The actor reveals how he achieved his stunning physique and what he thinks of his co-star’s body and work ethic. He also opens up about the production’s challenges after Kim Sae Ron’s exit.
“I originally weighed about 77 to 78 kilograms, but I lost 71 to 72 kilograms for part 1. For part 7, I bulked up to my original weight again. I didn’t do any body CG, but I lost weight while eating the least amount of food, and I ate four or five meals a day to gain weight.”
Actor Lee Sang Yi said he alternated between losing weight and bulking up for his boxer character in Netflix’s Bloodhounds. The Bloodhounds tells the story of two young men caught up in the world of loan sharking, where money is prioritized over human life, and they fight for their lives against a massive evil force. In the drama, Lee plays the role of Woo-jin, a young, fearless boxer.
Lee built his body to “7% body fat” through grueling workouts and diets. He explains that bulking up was the easier of the two, saying, “We filmed mostly at night, so I would wake up at 10 or 11 a.m., have a light breakfast, and go to the gym. I’d come home and supplement with food and then go to the set. On set, I would eat protein bars, protein drinks, and chicken breasts in between takes. After the shoot, I’d go home, eat again, and sleep. Muscles grow when you sleep. When I was bulking up, I was eating four or five meals a day,” he explains.
When asked if he was satisfied with the results, Lee Sang Yi said, “The shading of my muscles came out well,” adding, “The shadows came out better than in real life.”
Lee was full of praise of his co-star Woo Do Hwan and his body.
Lee Sang Yi said, “I’ve been a fan for a long time. I used his slim, muscular body as a reference when I was building my body.” “I didn’t intentionally do it, but I saw it because I had to take off my clothes to box. I was very surprised to see Do-hwan’s body. It’s a body that can never come out in a short period of time. There’s definitely a difference between a body made from fitness and a body made from exercise. Even my fitness trainer brother recognizes the muscles in Do-hwan’s shoulders. “This guy is real. It’s the result of many years of hard work.”
“The Bloodhounds” was highly anticipated before its release as it was directed by Kim Joo-hwan, who directed “Midnight Runners,” and featured a bromance between Woo Do-hwan and Lee Sang Yi. However, the production had a twist when the lead actor,
Kim Sae Ron, was arrested for drunk driving in May of last year. Kim’s sudden departure halted filming for a month, and the director changed the script and minimized Kim’s scenes.
“There were many twists and turns,” says Lee, “but I had a vague hope that it would come out one day. I thought it would come out because I filmed well and tried hard,” he revealed.
“We were almost done with part six when we stopped filming. I didn’t have a script for a month while the director rewrote the script, but I kept working out. I wanted to show my muscles that have grown, so I think a month was a good time to prepare.”
Lee Sang Yi recalled when he heard the news of Kim Sae-ron’s drunk driving, “I was surprised when I heard the news in the morning, but I wasn’t too emotional. There was nothing I could choose or move. I waited for a few days calmly because the actors will only move if the direction is given by the people leading the production rather than the actors’ opinions. I thought, “Let’s move as it comes down from above and wait.
When asked if Kim Sae Ron has since contacted him, Lee Sang Yi replied, “I haven’t heard from her.”
Within three days of its release on Sept. 9, “Bloodhounds” became the No. 2 drama on Netflix’s global rankings. Lee said, “It’s amazing. I want to be a little more greedy and get to number one. It seems to be in the process. I still want to see more,” he said, adding, “I didn’t expect it to be this good. When we were filming, we joked about showing the end of the action and doing a K-action, and I thought it worked well. People around me are already saying that we should do a second season, but whenever I hear that, I imagine how much stronger I would be if we did a second season. If I do a second season, I’ll have to fight someone much stronger,” he said.
“I don’t think it’s an easy genre,” said Lee Sang Yi, who tried his hand at action acting for the first time with ‘Bloodhounds. I don’t get to hit people much in my life, and when I do, I hit them hard, and right before I hit them, my subconscious kicks in, like, ‘What if it hurts? We shot the first few days of the boxing scene, and I was scared and intimidated the first day. I relied on Do Hwan a lot, and once I got used to it, I was fine. Toward the end, I had fun and beat him up a lot,” he laughs.
“After experiencing it properly, I felt more relaxed and confident than before. I think I can easily approach action movies in the future.”
Lee Sang Yi, who performed bare-knuckle action, said, “It was definitely different. Guns can be shot from a distance, so you just have to act right, but in hand to hand combat there are a lot of action promises and sums to memorize because you have to act right without getting punched. Even the martial arts directors said that the most challenging action was the boxing action, so it wasn’t easy,” he says.
“I think actors always have the desire to do something different from their previous work, and I think that’s the heart of an actor. I think ‘Bloodhounds’ was a good project for me to talk to the strong side of me, the action blood in me. I hope to continue to challenge myself as an actor who thinks of action.”
