“Season 2, I said I would definitely do it. In the case of crime investigation dramas like CSI or genre works, if they are repeated, you can feel déjà vu and fatigue, but I think ‘Model Taxi 2’ did a good job of avoiding that while focusing on exhilaration. Season 2 is as good as Season 1. “It wasn’t easy to do, so I hoped it would be as good as season 1, but fortunately, I surpassed season 1.”
Actress Bae Yoo-ram, whom we recently met at the Ten Asia headquarters in Jungnim-dong, Seoul, was delighted with the success of the SBS drama 'Model Taxi 2'. ‘Model Taxi 2’ is a private revenge drama in which a taxi company, Rainbow Transportation, completes revenge on behalf of wronged victims. Bae Yoo-ram plays the role of Chief Park Jin-eon, an engineer at Rainbow Transportation’s maintenance room.
Bae Yoo-ram captured the hearts of viewers with her licorice in 'Model Taxi 2', from her trademark bowl-shaped hair to her innocent face with round eyes and her uncontrollable playfulness. When asked if she was confident that Season 2 would be a success following Season 1, Bae Yoo-ram said, "Because Season 1 was just the beginning, each member had to tell their own story. Aren't we also a group of victims' families? If there were a lot of dark parts in Season 2, then Season 1 was the first season." “Because we finished that part, we were able to run further,” he said, reflecting on the charm of Season 2.
He said, "Since our drama consists of episodes, I thought there was a chance for the viewership ratings to rise again even if they dropped a little. Even if the response to one episode was lukewarm, I was confident that it could rise in another episode. Even if we lose a sports game this time, the next game will be good." “I think we can win,” he said.
In the original script, Park Joo-im's character was set to die in Season 1. However, it is said that Kim Eui-seong, who plays the role of CEO Jang of Rainbow Transportation, contacted the director after hearing this and persuaded him, “You can’t kill our side carelessly.”
“I think Senior Uiseong appealed to the director and writer saying, ‘Yoo-ram, you’re going to die.’ I received it and I said, ‘It’s okay.’
Actually, I was disappointed because the viewership ratings were good. haha. Fortunately, the script changed and I survived. That was early to mid 2021, and now it is early to mid 2023. “I heard senior Uiseong say, ‘I saved your life’ for two years.”
The charm of Park Joo-im's character is that he is sloppy, comical, and cute. Bae Yoo-ram gave credit to his colleagues, saying that it was thanks to the chemistry of the Rainbow Transportation team that the character's charm was brought to life.
"From the outside, the Rainbow Transportation team seems to work well together. There is a CEO, Do-gi (Lee Je-hoon) who is the designer, Go Eun (Pyo Ye-jin) who provides data support, and Choi Joo-im who creates something and moves it on site. (played by Jang Hyuk-jin) and I. I like entertainment, and if you watch 'Infinite Challenge' in the past, you can see that the members with different personalities work well together. I may seem clumsy and stupid, but I do everything I ask, and Choi Joo-im does my hair. “We use our skills to avoid situations well. I think we work well together as colleagues.”
In the episode where he educates the cult leader, Director Park disguised himself as a member of the cult and joined the cult. Director Park continued his 'salty performance' by being caught secretly spitting holy water at the cult's Pure White House and being locked in the room of faith. He also knelt in front of the cult's leader Ok Joo-man (played by Ahn Sang-woo) and got slapped. Bae Yoo-ram said, "It was the same in previous works, but I rarely played the role of hitting someone and I mainly got hit. This time, I didn't actually get hit, but my senior did a good job of acting, so I think it came out realistically."
"Recently, a documentary related to a cult has become a hot topic, so I think viewers paid more attention to it at the right time. The reason viewers say 'Oh, you're having a hard time' or 'I'll hit you with a dog' doesn't mean that they were immersed in my character and thought of me. Do you think it would be difficult for Park Joo-im, but I enjoyed playing Park Joo-im as an actor.”
In each episode, Park Joo-im also played a secondary role that was no less than that of the main character, Kim Do-gi (played by Lee Je-hoon). The ever-changing character of Park Joo-im, including a Vietnamese police officer, a rural youth, a cult member, and a security guard, brought joy to viewers. Bae Yoo-ram laughed, saying, "Je-hoon keeps smiling and joking around with people on set. Rather, 'main character' Kim Do-gi seems to be acting, and 'second character' Kim Do-gi seems to be his original self. He looks more excited when playing a secondary character."
"Dogi graduated from the Department of Theater and Film, so even when he plays a secondary character, he uses method acting, but the point is that I'm not completely immersed in the secondary character. 'Isn't this it?' Think about it. It's fun to mess around with secondary characters. Joo-im Park graduated from an engineering school, so he's weak at acting. Haha. He's a member of a cult, and to capture the drug dealing scene inside the club, he disguised himself as a foreigner and even wore a shaggy cut and pigtails. Sophisticated. "There are foreigners, and they do it in an unfashionable way. Don't I live hard? Oh, when I saw Je-hoon who transformed into a shaman, I thought, 'I live hard,' but compared to him, I think I'm still lacking. Haha."
The sight of the Five Rainbow Fortune members punishing heinous criminals with strong team play was a thrill for viewers. Another point to watch was the stronger and more pleasant relationship between the Rainbow Five, who reunited after a breakup.
Bae Yu-ram showed off her best chemistry with Jang Hyuk-jin, who plays Choi Joo-im. Bae Yoo-ram expressed her gratitude to Jang Hyuk-jin, saying, "He is like a big brother. We are very close, but he is not my older brother, but he feels like an older brother. He takes good care of me and has a gentle personality." Regarding the acting chemistry with Jang Hyuk-jin, he was satisfied and said, “I like it so much that there is nothing to say.”
“When I act too much, he puts pressure on me, and when I get greedy or get too absorbed, he looks at the situation as a whole and takes care of me. When we go to local filming, we have a drink afterward and talk about the work and concerns about what to film next.” Season 2 I think our chemistry was especially good during the filming of the first episode, Vietnam. We started filming Season 2 a year and a half after Season 1, and we worked together as if we had acted yesterday. My brother and I were curious about what we had prepared for each other. “I knew what I wanted without even having to say.”
Lee Je-hoon made a promise that if the viewership rating exceeded 19%, he would drive a taxi and call van with his Rainbow Transportation family to visit viewers. In response to this, Bae Yu-ram joked, “Aren’t you saying Je-hoon will do it alone?” At the same time, he said, "If my brother wants to go, I'll go. It's good," and showed a proactive attitude toward carrying out his pledge.
Bae Yoo-ram says it has been 10 years since she produced commercial work. "I think I've played a lot of fun or likable characters. Now I want to try a different character. Something with a twist, dark, or serious. Of course, I'll prepare a lot. But if Season 3 of 'Model Taxi' happens, I'll play Joo-im Park's character again. It will be a fun show. I will definitely do it again.”
Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr