Courtesy of Netflix
Actor Jung Ji-hoon candidly shared the difficulties he faced in his first villain role.
In Netflix’s ‘Bloodhounds 2’, released on the 3rd, Jung took on the role of the villain Baekjeong, who threatens the protagonists Geon-woo (Woo Do-hwan) and Woo-jin (Lee Sang-yi). Baekjeong is the operator of a global illegal boxing league, and when Geon-woo does not accept a proposed match, he applies pressure by harming his family and those around him.
In particular, he is a merciless, brutal character who shows no leniency even to his own aides or underlings, making it an especially difficult challenge for Jung in his first turn as a villain.
In a recent interview at a cafe in Jongno-gu, Seoul, he said, “Baekjeong is a character with no narrative at all. Because of that, there were many missions handed down on set by director Kim Joo-hwan, and it became a fight with myself.”
Courtesy of Netflix
He continued, “Baekjeong is neither a psychopath nor a sociopath; he is simply someone who gets angry when things do not please him,” adding, “The director said, ‘No persuasion is necessary.’ He told me not to ride emotional highs and lows and to remain angry at all times. Rather than a clichd villain who smiles and then suddenly flips, he wanted the mere appearance of Baekjeong to make viewers hold their breath with the sense of pressure, ‘Who will he kill next?’”
He went on, “Because of that, lines were sometimes deleted on set, and I was asked, ‘Do not say this line; if you were Baekjeong, try doing what you would do.’ Each time, I felt at a loss. I also became increasingly edgy and sensitive,” he confided, adding, “There is a scene where Baekjeong, unable to contain his anger, tears at his hair, and that was actually me ripping at it out of real frustration,” sharing the behind-the-scenes story with a laugh.
The breakthrough he found lay not in Baekjeong himself, but in Geon-woo and Woo-jin. Jung said, “I focused only on how to push Geon-woo and Woo-jin further into despair, into the abyss. Rather than thinking about how to make Baekjeong look more evil, I thought that approach would be more convincing to viewers.”
Courtesy of Netflix
As a series loved for its singular ‘boxing action,’ the action acting was anything but easy. It was daunting even for him, despite having taken on various kinds of action in films such as ‘Ninja Assassin’ and ‘R2B: Return to Base.’
Jung said, “While working on this project, I thought I should never, ever fight a boxer,” adding, “I have done a lot of action, from ninja to acrobatic styles, but boxing seems the hardest and the scariest. In typical boxing action, you take a hit and then throw one, but we throw while taking hits. So timing was extremely important, and Do-hwan and Sang-yi also worked incredibly hard, enduring pain that felt like shaving down the bone.”
On building his body, he revealed, “Until now, my physical training aimed for a lean, fat-free look, but this time the director asked for muscles that were big and fast. In truth, there is no one like that except Mike Tyson. (laughs) Still, I built it up by working out steadily for five to six hours a day,” which drew surprise.
Courtesy of Netflix
This immense effort was not in vain. ‘Bloodhounds 2’ ranked second in the global Top 10 series (per FlixPatrol) right after its release, and as of the 14th, it remains in third place. A devoted viewer of the previous season, he said his trust in director Kim paid off.
Jung said, “I enjoyed Season 1 so much that I watched it all in one sitting. Then I had a meeting with the director, and I became convinced we could create another kind of villain, not the kind everyone has seen.”
He continued, “First of all, I did exactly as the director instructed. Once you are on that ship (the project), I believe you must follow the director. Otherwise, the ship will head for the mountains. The directives were not easy, but I completely set myself aside,” adding, “When a project does not go well, the actor is usually blamed first, is that not so? Even if you work earnestly and hard, you have to be judged by the outcome each time, but now I feel I can catch my breath a little. I am grateful to the director, as it feels like he helped create a new career for me.”
