Actor Sul Kyung-gu opened up about the intense action scenes and his extraordinary self-management routine for "Mousetrap".

During a press interview held at a cafe in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 2nd, Sul Kyung-gu shared behind-the-scenes stories of pulling off rugged action sequences in "Mousetrap" (written by Lee Jae-gon, directed by Kim Hong-sun).

Based on the webtoon of the same name, "Mousetrap" is a chase thriller that follows novelist "Moon-jae" (played by Ryu Jun Yeol), whose name, face, and life are entirely stolen by a mysterious entity known as "Mousetrap," alongside loan shark "No-ja" (played by Sul Kyung-gu), who tries to recover lost money, and detective "Soon-yong" (played by Lee Kyoo-hyung), as they track down the true identity of Mousetrap. In the series, Sul Kyung-gu plays No-ja, a loan shark who stops at nothing to achieve his goals, charmingly portraying a multi-dimensional character that is both rugged and subtly human.

On this day, Sul Kyung-gu playfully complained about how the high-difficulty action scenes were concentrated on him. He laughed as he said, "Moon-jae gets choked and passes out early on, just falling asleep. I always had to clean up and resolve everything. I even complained, saying, 'Why aren't the young friends doing this instead of me?'"

He continued, "However, cleaning up the mess was also fun. The martial arts director was someone I worked with on "Kill Boksoon," so he knew my limitations and was considerate. Rather than intricate techniques, I completed the action by playing to my strengths of pushing through with raw power."

In particular, regarding the fighting scene where No-ja is ambushed in a cramped car and takes down thugs, he expressed his apologies, saying, "That action scene was really difficult. Because the space was so tight, the actors matching movements with me actually hit me sometimes. I want to apologize and say I'm truly sorry."

Born in 1967 and turning 60 this year, Sul Kyung-gu also honestly confessed about the reasons and pressures behind still taking on high-intensity action at a mature age.

He revealed his true feelings, saying, "I actually worry about it. Especially since there were many running scenes at night, I worried about getting hurt even with all the safety gear in place. Stepping wrongly on something like bamboo could twist an ankle, so I had to be careful." He then stated his firm belief, "Once given a role, you have to pull it off. The story is interesting, and action enriches the drama, which is why I do it. I think age and action don't have much to do with each other."

Behind these action performances was his thorough self-management. Regarding jump-roping, known as his signature routine, Sul Kyung-gu said, "I do it without fail every single day, missing only about a dozen times a year. It has become a habit and routine to the point where I would feel crazy if I didn't do it."

He proved his dedication to physical conditioning by sharing, "Before heading out to the filming set, I somehow manage to jump rope and then leave. Even if I go out of town for filming for just a single day, my luggage remains the same: a sauna suit, tights, sneakers, and a jump rope. The accommodation must definitely have a washing machine."

Meanwhile, all 10 episodes of "Mousetrap" were released worldwide through Netflix on the 28th of last month. According to FlixPatrol on the 2nd, "Mousetrap" continues its unstoppable global box office run, ranking 6th globally among TV shows just four days after its release, and placing 5th in the non-English TV show category on Netflix globally.

[Photo=Netflix]

(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)