For Lee Dong-wook, action is more than a genre — it's a new acting tool

Actor Lee Dong-wook may have won audiences over with his deadpan personality on talk shows, but the attitude he takes toward his work is anything but nonchalant.

Talking about his latest project — the second season of Disney+ series "A Shop for Killers" (2024–), which is packed with action-heavy sequences —  Lee said he is willing to keep at it until he's at least 60 years old.

"There was a two-year gap between the first and second season of the drama, and I honestly did not feel that much of a difference in terms of my physical capacity and thought I was up for more action scenes," the 41-year-old actor said in a recent roundtable interview in southern Seoul. 

"If I just cut down on drinking, I think I can continue to participate in the project if there are more [seasons] in the future. Maybe until I turn 60?"

Although taking on heavy action scenes can be physically burdening sometimes — Lee suffered a shoulder tear injury while filming the first season — he cannot complain because that's the process of expanding his spectrum as an actor. Especially when his defining works have largely leaned toward romance roles such as in "My Girl" (2005) and "Guardian: The Lonely and Great God" (2016-17). 

"I think handling challenging action sequences has expanded what I'm capable of as an actor and has given me another tool to work with," he said. "Whether I'm actually good at it or not is for others to judge, but at the very least, I think people can now see me as an actor who knows how to use his body in a way that fits the character."

In order to look convincing in his role, Lee said he put on about 8 kilograms (18 pounds). 

"A Shop for Killers" is an action-packed drama following Jin-man, played by Lee, and his niece Ji-an, portrayed by Kim Hye-jun, as they take on the powerful mercenary organization Babylon. In the first season, the story centers on Ji-an, then an unassuming university student, as she finds herself battling professional killers after discovering that her uncle was, in fact, a high-profile arms dealer.

The first season unfolds under the assumption that Jin-man died by suicide, only for him to be revealed as alive in the final episode.

The second season shifts its focus to Jin-man, at least in its early episodes, uncovering what he had been doing behind the scenes while faking his death. 

Driven by intense action sequences and a fresh premise, the first season of the Disney+ series became the streamer's most viewed Korean original globally. It was also named one of the best TV shows of 2024 by The New York Times.

Although a second season is usually good news, it comes with a persistent challenge of matching — or even topping — a successful first season, which is oftentimes unmet. 

Lee, however, is convinced the new season will rise to that challenge.

"First of all, the action has evolved," he said. 

If the first season hinged on a barrage of gunfights and brutal hand-to-hand combat sequences, the second season will include new weapons, new skilled characters and more. 

To start, in the first two episodes unveiled on Wednesday, a humanoid robot resembling the Terminator put up a fierce fight with Jin-man. 

"We couldn't just imitate what had been done in the first seasons. As technology evolves, the weapons evolve with it. I think the series reflects that progression as well," the actor said, adding that "stylish action" is one of the series' biggest strengths.

Aside from the action sequences, the emotional arc of the characters is more vividly portrayed this season as well, he said. 

"In the first season, Jin-man appears as a cold, emotionless character who maintains his stoic face throughout the episodes, which is reasonable considering his role to protect Ji-an and other circumstances," actor Lee said.

"But in the second season, there will be more emotions expressed from him that go beyond frustration. "

When asked whether he struggled with any discrepancy between his deadpan yet humorous personality shown on reality shows — which he says is the real Lee — and the solemn, retired soldier he plays in "A Shop for Killers," the actor said it's less a struggle than an envy.

"The ability to stay calm in any situation and hide his emotions to solve the problems ahead of him — I think there's a lot to learn from Jin-man, and I wish my personality were a bit like that too," he said. "Jin-man is such a cool character."

The second season of Disney+ "A Shop for Killers" is an eight-episode drama that will release two episodes every Wednesday. 

BY JIN EUN-SOO [[email protected]]