Lee Je Hoon Talks About His Decision To Star In "Taxi Driver," Great Chemistry With Cast, And More

SBS’s upcoming Friday-Saturday drama “Taxi Driver” raised anticipation for its premiere through an interview with Lee Je Hoon!

Based on a webtoon of the same name, “Taxi Driver” is about a mysterious taxi service called Rainbow Taxi, where the employees take revenge on behalf of clients who cannot get help from the law. It is being directed by Park Joon Woo and written by Oh Sang Ho, and it stars Lee Je Hoon, Esom, Kim Eui Sung, and more.

Lee Je Hoon plays Kim Do Gi, a former special forces officer who works as a driver for the mysterious taxi service named Rainbow Taxi. This is Lee Je Hoon’s first time starring in  drama in three years since “Where Stars Land.” Lee Je Hoon shared, “‘Taxi Driver’ is an intense story that people of all ages can relate to. I feel as if the viewers will feel refreshed through ‘Taxi Driver’ and agree together that it would be great if people like the ones at Rainbow Taxi really existed. Above all, it touched my heart to see everyone’s attitude and manner as they tried to communicate in unison to make a good drama. I think that was the greatest factor in choosing the drama this time.”

Regarding his first experience with an action drama, Lee Je Hoon commented, “I haven’t tried a project in which action is the main focus, so there were many things I had to prepare beforehand.” He shared that he went to action school, practiced his teamwork with the martial arts team, and took care of his stamina. He elaborated, “Since we have to showcase realistic action, I didn’t hold back. There were a lot of action scenes using my bare hands, so there were many cases in which I got hurt without knowing. There were times I felt pressure because of that, but I felt pleased and thought that it was worthwhile when the results came out. Since action is a large element in ‘Taxi Driver,’ I’ll do my best to film fierce action scenes for the remaining scenes.”

Lee Je Hoon revealed that Kim Do Gi is also charismatic while chasing down villains with his car. Explaining that the car chase scenes are points to watch out for in the drama, Lee Je Hoon shared that he filmed most of the scenes himself without a stunt double, allowing him to personally experience drifting, overtaking lanes, and speeding. He shared, “I think I’ll be able to showcase an extravagant car chase to my heart’s content. Of course, this was possible because of guidance from the martial arts team. It was fun to some extent, but I felt once again that I should never do this in real life.”

The actor also shared that his character Kim Do Gi is a silent and unwavering figure that transforms his image and actions depending on the scenario. He shared, “Since I can show a constantly changing side with just the character, I think it’ll be fun watching him.” Lee Je Hoon continued, “As Kim Do Gi protects the victims and drives away the villains, he could tell a story of promoting good deeds and punishing evil, but the story makes viewers brood on if that’s right if it happens in reality and what reason could make it wrong. I think the fact that Kim Do Gi worries about this and becomes conflicted about these points makes him different from pre-existing heroes.”

Lee Je Hoon also touched upon his chemistry with the cast including the Rainbow Taxi team members Kim Ui Sung, Pyo Ye Jin, Jang Hyuk Jin, and Bae Yoo Ram. He shared, “Perhaps because they’re all good people, we couldn’t stop smiling while acting, and we were filled with joy. There’s a lot of scenes in which we work hard to solve heavy and serious cases, but it was nice seeing everyone trying to remain refreshed amidst such an atmosphere. I met all the actors for the first time through this project, but our chemistry is so great that everyone felt familiar as if we’ve already known each other, so I’m very satisfied while filming.”

On his chemistry with Esom, Lee Je Hoon explained that although they bicker like enemies in the story, they can’t stop laughing on set once they finish filming. He shared, “When we act, we exchange serious and intense gazes, but it’s difficult having to act while holding back our smiles. The process of us exchanging lines and reacting to each other goes very smoothly. It was interesting and fun to meet actress Esom with an opposing character. Paying attention to the two people’s fierce chemistry will be one of the focus points of ‘Taxi Driver.'”

Finally, Lee Je Hoon picked the first episode, which stops those who benefit by exploiting laborers, as the most memorable episode. The actor explained that it is a painful story because the situation is something that could just as easily happen in real life. Lee Je Hoon shared that “Taxi Driver” is different from hero dramas that have been released recently, especially since the director will make viewers think deeply about the various scenarios. He commented, “After seeing those aspects, I thought that I did well by participating in ‘Taxi Driver.’ It would be great if viewers anticipate and love ‘Taxi Driver,’ which put in a lot of effort in all aspects.”

“Taxi Driver” will premiere on April 9, following the end of “The Penthouse 2.” Watch a teaser for the drama here!

In the meantime, watch Lee Je Hoon in “Where Stars Land” below:

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