Actor Lee Je Hoon Talks About His Stunt Double Controversy From "Model Taxi"

Actor Lee Je Hoon recently sat down with Star News to commemorate the end of his drama, Model Taxi and during his time with Star News, the actor discussed the stunt double controversy that made headlines just a month ago.

Lee Je Hoon previously found himself in the middle of a controversy when viewers of the SBS K-Drama noticed the obvious stunt double that was used in one of the episodes. It was during an action-filled scene when Lee Je Hoon’s character, Kim Do Ki was fighting off gang members.

Model Taxi viewers complained that the use of a stunt double was obvious because the stunt double actor looked nothing like Lee Je Hoon. While Lee Je Hoon sported a very short haircut for his role in the K-Drama, the stunt double’s hairstyle was much longer, making the switch easy to identify. The difference was noted by the series’ viewers, which resulted in the surprising controversy.

Close-up of Lee Je Hoon’s stunt double | *theqoo*

While Lee Je Hoon didn’t address the situation when it happened back in April, the Model Taxi actor decided to address the controversy once and for all with Star News. Lee Je Hoon first shared that he trained and prepared himself as much as he could for the vigorous action scenes.

There were many difficult scenes. There were many things that I could not accomplish on my own, such as the car action scenes, which I didn’t have too many of. I practiced diligently and worked together with the martial arts team.

— Lee Je Hoon

Regardless of his preparation, however, the director and the production team’s concerns continued, which ultimately led to the decision to use a stunt double.

If there is one disappointment that I have, it is the fact that the director and the production team were too worried for me. They were concerned that the lead actor would get injured while doing the action scenes. While I knew that I was more than capable of filming the scenes myself, they shared their wishes stating, ‘we hope that you don’t do it yourself.’

I wanted to respect their perspectives and not cause further concerns. That’s when the martial arts teacher told me, ‘let’s just stop here’ or ‘let’s not worry them,’ to conclude the scenes.

— Lee Je Hoon

Model Taxi follows the story of revenge by using a “revenge-call” service through a taxi company. Lee Je Hoon’s character, Kim Do Ki exacts revenge at his clients’ requests. Due to the nature of this story, the K-Drama is filled to the brim with action packed scenes that made an appearance in almost every episode.