When good and evil go head-to-head, expect a showdown! The Netflix Kdrama “Bloodhounds” dives into the friendship between up-and-coming boxer Gun-woo (Woo Do-hwan) and fellow competitor Woo-jin (Lee Sang-yi) after they get acquainted in the grueling Marine Corps.
Things take a turn for the worst when Gun-woo’s mother falls victim to scheming loan sharks from Smile Capital. In attempt to take down Smile Capital’s cruel head honcho, Kim Myeong-gil (Park Sung-woong), and his ruthless runners, Gun-woo and Woo-jin put themselves into the fight ring – proving that they’d do anything to protect the ones they love.
In this interview, actor Lee Sang-yi (이상이) opens up about his intense prep for playing Hong Woo-jin (홍우진), the challenges faced during production, and what he really thinks of co-star Woo Do-hwa.
Q. Please tell us about your character in “Bloodhounds”.
Lee Sang-yi: I am playing the role of a southpaw amateur boxer, Hong Woo-jin, and I am a young man who served in the Marine Corps of Korea who is living in a precarious and desperate era consisting of Covid-19 while diligently going through part-time jobs. (Woo-jin personally thinks of himself as a very fashionable person). Woo-jin feels a sense of peculiar kinship with Gun-woo who he became acquainted with in a boxing match, and perhaps, Gun-woo also felt something because the two get close very quickly.
Then, Woo-jin hears bad news about Gun-woo’s mother from Gun-woo who has become a younger brother, a friend and family. Woo-jin hears that loan sharks are constantly chasing after Gun-woo’s mother to collect her debt and causing mayhem in her café. The damage was done by loan sharks who hold out irrational, nonsensical and illegal loan contracts by taking advantage of the hardships faced by small businesses who are struggling to make ends meet in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. Woo-jin also decides to fight together when he sees Gun-woo suffering because of the malicious loan sharks.
Woo-jin and Gun-woo fight against the illegal loan sharks, and Woo-jin uses all of his personal connections to ask for help and make contact. Then, one day, he gets acquainted with the legendary President Choi of Myeong-dong who loans money for good humanitarian deeds, and President Choi makes a proposal. The proposal is to work under him in exchange for repaying Gun-woo’s mother’s debt. Woo-jin and Gun-woo decide to trust President Choi and start to work under him. These are the so-called ‘bloodhounds’. (Generally, ‘bloodhound’ is a jargon for ‘daily instalment loans’) Woo-jin and Gun-woo learn of the mastermind behind the loan sharks while chasing them as a part of their work.
The mastermind is Kim Myeong-gil. Kim Myeong-gil who used to work for President Choi in the past became incredibly wealthy through the loan sharking business, and rules over the loan sharking industry by threatening people. Gun-woo and Woo-jin start to fight against Kim Myeong-gil to protect the people they love with trust for one another. Woo-jin that I depicted served in the Marine Corps and has done all sorts of jobs. He has myriad of experience with diverse part-time jobs as he has been a YouTuber and has also worked as a PE teacher in a kindergarten. He dreams of being a professional boxer like his father who used to be a boxer, but it is not easy. To add to this, his life takes a turn for the worse when the world is hit with Covid-19. He might be living a difficult life that might make him seem like a bit of a loser but he gets consoled by Gun-woo and he feels a sense of family affection and friendship.
Q. How did you feel when you first read the script of “Bloodhounds” and what was the biggest appeal of the piece that made you decide to star in this piece?
Lee Sang-yi: I remember having enjoyed the movie, “Midnight Runners”, and the script reminded me of that good memory and reminiscence. There are various forms of love, and the script allowed me to feel the love of a ‘real’ friendship. (Bromance). Also, the script described bold actions that were of rather a large scale. Action was a genre that captivated me as I have acted in melodramas, weekend drama series, plays and musicals until now. I felt as if it would be a new challenge to me and I sincerely wanted to take on this challenge.
Q. Did you read the original webtoon before and after filming the series? If not, what was your reason for not reading the webtoon? If you read it, what was the appeal that embodies both the webtoon and the series, and what would be a differentiating point (strength) that is unique to the series?
Lee Sang-yi: I only read the start of the webtoon and did not read more because Director Kim told me that there was no need to insist on reading the webtoon. Our series is one with a completely different texture from the webtoon, and it is simply borrowing the circumstances and the characters of the original webtoon, Bloodhounds. It is a completely different story from the webtoon, “Bloodhounds”.
