On the morning of the 10th, a production presentation for Netflix’s The Moonlighter was held at Lotte Cinema Konkuk University in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. Director Kim Joo-hwan and the two lead actors, Kim Woo-bin and Kim Sung-kyun, attended the event and shared various stories.
The Moonlighter is an action film that follows Lee Jeong-do (Kim Woo-bin), a martial arts expert holding a 9th-dan in Taekwondo, Kendo, and Judo. He teams up with probation officer Kim Seon-min (Kim Sung-kyun) to monitor criminals under electronic surveillance 24/7 in order to prevent crimes.
During the event, Kim Woo-bin introduced his character, saying, “He’s someone who enjoys games and exercise with his friends, and he holds a 9th-dan in Taekwondo, Kendo, and Judo. He accidentally helps a martial artist who is attacked by a criminal, which leads probation officer Kim Seon-min to suggest he try filling in as a moonlighter.”
He further explained, “I thought the emotional and mental changes of the character were the most important. It’s fascinating to see how a character who chased after fun changes after encountering real work, and I carefully dissected that process. I think I created the character step by step while discussing it with the director.”
Kim Woo-bin also emphasized, “Since the character needed to excel in martial arts, I learned Kendo, Judo, and Taekwondo from a martial arts director and trained for three to four hours a day.”
Kim Woo-bin surprised everyone by revealing that he intentionally gained weight to prepare for the role, stating, “I thought it would be better if I appeared strong and able to overpower others, so I gained 8 kilograms.”
He added, “Since the character loves exercise and lives a happy life, I wanted him to look solid and a bit swollen, not like someone with a chiseled physique, but someone with some bulk. I wanted to show a new side of myself.”
Meanwhile, The Moonlighter will be released exclusively on Netflix on the 13th.
Source: wikitree