'7% body fat' or more "Eat 5 meals a day and bulk up 7kg, there was no 'body CG' at all"

“I originally weighed 77-78kg, but I lost 71-72kg when filming the first part. I bulked up again to my original weight for the 7th part. I didn’t do any body CG. I ate four or five meals a day and steamed it.”

Actor Lee Sang-i said that he alternated between losing weight and bulking up for the boxer character in Netflix's 'Hounds'. 'Hounds' tells the story of two young men caught up in the world of loan sharks, where money takes precedence over people's lives. Lee Sang-i played the role of Woo-jin, a friendly and fearless young boxer.

Lee Sang-i made a body with '7% body fat' through rigorous exercise and diet. He said that bulking up was the easier part of dieting and bulking up. "Because I usually filmed at night, I woke up at 10-11 am, had a light breakfast, and went to exercise. I replenished it and went to the filming set. Even on the set, I ate protein bars, protein drinks, and chicken breasts in between. After filming, I went home and ate one more time and slept. They say that muscles grow when they sleep. When I was bulking up, I ate four or five meals a day. "he explained.

When asked if he was satisfied with the result, Lee Sang-i was satisfied, saying, "The shadows of the muscles came out well" and "the shadows came out better than in reality."

Woo Do-hwan was the role model for Kim Jong-guk and Lee Sang-eun and Rain. Lee Sang-i said, "I'm a long-time fan. I used Brother Rain's slim, muscular body as a reference when building my body." He said that he and Woo Do-hwan also checked each other's body, "I didn't intend to see it on purpose, but I saw it because I had to take it off 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. Certainly, a body made of gym and a body made of exercise are different. Dohwan's shoulder muscles are also acknowledged by my trainer hyung. "This person is real. It's the result of years of work," he admired.

'Hounds' attracted attention even before its release in that director Kim Joo-hwan, who directed 'Youth Police', grabbed a megaphone and was a bromance between Woo Do-hwan and Lee Sang-i. However, at the time of filming, in May of last year, Kim Sae-ron, an actress with a lead role, was caught driving under the influence, and had to go through twists and turns. Filming was suspended for a month due to Kim Sae-ron's sudden departure, and the director changed the script for the second half and minimized the amount of Kim Sae-ron.

Lee Sang-i said, "There were many twists and turns, but I had a vague hope that I would come out well someday. I filmed well and worked hard, so I wanted to come out."

"The filming stopped when the sixth episode was almost finished. During the month when the director rewrote the script, the script didn't come out, but I continued to exercise. I wanted to show my muscles that I had grown, so I think a month was the time to prepare. "he added.

Lee Sang-i recalled hearing the news of Kim Sae-ron's drunk driving and said, "I was surprised to hear the news this morning, but my emotions were not greatly shaken. The actors have to come down to move, so I calmly waited for a few days. I thought I would wait for it to move as it came down from above."

Afterwards, when asked if Sae-ron Kim had been contacted, Lee Sang-i replied, "I have never been contacted separately."

After its release on the 9th, 'Hounds' took second place in Netflix's global rankings in three days. Lee Sang-i expressed his anticipation, saying, "It's amazing. I have the idea that it would be nice to be a little more greedy and win first place. I think I'm in the process. I still want to watch more." He said, "I didn't expect this much. During the filming, I joked about showing the end of the action and doing a K-action, but I thought it fit well. I see. If we do Season 2, how much stronger will we have to fight?”

Lee Sang, who challenged his first action acting through 'Hounds'. He said, "I don't think it's an easy genre. I don't have many occasions to hit people in my life. I hit him because he hit me hard, but right before he hit me, my subconscious mind was triggered, thinking, 'What if it hurts?' I was afraid. I relied on Dohwan a lot, and after I got used to it, it got better. In the end, I had fun too, and I beat him a lot," he laughed.

He added, "After experiencing it properly, I feel more relaxed and more confident than before. I think I will be able to approach action films easily in the future."

Lee Sang-i, who showed bare-body action, said, "It was definitely different. You can shoot a gun from a distance, and a club has a hit, so you just have to act right, but you have to act right without hitting your fist, so there are so many promises and sums of action to memorize. Martial arts directors "I heard that boxing action is the most difficult action. It wasn't easy while filming it," he confessed.

“I think actors always have a desire to show a different side of themselves from their previous works. That seems to be the heart of an actor. I think ‘Hounds’ is a good work that communicates the strong side of me and the blood of action in me. I want to continue to challenge myself as an actor who comes to mind when thinking of action."

Reporter Tae Yuna, Ten Asia youyou@tenasia.co.kr