[Exclusive]Erasing his real name, 'Cha Ji-hyuk' proves his worth with sincerity in 'Bloodhounds 2' [★FULL Interview]

*This content was translated by AI.

With a move to a new agency and a new name, he has opened a second chapter of his life. In this work, he displayed perfect chemistry with senior actors Woo Do-hwan and Lee Si-eon, further elevating the drama's immersion. Cha Ji-hyuk, who pursues acting that is so comfortable one could even fart on set, much like his role model Ha Jung-woo, is promising an unlimited spectrum from romance to genre films based on his fierce competitive spirit. This is why his future is eagerly anticipated as he rises to global stardom with relentless passion.

Recently, Cha Ji-hyuk conducted an interview with StarNews at its Seoul Jongno-gu Seorin-dong headquarters following the conclusion of the Netflix original series 'Bloodhounds 2'. 'Bloodhounds 2' is a sequel to 'Bloodhounds' Season 1, released in June 2023. It follows Geon-woo (played by Woo Do-hwan) and Woo-jin (played by Lee Si-eon), who took down a gang of ruthless illegal loan sharks, as they deliver another satisfying straight hook against a global illegal boxing league dominated by money and violence.

In the drama, Cha Ji-hyuk portrayed Police Officer Woo Jeong, a junior and ally of Police Officer Kang Yong (played by Choi Young-joon). Woo Jeong is a character with a delicate and passionate personality who not only supports Geon-woo and Woo-jin's group but also contributes to uncovering crucial information about the case, injecting vitality into the work. Notably, 'Bloodhounds 2' reached second place on Netflix's Global Top 10 Non-English TV Shows just three days after its release, once again driving global popularity following Season 1.

"I'm still a bit stunned. It's amazing to see my SNS followers keep increasing. I'm grateful for all the attention and want to work even harder in the future. Before 'Bloodhounds 2' came out, I had 10,000 followers, but now I have 80,000. I'm especially thankful to the many overseas fans from Latin America and Southeast Asia."

Currently, fans worldwide are creating short-form content featuring Cha Ji-hyuk's scenes from 'Bloodhounds 2' across various SNS platforms, making his heightened global popularity even more evident. Cha Ji-hyuk said, "They send me DMs and posts with hashtags. I can't reply to each one individually, but I always feel grateful for their support."

Cha Ji-hyuk joined 'Bloodhounds 2' after auditioning. However, the role initially offered to him was not Woo Jeong but another character. He explained, "Originally, I was auditioning for the role of the main team leader at a hotel Gyeong Ho (Team Lead), and the process was underway. Somehow, the role of Woo Jeong became vacant. The director then saw my energy of pursuing integrity and uprightness and decided to re-run the audition. He asked me to record a video remotely and send it to him. I quickly memorized the lines in the practice room, filmed it, and sent it off. It was quite surreal. It was my first time changing roles in a project I had already committed to, so it was a strange experience. I told the director, 'I'm grateful just for being given the opportunity.' I didn't want to let the production down, so I practiced and prepared with great effort."

"The director said, 'I'd like to see some external changes,' so I also lost some weight to express a gradually sharper image. However, since there were no scenes requiring extreme weight loss, I was careful not to look too bloated. Still, I lost about 2 to 3 kilograms. At the beginning, I had an image like an honor student, but later, when I wore a leather jacket, pushed my hair back, and aimed a pistol, I wanted to show a clear transformation. I thought a lot and prepared to show Woo Jeong's growth and awakening."

Additionally, Cha Ji-hyuk sought advice from a police acquaintance. He said, "I asked many questions about how to handle suspects, how to hold a pistol, the exact way to read Miranda rights, details that come up in daily life, and other specifics. I wanted to know all the details." He boasted of his unique passion.

The filming set was filled with warm bromances with senior actors Woo Do-hwan, Lee Si-eon, and Jung Ji-hoon (Rain). Cha Ji-hyuk said, "Among the seniors I've met, he was the most laid-back. There were many action scenes, and many scenes where we took off our shirts. So, after seeing each other shirtless and joking around a lot, it felt awkward when we met fully clothed. They are like good neighborhood older brothers."

Cha Ji-hyuk expressed special gratitude toward Park Hoon. Having received much advice from Park, Cha Ji-hyuk said, "He gave me not only acting advice but also warm words for young people in their twenties who are wandering and struggling, reminding me of how to live as an actor. Whenever I felt the urge to do better on set, he made me feel more at ease." He smiled.

