan-sung said, "Baek-jung is an unpredictable character. Anyone can have anger, may have anger management issues, or have abrasive personality traits. What makes Baek-jung scary is you never know where he'll turn, and there's no one who can handle him with force. He even has wealth. His mind also works in that way. I think the example is the 'bathtub scene.'"
He added, "It's a matter of how to complement the character, but you have to create much more on set than what appears on the script to find moments where the character shines. There were moments when I thought, 'I wish it had gone a little further.' Actors freely take bold risks, and the director steps in when it's not right. For us, because we studied the script a lot and discussed it, it didn't feel excessive or truly threatening. Rather, seeing Baek-jung bleeding even after the camera was off in the cage showed the character's traits well, and I thought it was cool."
(to be continued in interview④)
[photo] Provided by El July Entertainment.
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