'A great stress reliever': Lee Dong-wook admits to having 'great fun' handling real machine gun in new K-drama A Shop for Killers

You never know until you try.

South Korean actor Lee Dong-wook is back with the new K-drama A Shop for Killers, and he shared how an action sequence worried him at the get-go.

"There was one scene where my character Jin-man had to fire a machine gun…. While most men who have completed their mandatory military service in South Korea had basic gun training, rarely do we get to use a machine gun," he said in an interview shared with AsiaOne.

"I wasn't sure how to handle the weapon and was concerned about the noise as well. But when I actually tried using it, it turned out to be a great stress reliever."

He added that he had "great fun" filming the scene and ended up doing more than three takes, firing about 200 bullets.

In the series, Dong-wook, 42, takes on the role of Jeong Jin-man, a retired mercenary who secretly runs an unusual shop selling weapons.

When he dies unexpectedly, his niece Jeong Ji-an (played by Kim Hye-jun) becomes the target of assassination due to her uncle's dangerous legacy.

The story jumps between the past and present, and Dong-wook revealed that this was what attracted him to the script.

"While shifting timelines can often make a story feel too hectic or disorganised, this script was written in a way that made the transitions seamless. It was very impressive," he remarked, adding that Jin-man is also different from other characters he had played before.

He continued: "Most of the action sequences I've performed on previous projects involved a significant amount of wirework due to the fantasy elements. I've also had quite a lot of experience with swords."

In A Shop for Killers though, Dong-wook mostly handled guns.

"The stunts were much more realistic in the sense that the techniques are actually used by military professionals. It was a lot of fun trying these new types of stunts," he recalled.

Hye-jun, however, found it difficult getting used to the guns.

"Even when I was firing blanks, the sound was so loud that I ended up screaming whenever I fired them in the shooting range. The noise terrified me and it was hard to control my body posture," explained the 28-year-old in the interview shared with AsiaOne.

She brought up a scene where Ji-an handles a sniper rifle for the first time.

"I quickly realised how heavy it was and the massive recoil it produced. Because of the heavy recoil, I fell backwards, screaming. But this reaction was also in line with how Ji-an would have responded, so director Lee Kwon 'okayed' the take straight away," she added.

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When asked how it was like to work with Dong-wook, Hye-jun described him to be similar to Jin-man: "He may appear to be distant and a bit scary at first, but he's actually an incredibly sweet person. He took such good care of me that l often believed he thought I was his actual niece."

Dong-wook on the other hand mentioned how Hye-jun had a "glowing light" about her.

"Hye-jun has such a positive and uplifting energy. The show's story carries a serious and sombre tone, with numerous scenes that would make us feel down… Whenever Hye-jun was on set, everyone, from the actors to the crew, was so delighted to have her around. I loved having her around," said Dong-wook.

A Shop for Killers premieres Jan 17 on Disney+.

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syarifahsn@asiaone.com

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