The 'Bloodhounds' series has received praise for realistically capturing intense, breathless action and powerful boxing movements. While viewers feel a sense of satisfaction upon seeing the finished product, the actual filming set was so harsh that even a broken bone might go unnoticed. In fact, Cha Ji-hyuk even ended up in an emergency room.

"The editing is done, but there was a scene where I was running in an abandoned building in Gimcheon. I got bitten by a wasp and fell, injuring myself. It wasn't just me; quite a few people were bitten by wasps at the time. Still, I finished filming and went to a nearby emergency room to get an allergy shot and take medicine. It was even over 40 degrees Celsius. It was so humid it felt like being in a swimming pool. I didn't know it could be so humid despite the scorching heat. Everyone on set was struggling. Of course, due to the genre's nature, the schedule was tough with long hours between morning and evening, but there was no set as difficult as Gimcheon."

In Cha Ji-hyuk's own view, the reason he passed the 'Bloodhounds 2' audition was his "diligence." He had been sending practice videos to Director Kim Joo-hwan even before joining the project. He even said, "I visited the set every day, even when I didn't have a shooting schedule. I tried to communicate with the seniors and maintain the atmosphere. I've always tried to live uprightly, and I think the director must have thought, 'This guy can portray Woo Jeong,' by associating that energy with the character."

He also recalled moments of inspiration while filming with senior actors. Cha Ji-hyuk said, "Do-hwan and Ji-hoon seniors had action scenes. After matching our cuts, the combined shot looked so cool that not only the director but all the staff on set applauded. I thought, 'That was pretty cool.'"

He continued, "I had many overlapping shooting days with Do-hwan senior, so we often ate together. He would say, 'Order a pork cutlet and eat more,' treating me very familiarly. Ji-hoon senior, seeing me come to the set often, said, 'One day, your diligence will shine,' and looked favorably on me. Actually, our scenes didn't overlap much, but I'm grateful for all the support they gave me." He expressed gratitude toward Woo Do-hwan and Jung Ji-hoon.

"The senior with a twist was Ta Won-seok. I was grateful to all of them, but Won-seok senior had a strong image. He told many jokes and showed many cute sides, so he was full of twist charm. (Laughs)"

Cha Ji-hyuk's role models are Ju Ji-hoon and Ha Jung-woo. "They are people I deeply respect and aspire to be as actors," said Cha Ji-hyuk. "What impressed me most was Ha Jung-woo senior saying, 'You need to be so comfortable on set that you could fart.' That is exactly what I strive for. I've always enjoyed their works, and especially Ha Jung-woo senior's 'Beautiful Day' is still one of my favorites. I'm a huge fan personally, but we haven't worked together on 'Navy Headquarters' yet." He expressed his affection.

During his school days full of dreams, Cha Ji-hyuk once dreamed of becoming a pilot, but while participating in the drama club in high school, he first thought, "I want to try acting." He later enrolled in the Drama Department at Suwon University and joined the Marine Corps as No. 1223 at age 23, beginning his military service. During his service, his 185cm tall frame led to his selection for the Marine Corps honor guard. Due to a long leave of absence, he was expelled from university. Cha Ji-hyuk said, "I didn't graduate, and I have no plans to return to my studies."

"When I said I wanted to act, I don't think many parents would have welcomed it 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.' They didn't actively help with this or that, but just silently supporting me from behind is enough for me, and I'm grateful for that."

Cha Ji-hyuk officially entered the media acting market after his discharge. At that time, his hair hadn't even grown fully. Immediately after discharge, 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 drama at university and also created plays with friends outside. Theater was very fun and rewarding for me, but personally, I wanted to do media acting. Since the works I had enjoyed were movies and dramas, I thought I wanted to appear in them and become part of that world."

Three years later, Cha 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 moving to a new agency, he announced a fresh start under the stage name Cha Ji-hyuk. Cha Ji-hyuk said, "Actually, I didn't say I wanted to change my name. The company proposed it first, and I accepted it as a good opportunity with the mindset of 'with a new heart and new intention, let's show better and more developed versions of myself in the future.' The stage name Cha Ji-hyuk was born through a company-wide meeting. I did suggest a stage name, but it wasn't adopted."

The genres he wants to challenge are romance and crime dramas. Cha Ji-hyuk said, "I really want to do romance, and I'm also interested in crime genres that men like. I want to do a genre that gives a sense of catharsis and satisfaction. I love 'Tazza' too. While it's not romance, I want to show the comfortable charm of communicating easily with co-stars, like in 'Beautiful Day'."

"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 myself become like that. I want to be someone who can be described intuitively as 'That person was nice,' 'That was fun,' 'That was cool'—someone easy to understand and not complicated."

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*This content was translated by AI.