"Thanks to Woo Do-hwan and Left Sang-i" Director Kim Joo-hwan, how he overcame the aftermath of Kim Sae-ron of 'Drunk Driving'

Director Kim Joo-hwan took on the challenge through his first OTT drama, 'Hounds'. However, his challenge went through storms as soon as it started. It is because actress Kim Sae-ron caused controversy for drunk driving.

Director Kim Joo-hwan, who was entrusted with the heavy duty of directing the whole, had to take responsibility no matter what. What was left of him was the wounds of body and mind. It was director Kim Joo-hwan who suffered from hair loss, early symptoms of panic, and irritable bowel syndrome. It was thanks to the efforts of the staff and the management of Woo Do-hwan and Lee Sang-i that “Hounds” could be completed.

'Hounds' is a story about two young men caught up in the world of loan sharks, where money comes before people's lives, risking their lives against a huge evil force. It is based on the Naver webtoon of the same name. Director Kim Joo-hwan, who directed the films 'Youth Police', 'Lion', and 'Puppy', took the megaphone.

Director Kim Joo-hwan took on the role of directing the first series with the story of two young men who jumped into the world of illegal loans with one bare fist. I encountered bad news while filming. Kim Sae-ron caused controversy for drunk driving. In May of last year, while filming 'Hounds', Kim Sae-ron was driving drunk at Hak-dong Intersection in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, and crashed several times into roadside trees and transformers. The court sentenced Kim Sae-ron to a fine of 20 million won. Kim Sae-ron's length was not edited.

Director Kim Joo-hwan said, "If I had to say it was painful, I had hair loss while writing 8 dramas. Irritable bowel syndrome came and I couldn't eat coffee or meat. I was worried about where the bathroom was on set. My tailbone also started to hurt." I was organizing the next episode, but I got a call saying, 'Look at the article.' I froze when I saw the article, and I thought a lot. When there were things I couldn't choose, a lot of thoughts about how to take responsibility for the work flew like bullets, It wasn't even organized," he said.

Previously, director Kim Joo-hwan said, "I poured out thousands and tens of thousands of hours to complete the work." I couldn't see the precious work being ruined. Director Kim Joo-hwan, who felt tremendous pressure, said, "To minimize inconvenience, I stopped production for a month and rewrote it from start to finish. I worked hard on my body." He continued, "It was a difficult situation, but I took it off like this and took it off like that. The editor was also a filmmaker, so shouldn't we overcome it together and take responsibility until the end? The post-production team and Netflix put in a lot of effort to alleviate the inconvenience somehow." .

After 'Hounds' was released, Kim Sae-ron clicked 'Like' on SNS and expressed her affection for the work, drawing attention. Regarding this, director Kim Joo-hwan said, "I'm not in touch. This is not something I can choose. It's individual freedom. I don't know how it affects me. It seems difficult to even think about it. , There will be unfathomable feelings," he said, showing a cautious reaction.

In front of 'Hounds', Kim Sae-ron's drunk driving follows inevitably. Director Kim Joo-hwan also said that he had a lot of thoughts. It was none other than Woo Do-hwan and Lee Sang-sang who played the lead role that caught director Kim Joo-hwan, who was shaken in danger. Director Kim Joo-hwan expressed his affection for Woo Do-hwan and Lee Sang-i by saying 'Woo Do-hwan, Jwa Sang-i'.

Director Kim Joo-hwan said, "(After Kim Sae-ron's drunk driving controversy), the atmosphere was formed to finish well, but it was a bit difficult. I have already been shaken a lot. I am a style that I cannot even hide. So there were many times when I was crying. The main characters went through difficult things in the work, and the energy that we are going through hard times and overcoming them came up."

Director Kim Joo-hwan met Woo Do-hwan for the second time after the movie 'Lion' released in 2019. It was more than enough to showcase the bromance chemistry with Woo Do-hwan. He praised Woo Do-hwan and Lee Sang-i's chemistry. Director Kim Joo-hwan said, “I don’t think chemistry comes out on set. It must have already been created. The two had passion and love (for the work). I worked with a grateful heart."

Reporter Kang Min-kyung, Ten Asia kkk39@tenasia.co.kr