Lee Je-hoon, star of K-drama Taxi Driver, reveals his biggest pet peeve on the road

The next time you feel a little road rage swelling up, let Lee Je-hoon be the angel — or perhaps oppa or hyung — on your shoulder.

In a recent interview for his new Viu K-drama Taxi Driver 2, Je-hoon shared with AsiaOne about what really grinds his gears while out on the road.

"I'm a pretty calm driver, but I think my biggest pet peeve is when drivers don't obey traffic laws," the 38-year-old South Korean actor said. 

"Everyone faces their own circumstances and it's inconsiderate to break the law and drive immorally simply because of what they are going through.

"I get a little annoyed when that happens."

Je-hoon plays taxi driver and vigilante Kim Do-gi, who utilises his special-forces training to, upon request, enact vengeance on those who have wronged the innocent — including the murderer behind his mother's death.

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It isn't just traffic infringements that earn his ire, however. Je-hoon also shared how a story in Taxi Driver 2 resonated with him in reality.

In one arc, villains in the show preyed on the elderly of a countryside region, leaving a strong impression on Je-hoon.

"I could relate to it because it also happens in real life and we often see such stories in the media about criminals running fraudulent schemes to sell goods to the elderly.

"I think crimes that take advantage of vulnerable people who require protection should be dealt with more severe punishments, so I did feel anger while filming that part of the drama."

He elaborated: "All crimes are bad, but particularly in our drama, we often fight for people who are marginalised in society. As such, I feel that viewers might be more sympathetic and supportive of our production."

'I was really lonely'

Filming on the set of Taxi Driver's second season was a much more enjoyable process for Je-hoon compared to the first.

He explained during a press conference today (March 24): "When I was filming season one, I was really lonely because a lot of the scenes were shot alone… but in season two, there were so many scenes where I would have meetings with my Rainbow Taxi team."

Do-gi's Rainbow Taxi team consists of fellow vigilantes Jang Sung-chul (Kim Eui-song), Ahn Go-eun (Pyo Ye-jin), Choi Kyung-goo (Jang Hyuk-jin), Park Jin-eon (Bae Yoo-ram) and On Ha-jun (Shin Jae-ha).

In particular, one scene where he was discussing with the team about their next mission had Je-hoon struggling to keep himself in character.

"It was really difficult to hold on to my character because I was having so much fun and I was like, 'Oh, I'm with these people! I'm not alone!'

"So I had to force myself to calm down and stay in character as Kim Do-gi. But deep inside, I was having so much fun."

Je-hoon will be holding a fan meet on Saturday (March 25) at the Stephen Riady Auditorium at two timings: 2pm and 6pm. Tickets are available online via Sistic.

Taxi Driver 2 is available for streaming on Viu.

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khooyihang@asiaone.com

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