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, actos Park Sung-woong & Huh Joon-ho (박성웅 & 허준호) shared how they got into their roles Kim Myeong-gil and President Choi (김명길 & 최 사장) respectively, as well as what drew them to this project.
Q. Please tell us about your character in “Bloodhounds”.
Park Sung-woong: I am playing is a loan shark who is operating a company called Smile Capital. He is a person with a lifetime goal of owning his own casino and he blindly follows his goal at all cost.
Huh Joon-ho: I am playing the role of President Choi who once used to be a big shot in the loan sharking business but ends up opening a bookstore and helps those in the surroundings when he meets young Hyeon-ju and ends up becoming a hidden private money lender.
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?
Park Sung-woong: I was attracted to two things. I was attracted to the hard-boiled style in the dynamic action scenes that appear in almost all episodes as well as the contrastingly warm and humane side of the friendship between Gun-woo and Woo-jin. I think the true charm of the series lies in moving back and forth between the coldness and the warmth (the negative side and the positive side).
Huh Joon-ho: It was a script that made me feel tense just by reading the words and I got a full sense of the forthright feel of the bloodhounds. I thought, ‘Oh no, I hope he doesn’t get hurt. This is so exciting!’ I made my decision when I learned of the strong will of Director Kim at the time when I was a bit hesitant because this was a character who connects the story. I was also convinced by the strong recommendations from those around me.
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?
Park Sung-woong: I think both the webtoon and the drama series consist of tenseness and a feeling of suspense that result from confrontations and fierce conflicts surrounding money. However, there is a difference in that while the webtoon has the overall feel of being rough and tough, the story in the series has a more subtle feel as it clearly shows the narrative or the bright and dark sides of the characters.
Huh Joon-ho: I did not have a need to read it based on the recommendation of the director. My character was one that was reinvented as a completely different person from the original webtoon and I have not read the original webtoon at all. However, I hope the series will fully embody the charm of the two protagonists. I have high expectations as a person who witnessed how everyone completed the work by shaping their bodies, controlling their diets and limiting personal relationships in a short amount of time and also going all out and exerting themselves in difficult winter scenes. I think it will be splendid (Laughs).
Q. What was the most significant point in building your character and what was the appeal of your character?
Park Sung-woong: I focused on the consistent level-headedness of the character, ‘Myeong-gil’. I acted while always keeping a consistent pace to show the cold-heartedness of Myeong-gil who will stop at nothing to achieve his goal. I think ‘Myeong-gil’ is a character who feels more vibrant because he is a person who is cold-blooded on the inside with intelligence and abundant insight to always be one step ahead of others.
Huh Joon-ho: I hope that I will not be of harm to “Bloodhounds”. I did my utmost. I started as ‘the adult of the age’, but it was difficult for me to control the pace because it was hard for me to scrap the prejudices that came with the job of President Choi. I am curious about how the character will be portrayed.
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?
Park Sung-woong: Since the character in the series is one with wealth, I wore suits a lot to present a luxurious image. I mostly wore suits to show off the social stature and wealth of ‘Myeongg-gil’, and I tried on several outfits with the stylist in advance.
Huh Joon-ho: I believe the character that I am portraying is older than myself. I tried to absorb the visual expressions that were provided as is. I started with confidence about the analysis of those expressed in the script directions of “Bloodhounds”.
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.
Huh Joon-ho: Since my character mostly stayed indoors, rather than wearing a mask myself, I worked while watching the staff members who wore masks. It was saddening that everyone had to wear masks. It was as if the circumstance were an implicit representation of Bloodhounds in itself. I did not wear masks because my scenes were mostly indoor scenes.
Q. How was it like to work with Director Jason Kim – in terms of his directorial skills and on-set leadership?
Huh Joon-ho: I think Director Jason Kim is another remarkable emerging director filled with passion and vigor. I really liked his spirit of not giving up. Although we had to work hard because of that… haha ^^ (Laughs)
Q. Who would you like to recommend “Bloodhounds” to? Would you be able to leave a message to the prospective viewers?
Park Sung-woong: I would like to recommend the series to viewers who are expecting a drama series with dynamic and thrilling actions. I believe this is a piece that has versatile charm because bromance and friendship are also intertwined with the action scenes.
Huh Joon-ho: Woo Do-hwan, Lee Sang-yi and Director Jason Kim. You will have no regrets after watching them.
Q. Could you share with us any memorable episodes on the set or behind-the-scenes moments?
Huh Joon-ho: There were many people with vibrant energies on the set. It was a set in which I learned a lot from the harmony that everyone showed together even through difficult times. I would like to express my gratitude to the entire crew once again for working so hard.
Q. What kind of villain do you think Myeong-gil is? Could you share with us about your efforts to portray a character that has a different side from those you played before?
Park Sung-woong: I think Myeong-gil is a person with a different appeal than the villains I played before. I think Myeong-gil is a ruthless and goal-oriented character with no human charm or scars from the past. I tried hard to control my mind to portray such a character, and I strived to show a consistent line of emotions.
Q. What do you think triggered President Choi to take revenge against Myeong-gil? What do you think was the most valuable to Myeong-gil?
Huh Joon-ho: President Choi is a person who was asking for forgiveness from the world, rather than focusing on Myeong-gil. For President Choi, Myeong-gil was not the subject of revenge but a piece of garbage that had to be cleaned up while asking the world for forgiveness.
Q. The narrative of the 1st generation characters and magnificent acting also stand out. Could you share any episodes that remain in your memory from acting with Lee Hae-yeong and Ryu Soo-young?
Park Sung-woong: Lee Hae-yeong is a lot younger than me, and I was deeply moved by how diligent he was at all times. There was a feeling of tenseness in all scenes, especially action scenes, because Hae-yeong was always so diligent, even more so than myself.
Huh Joon-ho: All three of us need to look intimidating enough to be seen as threatening to our opponents, and since only Soo-young can speak through his costume, I was worried about whether Hae-yeong and I had done a good job of controlling the tone. I cannot say for sure because I have not seen the final deliverable yet (Laughs).
Q. How was the chemistry with all the actors (Woo Do-hwan, Lee Sang-yi, Park Sung-woong and Huh Joon-ho)?
Park Sung-woong: There weren’t many scenes where I came into contact with those three actors. Woo Do-hwan is a young man who is living a disciplined life as portrayed. I did not have a chance to meet Lee Sang-yi. I was already close to Huh Joon-ho, so we had good chemistry throughout the entire shooting period. I think we met around two times, once for a past flashback scene and once for the final scene, and he is an actor who is always so full of energy and gives out a cheerful aura.
Huh Joon-ho: I often saw mature Do-hwan and Sang-yi respecting one another while working. I once again would like to advertise that we have such excellent actors in Korea. If there were stocks moving along with the footprints of these two actors I would be investing in those stocks.^^ I would like to provide my support to these outstanding young men and I would like to also cheer on the entire crew of Bloodhounds ^^
