'Crime City 3' Lee Jun-hyeok "If I had more time, I would have gained 120kg"

Actor Lee Joon-hyeok gained 20 kg for the movie 'Sin City 3'. His passion for the character stood out when he honestly said that it was harder than dieting. Also, he joked that his character had more money than the previous villains Yoon Kye-sang and Son Seok-gu.

Following Yoon Kye-sang and Son Seok-gu, Lee Jun-hyeok transformed into a third-generation villain in 'Crime City 3' (director Lee Sang-yong). 'Criminal City 3' is an exhilarating story of Ma Seok-do (Ma Dong-seok), who moved to Gwangsu University in Seoul, to catch Joo Seong-cheol (Lee Jun-hyeok), who is behind a new drug crime case, and another villain, Ricky (Aoki Munetaka), who is involved in a drug case. Draw a crime-fighting operation.

Lee Joon-hyeok said, "I talked about 'Crime City 3' a lot before it was released, compared to other works. After the work (work) is over, everyone seems to be like 'Is it okay like this?' or 'Is it okay or am I doing well?' This is. Calling Ma Dong-seok during a difficult time felt like destiny.”

He said, "I always feel like I'm breaking up with a close friend after a project is over. Isn't it like starting a new job after that? I remember thinking, 'Someday, I wonder if a Hollywood actor will contact me'."

Lee Jun-hyeok received a call from Ma Dong-seok, who plays the role of Gilgamesh in the Marvel movie 'The Eternals'. Lee Jun-hyeok and Ma Dong-seok appeared together in the 'Along with the Gods' series. Of course, there was no scene where the two appeared together. Is that why? To Lee Joon-hyeok, Ma Dong-seok's phone call was very loud.

Lee Jun-hyeok said, "We had conversations in private, but we didn't keep in touch. It came to me in a big way. He is the best senior I've ever met. The most important thing to learn is the love of movies. As a senior, I become an example on set. When there is a space, there are actors who fill it. Sometimes I fill it up, but Ma Dong-seok is not huge. He filled it well. I feel comfortable. It feels like a hard cushion."

After being announced as Lee Joon-hyeok as the new villain of 'Crime City 3', he became a hot topic. When the news that Lee Jun-hyeok appeared as a new villain was announced, the public expected a 'pretty boy villain'. Lee Joon-hyeok said, "I never thought of myself as a pretty boy. That's ridiculous. Director Lee Sang-yong wanted me to be realistic and have a realistic feeling with Maseokdo. I've never played a pretty boy role. It was. Other than that, there was nothing special.”

In the play, Lee Joon-hyeok plays Joo Seong-cheol, a third-generation Korean villain wrapped in a veil. There is no known information about Joo Seong-cheol except that he is behind the new drug case. He is a person who moves one step ahead of the Seoul Metropolitan Investigation Unit and causes confusion in the investigation. Lee Jun-hyeok showed passion by increasing his flesh and muscle by 20kg and tanning several times to express Joo Seong-cheol.

Lee Jun-hyeok said, "In terms of muscle mass, bulking up is correct. (Body mass index) has risen by more than 6-7 kg. My goal was to have flesh rather than pretty muscles. Senior Ma Dong-seok told me to eat more. He kept saying 'you can eat well'. He did it. I also did a lot of heavy weights. Lifting heavy weights like a wrestler was fun. There was a sense of pleasure, 'I can hear heavy weights'. In fact, the period of building my body was short because it took 3 months. I had more time, so I went up to 120kg. It would have been nice if I had gone, but that's a pity. I wanted to do it with the feeling of a weightlifting mountain before. However, he said, "Unlike the previous villains (Yoon Kye-sang, Son Seok-gu), he has a lot more money. He commits bigger crimes than them, drives a nice car, and wears a suit again."

Ma Dong-seok told Lee Jun-hyeok to keep eating more. Lee Jun-hyeok honestly confessed, "It was difficult because I had to increase my muscles as well. It was more difficult than dieting because I had to eat a lot of tasteless things." Also, Lee Jun-hyeok said that he tanned several times because of his fair skin. He said, "I thought that would be more natural. I tried to be black because I was white. In fact, after watching the movie 'Destination', I was afraid of tanning. I have burns on my body, so I don't like hot things. When I was three years old, I got burned. I was sick for 7 years wearing it. The burns are on my arms and chest. You can see my burns through the drama '60 Days, Designated Survivor'. It wasn't makeup."

Lee Jun-hyeok has a special love for movies. He joked, "I spent more money than I earned from movies. I also buy Blu-rays and DVDs. I still have pride that I did better for movies. Now I want movies to give me (grades)." During the corona pandemic last year, 'Criminal City 2' was the first Korean film to attract 10 million viewers, and recorded a cumulative audience of 12.69 million. Lee Joon-hyeok said about the prediction of the box office success of 'Crime City 3' following his previous work, "(If it's a box office hit), I usually can't use the word 'happiness', but if it goes well, I think I'll say 'Wow, it's okay today'."

Reporter Kang Min-kyung, Ten Asia kkk39@tenasia.co.kr