Why Lee Dong-wook got picked for 'A Shop for Killers' role
by Jaehwa Bernardo, ABS-CBN News · ABS-CBN NewsLee Dong-wook is a "perfect fit" for his role in the South Korean series "A Shop for Killers," though adjustments were made in his character for the live-action adaptation, the show's director said.
Based on a novel of the same title, the Disney+ series follows college student Jeong Ji-an (played by Kim Hye-jun), who becomes the target of highly skilled killers following the apparent death of her uncle Jeong Jin-man.
At an online press conference held ahead of the show's January 17 premiere, director Lee Kwon said the show's depiction of Jin-man, which Dong-wook portrays, is different from the one in the source material.
"[Jin-man is] actually a very heavy built, bald man in the original novel so there wasn't actually an actor who could portray that in terms of the looks," he said.
"I wanted a good-looking guy, someone who is fierce, good-looking and had that combative spirit. For me, I wanted the character Jin-man to have a very ice-cold vibe so I thought Dong-wook was the perfect fit," Kwon added, explaining why the K-drama heartthrob was chosen for the role.
Dong-wook said he trained in a military-type of action for the role of Jin-man.
"Because he's a former mercenary," he said. "Through discussions with the martial arts director, we talked a lot about how we really want to bring action that is used in special forces... [action] used within the military."
"Most of the action that I've shown until now has a lot of fantastical elements to it so I did a lot of wire, sometimes [I] use magic... This time around, I use a lot of firearms and daggers so I think it's more realistic," he added.
Years in the making
It was Kwon's wife — fellow director Lee Eon-hee — who encouraged him to adapt "A Shop for Killers" for the small screen and it took three years before the series was completed.
"She read the original novel and recommended it to me. Then she said, 'You should do a stylish action show before you get too old.' That's because I really love action shows," Kwon recounted.
"I started in 2021 with the writer to adapt the novel into a show and it took about three years."
Apart from Dong-wook and Kim, "A Shop for Killers" also stars Seo Hyun-woo, Jo Han-sun, Park Ji-bin and Geum Hae-na.
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