South Korean actor Lee Je-hoon shared how grateful he was for the experiences he had during the start of his career when he worked in the indie film industry. The experiences that the Taxi Driver lead star gained while making indie films was something he would cherish and use throughout his acting career.

Lee Je-hoon was in the country at the beginning of the month to meet his Filipino fans. Live Nation Philippines held a press conference prior to the fan meeting which was held at the New Frontier Theater in Quezon City. 

The South Korean actor began his acting career with a small role in the 2008 film, Chaser, wherein he played the role of a high school student. Je-hoon noted that this was the most memorable acting role for him as he learned how to adjust for acting as he was told to smoke even if he doesn’t do so in real life.  

“My most memorable character was the first ever one I played which was the independent film, Chaser. I was 28 years old [in Korean age] and I was wearing a high school uniform since I was a high school student in the film and I learned how to smoke even if I am not a smoker. That was the most memorable experience for me,” he shared.

Lee Je-hoon has since then starred in different notable Korean movies and dramas such as Architecture 101, Tomorrow With You, Signal, and Taxi Driver to name a few. The 38-year-old celebrity credited his past for the fame he has earned today. 

“I’m really thankful to have [acting] opportunities even if they were small roles. I’m really happy that I was offered some projects. I was able to overcome all the hardships and struggles [of being an actor] because of the accumulated experiences I had in those small films,” he said. 

He also revealed that he is open to doing more independent films in the future as it helps his passion for acting even more. 

“I was able to dream of making more people [entertained] through those small roles in independent films. I also want to work on more independent films since it doesn’t give me a lot of pressure as compared to big projects,” he added.

Lee Je-hoon currently stars in the second season of the hit South Korean drama Taxi Driver wherein he plays the role of Kim Do-gi, a former 707th Special Mission Group captain who works for Rainbow Taxi Company after his mother was killed. 

Taxi Driver 1 and 2 are both available for streaming via the Viu website and app.