Lee Je-hoon “I hope it continues like the Model Taxi 007 series”

"I was happy to finish season 2 well. I was deeply moved by the fact that I was able to create this story with the people at Rainbow Transportation. I was worried whether season 2 would be loved as much as season 1 and whether it would provide the same amount of fun, but season 2 was even better. "I'm still in a daze because I received so much love. The broadcast ended the day before yesterday, but I received a lot of congratulatory calls, and I shed a lot of tears when the broadcast ended. I had a hard time, but I'm glad it ended well."

Lee Je-hoon, who plays the main character Kim Do-gi, who finished the SBS Friday-Saturday drama 'Model Taxi 2', expressed his emotions. 'Model Taxi 2' is a revenge drama in which taxi company Rainbow Transportation and taxi driver Kim Do-gi take revenge on behalf of wronged victims. 'Model Taxi 2' recorded 21.0% in the last 16 episodes, surpassing the highest viewer rating of 16.0% in season 1.

"In Season 1, we built up the meaning and fun of 'Model Taxi', and in Season 2, we wanted to create a story that viewers could enjoy a little more with this storyline. At the same time, while deepening the story about the incident and the victims, I didn't want the process of solving it to be long. Since it's a Friday-Saturday drama, the goal was to finish one case in two episodes, Friday and Saturday. The goal I set with the production team was that it would be nice to have multiple episodes listed, while also having a central story that runs through the whole thing. . I said that I hoped that as the stories were concluded one by one, a larger framework would be created in which there were people who were keeping the 'Model Taxi' family in check and targeting them. Fortunately, I think it turned out just as I had planned and thought. It may have been difficult for the writer, but I was able to focus more on my acting thanks to the well-structured and finished story. “I was able to film while doing it.”

Lee Je-hoon disguised himself as various people to solve the case. Lee Je-hoon's secondary character parade, including overseas employment youth pottery, patient pottery, doctor pottery, farmer pottery, lover pottery, and shaman pottery, attracted attention. Regarding memorable episodes, Lee Je-hoon expressed his affection for the work, saying, "Every episode is special to me." Lee Je-hoon said, "I was reminded of the real estate fraud episode in episodes 5 and 6. I couldn't believe the incident of trampling and exploiting children. Personally, I was very angry because I have a nephew. I was angry that they were trying to pursue personal gain by using children who knew nothing. He explained, “I took the incident and story deeply into my heart and tried to punish it.”

Lee Je-hoon chose episodes 3 and 4, in which he transformed into ‘Farmer’s Pottery,’ as an episode in which he had fun acting. In episodes 3 and 4, members of the Rainbow Transportation team were shown punishing a group of people who defrauded rural elderly people by disguising themselves as a filial piety performance troupe. Kim Do-gi disguised himself as a dull young farmer. Lee Je-hoon said, "I had never tried the Chungcheong dialect before, so I was worried that viewers would be uncomfortable. I received guidance from someone who was good at the Chungcheong dialect and acted hard. I was excited while acting, but I was doubtful whether I was doing a good job. Fortunately, I think people thought it was cute,” he said with a smile.

In episodes 7 and 8, where he punishes the cult leader, he transforms into 'shaman pottery'. Lee Je-hoon said, "It was physically difficult. The scene where I perform a ritual at the end was more difficult than any action scene I've ever done. I thought it required a lot of physical strength."

In episodes 5 and 6, in the episode where illegal real estate brokers are punished, Lee Je-hoon disguised himself as a newlywed couple with Pyo Ye-jin, who plays Ango-eun. Lee Je-hoon said, "The script only had lines, but there were no specific actions or gestures. I thought about how I could show the sweet newlyweds. I gave ideas to Pyo Ye-jin, tried many things, and tried to create chemistry." said. He then laughed, saying, “I have rarely shown cute or lovely couple acting in my works, but through this, I was able to quench my thirst for acting in romantic comedies.” Pyo Ye-jin, who appeared on the SBS entertainment show 'My Little Old Boy' that aired the day before, chose Lee Je-hoon as her ideal type. Regarding this, Lee Je-hoon joked, "Thank you. You think of me like this. I wonder if you said that with Season 3 in mind. Thank you. I don't know what to do."

Lee Je-hoon had made a promise before the airing that if the viewership rating exceeded 19%, he would visit viewers in a call van and model taxi with members of the Rainbow Transportation team. Lee Je-hoon raised expectations by saying, “We are talking about when to do that.”

“If Season 3 is produced, I would like to meet the viewers in a call van and a model taxi before Season 3. If it is really legal and okay, I would like to take the viewers to their destination. I am still with the team members. "It wasn't agreed upon. It's my personal wish. Haha. I made an unexpected remark at the site (where I made my pledge), so I would like to apologize to the Rainbow Transportation family. Haha."

‘Agent revenge’ is difficult in reality, but possible in dramas. Why are viewers so enthusiastic about this private revenge agency?

"If you think about whether things that happen in reality are properly judged by the law, it seems that there are many cases where they are not. That's why I think people are enthusiastic about stories that may be fantasy or fiction. I hope these cases are resolved legally and the people “I hope there is a way to get a legal judgment that everyone can agree on. I think the public responded so well because that hope was incorporated into ‘Model Taxi.’”

Lee Je-hoon pointed out that 'Model Taxi 2' was an opportunity for him to broaden his acting spectrum as an actor and an opportunity for him to look back on various social issues. This is why ‘Model Taxi 2’ had great meaning to him.

“Rather than simply playing one character, I was able to vary the character depending on the episode. I think the main character and the secondary character are polarized, but I was grateful that the viewers were excited to watch it without feeling awkward or uncomfortable, and I feel like the spectrum of my acting has broadened. I'm glad. Although we are cautious in that we created an episode based on an actual incident, it is meaningful that by covering this episode, we have created a venue where we can talk about social events again with interest. In that respect, 'Model Taxi' I hope it continues to be used. Even if I end up in a situation where I don't have the power or can't do action, I hope this story with Kim Do-gi continues like James Bond in the '007' series. 'Model Taxi' received a lot of love in my filmography and has a lot of meaning. “I hope it will be remembered as my representative work.”

The production team of ‘Model Taxi’ announced that they have decided to produce Season 3. Lee Je-hoon said, "I have a strong desire to do Season 3, but I haven't received an official offer yet. Of course, I want to do it, but there are some parts that are difficult for me to say because there are other actors. But of course I want to do it." expressed positive intentions.

Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr