RAIN Keeps It Real: "I Want to Stop Working Out―Cast Me with a Belly"

RAIN―credited as Jung Ji-hoon in Netflix’s "Bloodhounds 2"―opened up about the grind of “perfect” self-discipline and said he wants to try a character who’s gained weight.

In a press interview held April 8 at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Seoul, RAIN said prepping to play Baek-jeong, a villain and former boxer, was brutally tough. “Baek-jeong is a boxing prodigy―dominant and fast. To build that, I did six hours of weights a day and drilled my boxing stance. Boxing uses your core and hips, so I trained that hard too,” he shared. “If your stance is off, anyone who knows boxing will spot it and go, ‘What is that?’ I had to box and act, so I basically dedicated my entire last year to 'Bloodhounds 2'.”

Back three years after Season 1, "Bloodhounds 2" follows Geon-woo (Woo Do-hwan) and Woo-jin (Lee Sang-yi) as they take another swing―this time at a global illegal boxing league ruled by money and violence. RAIN joins the new season as Baek-jeong, the top villain who runs the league.

He fully delivered Baek-jeong’s overwhelming physical presence and fight skills honed through boxing. It’s the kind of performance fans expect from RAIN, who’s long been known for ironclad self-management.

But RAIN admitted he’s tired of living in the gym. “Who really wants to work out all the time? I want to stop too,” he said, carefully expressing a desire to step back from constant body maintenance. “Starting this year, maybe it’s time to take that off―stop doing things that are all about the body. I’ve hit my limit.”

He joked, “My body hurts,” but clarified he isn’t ruling out action entirely. “If there’s a great project, I’ll do it,” he said, keeping the door open to the genre.

What he really wants is a fresh image. “If there’s a role for a killer around 100 kilograms with a big belly, I want to try it. In American movies, you see those characters―wearing sleeveless shirts, gut out, committing murders,” he said. “It doesn’t have to be a killer. A terminally ill character with a belly works too. I want to gain weight, but I need a reason. If someone gives me that role, I truly want to do it.”

Ultimately, he’s chasing a side of himself fans haven’t seen. “I’ve played a lot of fit characters. I want something new that goes against my image. That’s my ambition as an actor.”

"Bloodhounds 2", released April 3, hit No. 1 on Netflix Korea right after launch and reached No. 2 on the Global Top 10 (Non-English) TV chart, drawing strong buzz at home and abroad. The seven-episode season is now streaming on Netflix.

[Photo: Netflix]

(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)