‘Model Taxi 2’ Shin Jae-ha “I want to participate in Season 3”

"During filming, I gritted my teeth and endured it. I couldn't even find time to maintain my physical strength. Filming for 'One Shot Scandal' and 'Model Taxi 2' wrapped in the first week of February, and I was in bed for the entire month of February. I got shingles and the flu. “I think I was able to get through it with my mental strength. At first, I didn’t even know it was shingles, but when I was washing it, I found blisters. Still, I think I’m fortunate that I was able to get through it without causing any damage for personal reasons until the end of the work.”

Shin Jae-ha, whose dramas 'One Shot Scandal' and 'Model Taxi 2', which he chose after being discharged from the military, were box office successes, revealed that he contracted shingles as a result of filming both works at the same time. The main causes of shingles are fatigue and stress.

'Model Taxi 2' is a story about members of the mysterious taxi company Rainbow Transportation taking revenge on behalf of wronged victims. In the play, Shin Jae-ha plays the role of On Ha-jun, a villain who pretends to be an innocent new Rainbow Transportation engineer and intentionally approaches Rainbow Transportation and commits numerous evil deeds without hesitation.

'Model Taxi' is SBS's most successful series, recording a peak viewership rating of 16% in Season 1 and 21% in Season 2. Shin Jae-ha, who joined the cast in Season 2, confessed that he felt pressured about taking on the role of a villain. "From the beginning, I knew that the character Ha-jun was employed at Rainbow Transportation with a different purpose. He added, "The character Ha-jun On himself quickly rose to the second-in-command position in a large criminal organization and is a character who has never failed. . Infiltrating Rainbow Transportation also made me wonder, ‘Why are these people harassing my affiliates?’ It was a curiosity. The line he said to Kim Do-gi (Lee Je-hoon) about wanting to be his friend was also sincere. ‘Are you a very interesting person? “I thought it was like, ‘Let’s be friends,’” he explained.

Shin Jae-ha said he gritted his teeth and worked out to build his body for the upper body exposure scene. He said, "I'm not in good shape. I'm not the type to grow a lot. So, while I was in the military, I tried to build up my body, and actually gained quite a lot of weight. I gritted my teeth and did it, but I was so disappointed. I thought my body was really miserable. My upper body. "I had to manage my diet for two months for the exposure scene, and even though I was busy, I exercised early in the morning and worked hard, but I wasn't satisfied. And Jehoon was so embarrassed because he was in such good shape," he said.

He expressed difficulties with action acting. Shin Jae-ha said, "So far, in action scenes, I have usually been the one on the right side. Giving and receiving cooperation with someone is a completely different matter. I continued to receive training while filming 'Model Taxi 2' and also practiced a lot."

He continued, "In the last episode, I did a long one-on-one action match with Kim Do-gi. Even without resting, it lasted about three minutes. Je-hoon is really good at action. He catches things quickly and expresses himself well. I'm the type of person who inputs slowly, so it lasted for hours. "I had to practice first before I could film, so I put a lot of effort into it. Even when I saw it, I couldn't do it. I thought I was in big trouble. It was hard to just do it, but Ha-jun said he wanted the action to be neat and sexy, so I practiced more," he added.

In the last episode, On Ha-jun learned that he was an orphan and was kidnapped, and that the man he murdered under the orders of the parish president (Park Ho-san) was his father. He is both a perpetrator and a victim at the same time. Afterwards, On Ha-jun, who was engaged in a final battle with Kim Do-gi on the rooftop, committed suicide by jumping with the parish president who was watching. It's unfortunate, but it was the end that On Ha-jun's character faced, which he couldn't forgive.

Regarding this ending, Shin Jae-ha said, "I like it," and "It is natural that he should be punished. He did something wrong. I don't know how the viewers will view On Ha-jun, but I think he left without regret in the end. He realized his mistake and “As I was doing the final processing, I think the destination was the same as the character in ‘One Hit Scandal,’ but the method was different,” he said.

Regarding the possibility of appearing in Season 3, he said, "I don't think he will appear. Personally, I want to participate in Season 3. When you see the ending scene, I think opinions will be divided on whether he is dead or not. I think he is dead, but I hope he is not dead." I hoped.

Shin Jae-ha filmed ‘Ilta Scandal’ at the same time as ‘Model Taxi 2’. Shin Jae-ha played the role of Ji Dong-hee, the main director of the institute of Ilta instructor Choi Chi-yeol (played by Jeong Kyung-ho) in 'One-hit Scandal', and gave a passionate performance that went back and forth between the dandy and soft charm of Chief Ji and the real culprit of the iron ball serial murder case.

