[Interview] "The Art of Negotiation" Lee Je-hoon Hopes for a Rom-Com

Wouldn't the director think of me at least once for a rom-com? Haha.

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Actor Lee Je-hoon spoke about his collaboration with director Ahn Pan-seok in an interview to mark the end of JTBC's Saturday-Sunday drama "The Art of Negotiation", held at a cafe in Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the morning of the 14th.

Director Ahn Pan-seok's new work, which includes "The Midnight Romance in Hagwon", "One Spring Night", "Something in the Rain", "Secret Love Affair" and "White Tower", drew attention. Director Ahn expressed his special trust in Lee Je-hoon, saying, "The point of our drama is definitely Lee Je-hoon".

When asked if he had any regrets, Lee Je-hoon depicted his big picture saying, "Well, I met the director, didn't I?"

"I couldn't be happier if the next work becomes Season 2 of "The Art of Negotiation", but I have expectations that he would think of me at least once when he comes up with a rom-com", he said.

"The Art of Negotiation" is a drama about an M&A expert of a large company, the legendary negotiator, and the team's performance. Lee Je-hoon plays Yoon Joo-no, an M&A expert and an expert in the negotiation world.

"The Art of Negotiation" was the finale of Ahn Pan-seok's division. The best actors came together. Lee Je-hoon said, "Kim Dae-myung and I joined Ahn Pan-seok's division aa fresh new faces. It was such a fun set. The atmosphere on the site was more enjoyable and comfortable than any other work because the actors and the director knew each other well and were comfortable".

"It always ended so early that I was really nervous. It didn't make sense, but the month's schedule was accurate. It was a scene where there were few situational errors because the director's directing goal was clear", he said. "There were many actors I met for the first time, and the actors were more thoroughly prepared than any other scene. So I had no choice but to be nervous".

Lee Je-hoon said 'more than ever' a lot. He said, "When preparing and researching the character named Yoon Joo-no, I think I prepared more thoroughly than other characters in other works and went to the set. From the standpoint of lead, I had to center myself, but I tried to show the direction with a clearer concentration than any other attempt".

In addition, Lee Je-hoon drew attention by adding, "I thought that I was the only one who needed to do well".

According to viewer rating research firm Nielsen Korea, "The Art of Negotiation" which started with 3.3% of households nationwide, finished with 10.3% of viewers in the final episode. According to the weekly chart of the first week of April released by Asia's largest OTT platform Viu (View) on the 11th, "The Art of Negotiation" ranked 4th in Hong Kong and Thailand, ranked 5th in Malaysia and Singapore, and 6th in Indonesia, entering the top 6 in five Asian countries.

Lee Je-hoon is filming SBS "Taxi Driver 3" and tvN "The Second Signal" as his next films.