Park Jin-hai primarily focuses on K-dramas, entertainment shows and actor interviews. Beyond that, she also pens articles covering the broader arts scene, with a particular emphasis on classical music, dance and various aspects of lifestyle. Since joining The Korea Times in 2013, she has made significant contributions in the realms of hallyu (Korean wave), industry news and international affairs.
INTERVIEW Jung Ji-hoon reinvents villain archetype in ‘Bloodhounds’ Season 2
Actor Jung Ji-hoon / Courtesy of Netflix
By Park Jin-hai
Singer-actor says series' tight, rhythmic action adds to raw intensity
Singer-actor Jung Ji-hoon, better known by his stage name Rain, takes on his first villain role as Baek-jeong, the operator of a global illegal boxing league, in Netflix series "Bloodhounds" Season 2.
The high-octane action crime thriller, directed by Jason Kim, centers on the two young boxers battling Iron Knuckle Fighting Championship, a dark web-based organization hosting brutal matches fueled by high-stakes gambling and coercion, pulling protagonists Gun-woo (Woo Do-hwan) and Woo-jin (Lee Sang-yi) into its violent underworld.
He said the project was “physically exhausting but also emotionally draining.”
“My character doesn’t have much of a backstory. The director didn’t want him to become a cliché villain. Usually, when you play a bad guy, you act nice and then suddenly turn evil — that roller‑coaster of intensity can make the performance stand out. But the director told me not to do that," he said in an interview with The Korea Times at a cafe in Seoul, Wednesday. "He wanted the character to start off already furious, with no change in tone, so that was challenging."
Jung Ji-hoon is seen in the Netflix action crime thriller "Bloodhounds" Season 2. Courtesy of Netflix
Describing the role as “a character with narcissistic and anger‑management issues,” he said the director told him to focus on whether his character could drag Gun‑woo and Woo‑jin into despair and ruin.
“He is like a rabid dog that’s been starved for 10 days, drooling in front of food. For this character, that food is money. The director said he wanted a character who made viewers think, whenever he appeared, ‘Is he going to kill someone again?’”
In a series packed with action scenes, he stood out by delivering choreography of a different caliber. Asked about it, he said, “What makes our action stand out from others is how tight it feels. There’s rhythm to it. If you watch closely, other shows just block and hit, but in ours, we’re blocking while hitting, getting hit while hitting — it’s all layered.”
He said the action director put a lot of effort into fine-tuning that rhythm. “We improvised many of the hits because you can’t lose the beat,” he said. “Do-hwan and I fought almost like it was a real match.”
The actors also pushed for realism. “Normally, even if you just graze someone, the sound effect makes it look like a hit, but we’d review footage slowly to see if we actually made contact. If not, we’d redo the scene until it looked real," he said.
To perform the action scenes without stunt doubles, he trained regularly at the action school, spending about six hours a day practicing weight training and boxing form. “It had to be overwhelming yet fast and strong — like a boxing prodigy who could play with both southpaw and orthodox styles flawlessly. That part was really tough to master.”
Reflecting on his dedication, he said, “It wasn’t just boxing — I also had to act. Honestly, I think I dedicated my whole last year to this character.” He added that he often rewatched the drama’s action scenes, saying, “After all the hard work, watching them now feels like watching a live show.”