[Exclusive]'Bloodhounds 2' Jang Ji-hyuk: "Role Models? Ju Ji-hoon and Ha Jung-woo... My Goal as an Actor" [Interview ③]

*This content was translated by AI.

\-Continuing from Interview ②. \

\Jang Ji-hyuk's role models are Ju Ji-hoon and Ha Jung-woo. "I deeply admire them and they are the people I aim to be as an actor," said Jang Ji-hyuk. "What I always strive for is the comfort they consistently pursue on set. Among them, what left the deepest impression on me was Senior Actor Ha Jung-woo's remark that 'on set, you must be so comfortable that you could even fart.' That is my ideal. I have always enjoyed watching the works of both, and especially Ha Jung-woo's 'Perfect Game,' which I still love to this day. I am personally a huge fan, but we have never worked together on a project like Navy Headquarters," he expressed his affection.

\During his school years filled with dreams, Jang Ji-hyuk once dreamed of becoming a pilot, but it was during his high school days when he joined the drama club that he first thought, "I want to try acting." He later enrolled in the Department of Theater and Film at Suwon University. At age 23, he enlisted as Marine Corps No. 1223, beginning his military service. During his service, his 185cm tall stature led to his selection for the Marine Corps honor guard. Due to a long period of leave from university, he was expelled. Jang Ji-hyuk stated, "I did not graduate, and I have no plans to return to my studies."

\"Actually, when I said I wanted to act, there weren't many parents who would welcome the idea with open arms. My parents changed their minds after seeing me participate in the Youth Drama Festival. They encouraged me, saying, 'If you want to do it, go ahead.' My parents did not actively step in to help with various things, but I feel grateful and satisfied just knowing they silently support me from behind."

\Jang Ji-hyuk officially entered the media acting market after his discharge. At that time, his hair had not yet grown out. Immediately after leaving the military, he applied for a famous actor's audition and made it to the final round, but he was noticed by Yang Geun-hwan (CEO) and spent three years at the agency Awesome Entertainment.

\"I majored in theater at university and also created plays with friends outside of school. Theater was very fun and a rewarding experience for me, but personally, I wanted to do media acting. Since the works I had always enjoyed were movies and dramas, I thought I wanted to appear in them and become part of that world."

\Three years later, Jang Ji-hyuk left Awesome Entertainment and signed an exclusive contract with Ghost Studio. He also adopted a stage name. He had been active under his real name, Jo Seong-won, but upon changing agencies, he announced a fresh start under the stage name Jang Ji-hyuk. Jang Ji-hyuk explained, "Actually, I did not tell them I wanted to change my name. The company made the proposal first, and I accepted it as a good opportunity with the mindset of 'with a new heart and new intention, let's show a more developed and better side moving forward.' The stage name Jang Ji-hyuk was born through a joint meeting at the company. In fact, I did suggest a stage name, but it was not adopted."

\The genres he would like to challenge are romance and crime dramas. Jang Ji-hyuk said, "I really want to do romance, and I also covet the crime genre that men love. I want to do a genre that offers a sense of catharsis and pleasure. I love 'Tazza' very much, and while it's not romance, I want to show the comfortable charm of communicating easily with co-actors, like in 'Perfect Game'."

\"I want to be an intuitive actor. Whether it's food or music, I always pursue things that are truly cool and good when you eat or listen to them, rather than obscure ones. I hope my acting and I as a person become like that. I want to be someone who can be described intuitively as 'That person was good,' 'That was fun,' 'That was cool'—someone easy to understand, not difficult."

\-End. \

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*This content was translated by AI.