Q. What was the most significant point in building your character and what was the appeal of your character?
Lee Sang-yi: First was the body. It was most important to turn my body into the body of a boxer. The muscular body of a boxer is different from that of a bodybuilder. I thought that turning my body into one that is shaped from punches and training and consisting of abs that look like a piece of land that cracks as a result of drought was the most important. (It was not easy because I had to prepare long before filming). Then, there was the action part. Since this piece consists of action scenes, I had to go through many action training sessions. Moreover, I had to train left-hand punches to depict Woo-jin who is a southpaw (left-handed boxer). (I ended up using both hands a lot during the shoot. It was set so that Woo-jin would only use his left hand when boxing or fighting.) I could quickly get a grasp of Woo-jin’s personality. The character and the situations were well-described in the script. Woo-jin is older than Gun-woo, and since I am actually older than Woo Do-hwan we could quickly form a relationship. Gun-woo and Woo-jin cover up each other’s shortcomings. Woo-jin teaches Gun-woo about the world and the reality at times because Gun-woo knows too little about the world, and Gun-woo shows brotherly love and a sense of honour to Woo-jin who is lonely and feels a sense of void. Gun-woo even saves Woo-jin’s life.
Q. What sort of visual efforts did you put in to express the nature of the character in terms of costumes, hairstyles and props? Could you describe any discussions you had with the director and the crew about this? Did you personally suggest the unique hairstyle of Woo-jin?
Lee Sang-yi: Hairstyle was decided after having several meetings together with Director Kim. I wanted to express Woo-jin, who had a slight experience in the daily instalment loan world, sometimes acts like a gangster and wants to be ‘the real thing’ but ends up selecting ‘knockoffs’, in a fun way. As is the saying, ‘Empty vessels make the loudest sound,’ Woo-jin tends to dress himself up when he feels a sense of emptiness and void, and I wanted to express this attribute on the outside. I wanted to show that Woo-jin had ‘played around’ with long, permed hair and colorful, patterned clothes. (But wearing fake goods).
Q. This piece is set during the Covid-19 pandemic. What was your impression about portraying a realistic world that is so close to the current circumstances? When you were acting with the facial mask on, were there any difficulties? Because it must have been an unfamiliar experience to act while wearing a mask.
Lee Sang-yi: Covid-19 is a pandemic that caused the whole world to suffer. It was the worst situation where people grew apart from society and were disconnected from other people. In such a cruel world, it was important for me to feel brotherly affection and love, and this touched me. Even during the actual shooting, Covid-19 persistently attacked our set, and we had to act amidst such circumstances. So, there wasn’t too much disparity. We wore masks while acting in the same way that we wore masks in our daily lives. I was worried that my lines would not be clearly conveyed, but we didn’t have difficulties thanks to the remarkable Sound Team. It was not difficult for me to act while wearing mics in my body because I had experiences of acting with the mic on when acting on stage. It was difficult to carry out action scenes with the mask on. I was out of breath and had to move at the same time. I had a hard time because I was breathless.
Q. How was it like to work with Director Jason Kim – in terms of his directorial skills and on-set leadership?
Lee Sang-yi: I was deeply moved because Director Kim sacrificed himself for the series throughout the entire period of production. Sometimes he was a good cop and sometimes he was a bad cop. (Just out of concern, I don’t mean bad cop to say that he was bad). Filming sets are like wartime situations. There are so many unpredictable moments, and there are many risks in various areas. At this point, if tension is eased for even a short amount of time, it may immediately lead to an accident. In particular, our series is of an action genre, and therefore, it may be really, really dangerous. There are various weapons and tools, cars that drive at high speed and props and sets on fire. Director Kim consoled us and cheered us on while also giving us strong instructions in such a terrifying environment. In addition, Director Kim respected and cared for Do-hwan and I as more than actors. He trusted us and swiftly accepted our ideas. There were difficult times, but we could finish our filming because we trusted one another. Director Kim brought us closer together and we gathered our forces together.
Q. Who would you like to recommend “Bloodhounds” to? Would you be able to leave a message to the prospective viewers?
Lee Sang-yi: I want to recommend “Bloodhounds” to viewers around the world. Would there be anyone who did not suffer from Covid-19? I want to show this series to everyone who overcame the Covid-19 pandemic in the present times where we are no longer wearing masks.
I also want to recommend the series to viewers who want to watch dynamic but realistic action scenes. Please watch our series if you want to watch brutal and realistic action scenes like that of UFC without vivid computer graphics and magical actions!
Q. What efforts did you put in to shape the body of a boxing player? Could you also share with us the action training that you went through?
Lee Sang-yi: I first started going to boxing gyms when I filmed “Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha”. I also frequently received training from the Action Team. I learned all the basic actions of jab to uppercut, hook and steps. I felt as if I had become an athlete. Woo-jin is a southpaw, so I learned all of the moves as a southpaw from the start. I also practised the footsteps a lot because he is an out-boxer with agile feet and long arms. I was also doing jump ropes every day. I watched many videos of the boxer called Lomachenko. There were punches that were made abruptly by instantly changing steps. If it was a real situation, then we can just hit the counterparts, but action scenes consist of actions that look as if we are truly hitting the counterpart with the counterpart looking as if that person was actually taking the hit, and hence, it was not easy. We have to make wider moves than real hits so that we can be seen well in the camera angle as well. I also went to the gym every day. I had to shape my body so that it looked muscular while losing weight and I also controlled my diet. Brown rice and chicken breast. Sriracha sauce and zero sugar sodas. If I am told to do it again… I would still have to do it again.