He said, "The start and end dates of filming for both works were almost the same. We filmed for 7 months at the same time and finished just two days apart. I started the film expecting that it would be physically difficult, but my stamina was very strained in the latter half of the film."

Coincidentally, Shin Jae-ha, who played a villain character with a twist in both works, said, "The schedule parts were coordinated in advance, so there was no need to go back and forth between the two works in one day. However, playing two villains made it physically difficult in the latter half of the work." "I couldn't help it. I filmed without a day off for the last two months, so I was mentally tired, so I lost a lot of weight. Even though I tried to maintain it by eating well, I lost it because I kept using my emotions," he said regretfully.

Is there a reason why similar characters were chosen one after another? Shin Jae-ha said, "I received an offer from the military before I was discharged from the military for 'A Scandal,' and I received an offer for 'Model Taxi 2' when I was on my last vacation. It's not that I didn't worry about it. I thought about it enough, but I worked with good people for both works." “It was an opportunity to work, and I felt like I could do everything. Above all, my greatest desire was to do good acting in a good location with good people,” he said.

“Before enlisting, I played many bright and positive characters. I think that may have been a positive reason (for being offered the role of a villain). I think it may have acted as a point where Shin Jae-ha would have a new side if he played this type of character. (Laughs)”

The difference between Ji Dong-hee and On Ha-jun was also explained. Shin Jae-ha said, "Rather than being a bad guy from the beginning, Dong-hee was seen as a villain when he expressed his wrong love. He is different from On Ha-jun. On Ha-jun was a bad guy from the beginning, but he came to Rainbow Transportation in disguise. It's a different character." “I thought so, but viewers responded that since he was a villain around the same time, Chief Ji retired and became the head of the greenhouse,” he said with a laugh.

Shin Jae-ha, who worked with Jung Kyung-ho in 'One Scandal' and Lee Je-hoon in 'Model Taxi 2'. He said, "Kyungho is exactly 10 years older than me, and I had a lot to learn from him both as a person and as a senior, to the point where I thought it would be great to become someone like Kyungho in 10 years. I thought I was very envious of him." How do you act with that kind of chemistry? Even when you're tired, you take care of all the staff?' “There was a point where I did it,” he said.

He continued, "Jehoon's hyung has great power in leading the work. I didn't film much with Jehoon. We were together a lot in episodes 15 and 16, but it was only for a short time. While watching it then, I wondered how he could show off that charisma, what should I do? “I think I learned a lot by thinking about whether I would have that kind of leeway,” he added.

As he received a lot of love as a villain character with a twist, the reaction from those around him was also enthusiastic. Shin Jae-ha said, "When Ji Dong-hee's identity was revealed in 'One Scandal,' I received more calls than on my birthday. What made me feel good was that I received a lot of calls from friends, but also from people in the industry, such as directors, writers, and seniors who worked with me. “I received a lot of calls. Even though I was criticized, I felt really good,” he said, expressing his gratitude.

Shin Jae-ha, who said he does not want to play a villain character for the time being, chose romance and historical dramas as genres he would like to play. He explained, "I've been saying I wanted to do a historical drama for 10 years, but nothing has come in yet. There's only melodrama and bromance."

Cho Seung-woo was chosen as a role model. Shin Jae-ha said, "My favorite movie is 'Classic'. Recently, I watched 'Classic' again while I was home alone, and (Cho Seung-woo's acting) made so much sense. It wasn't about how I could act like that person, it was about ' 'What kind of world does he live in?' "I was curious about what kind of world that person's world was like. I want to be like that," he said, expressing his desire to work together in acting.

What meaning will ‘Ilta Scandal’ and ‘Model Taxi 2’ have for Shin Jae-ha? He defined it as "a work that I am so grateful for that, later on, when a long time has passed, if I were to divide the works by age group, I would think there would be two works in my 30s."

He continued, "When I was in my 20s, I think I was obsessed with military issues. I had a lot of fear about whether I would be able to work after serving in the military. So, I worked non-stop during my 20s." He added, "I had a good time, and starting my 30s, I started working on projects." “I liked it so much that now I want to focus purely on the work and feel the fun of creating it,” he said.

“I am so grateful to have received a lot of love for my two works. All I can say is that I am grateful to the point where I wonder how much luck I have achieved. There is no guarantee that all the works I participate in in the future will be huge hits, but it is a new fun experience. “I will try my best to give it to you, so I hope you will keep an eye on me.”

Taeyuna, Ten Asia Reporter youyou@tenasia.co.kr