Q. Actions mostly consist of powerful scenes consisting of boxing. What did you focus on when you were filming the action scenes?
Lee Sang-yi: I had many discussions with the Action Team so that we could add character even to the action scenes. Woo-jin had to have agile footsteps because he is a southpaw as well as an out-boxer and he has to knock out the opponent with long reach. Woo-jin often deceived the opponent with the right hand and knocked him out with a single left-hand hit. I mainly used the skill of dodging the fists of the opponent while moving front, back, left and right instead of penetrating while taking the hit like an in-boxer when I was dealing with the fist of the opponent.
Q. In the latter part of the series, Woo-jin and Gun-woo take a new turn and start to prepare for revenge in earnest. Which parts did you focus on internally and externally to express such psychological changes?
Lee Sang-yi: I focused on a more mature mindset and stronger body. After a fight that puts him in a life-or-death situation, Woo-jin is able to move his body again thanks to the care provided by Gun-woo. I also focused on building larger muscles and enhancing physical strengths although the wounds had not healed completely. Woo-jin not only practices boxing but also ends up practicing for the ultimate fighting competition in order to properly tackle Kim Myeong-gil and In-beom. (I never went to the gym so diligently in my life until now). In addition, Gun-woo and Woo-jin establish a meticulous plan. The plan that was set in advance includes those who will provide help, the exact targets, and the order of attacking those targets.
Q. As compared to Gun-woo, Woo-jin seems to be more calculating and he has worked in the loan sharking business before. Despite this, he becomes involved in the reckless revenge taken by Gun-woo. Why do you think he takes part in this?
Lee Sang-yi: I would like to say it is coming from a sense of kinship. The fact that Gun-woo is a friend and a boxer who is living similarly in this world without too much at hand. I think he also resonates with the simple and tactless personality of Gun-woo. He likes the fact that Gun-woo also served in the Marine Corps, and I think his heart also goes out to Gun-woo when he sees the professional side of Gun-woo as a boxer and the efforts that he makes to protect his family although Gun-woo is younger than him.
Q. What did you think Gun-woo was to Woo-jin when you acted? What efforts did you make to create a special chemistry with actor Woo Do-hwan?
Lee Sang-yi: To Woo-jin, Gun-woo is a person who is younger but with so much to learn from. He does not stand injustice, and he even speaks out frankly and boldly in difficult situations. He also shows charisma and determined spirit to make sure to meet a goal once it is set. Woo Do-hwan is 100% synchronized to Gun-woo.
Q. How was the chemistry with Actor Woo Do-hwan?
Lee Sang-yi: There is a sense of ‘Comradeship’. We worked together for around 8 months. We fought together and laughed and cried together. There were so many small and large incidents. We could have been really tired amidst complex circumstances, but despite this, we concentrated on acting while relying on one another. I think our relationship felt sort of like a ‘comradeship’ since we were together in all of the highs and lows. Do-hwan is younger but has so much to learn from. I really want to work with Do-hwan again.
Q. How was it like to work with senior actors such as Park Sung-woong, Huh Joon-ho, Lee Hae-yeong, Ryu Soo-young, Park hoon and Choi Si-won?
Lee Sang-yi: It was fun and I learned a lot. Sung-woong was always filled with humor, like the Babamba jokes that he tells, underneath his overpowering charisma. Joon-ho is like a sunflower. He always welcomed us with a bright smile. He gave out an untouchable aura beneath his benevolent smile, like President Choi in the series. Hae-yeong is a person who looks cuter every time you see him. (The more you look at him, the cuter he is. ‘Bol-gwi’ is an abbreviation that I just made up now to describe him). He has a body and facial expressions that seem to have been well-constructed through martial arts, but he also shyly chats with us.
Soo-young is a person with a heart that is as wide as the ocean. He always answers with a Yes to everything and I have never seen him run out of energy. He shares ideas with us endlessly, and he brightens the atmosphere of the set with a hearty laugh. Hoon is like a comedian. He is a funny and witty guy who brings out laughs from even the staff members. Si-won, my awesome senior from the Marine Corps! Si-won is like the Great Gatsby. I think he is without any shortage. He is a really cool guy. Lastly, Ms. Yoon Yoo-sun. Yoo-sun is like cotton candy. Your heart melts when you look into the eyes of Yoo-sun. You can feel everything from the life that Yoo-sun led to how she responds to the world when you look into her eyes. She is a person who has no limit in warmth.
