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Lee Je Hoon sits for an interview following the conclusion of Taxi Driver Season 3.
Taxi Driver Season 3 follows employees of Rainbow Taxi, a taxi company operated by Jang Seong Cheol (Kim Eui Sung), the head of the crime victims' support center Blue Bird Foundation, who carry out revenge on behalf of those wronged. Led by former special forces officer-turned taxi driver Kim Do Gi (Lee Je Hoon), the team includes white hacker An Go Eun (Pyo Ye Jin), former automobile development researcher Choi Gyeong Gu (Jang Hyuk Jin), and former aircraft maintenance mechanic Park Jin Eon (Bae Yoo Ram) — mechanics at Rainbow Taxi.
The K-drama won Lee Je Hoon the Daesang (Grand Prize) at the 2025 SBS Drama Awards, cementing itself as his signature work.
Below is an excerpt of the interview with the actor.
It's been a week since Taxi Driver 3 concluded. How do you feel about it?
I watched it every week as it aired. I've been following the drama all along, and it doesn't seem like it's been ten days since it ended. Only now am I really feeling that it's over, and having spent every Friday and Saturday watching it, I feel the huge emptiness. I think everyone probably feels the same way. I've been paying close attention not only to the filming but also to the editing as well. We got the final version by sharing opinions about the edits.
The ending dealt with the subject of martial law. Did you feel any pressure?
The story itself was created based on a fictional, dramatic premise. So my focus was really just on how to portray Kim Do Gi well. I think the other Rainbow Transport members came with the same mindset. I can't speak for the final episode's message in detail, but it seemed to highlight the dangers when power goes unchecked and how important citizens' choices and solidarity are. Everyone can interpret such major events from their own perspective, and those interpretations were woven into the story. The writers monitored what's happening not just in our country, but around the world, and incorporated their thoughts into the narrative as they are. I felt that as well.
Even so, since it's a political subject, malicious comments were posted on social media after the broadcast.
I think every work is interpreted differently. There can be majority opinions and minority opinions, and I respect all of them. Some interpret it from the current perspective, and later it could be interpreted differently. If this series continues effectively, I think season 3 could also receive a different evaluation, just like seasons 1 and 2.
Was there a villain role in Taxi Driver 3 that you felt tempted to play?
Yoon Shi Yoon, Jang Na Ra sunbae, and everyone else are so pure off camera, but once the cameras start rolling, their gaze changes, and to see a person transform like that, it really gave me chills. I, too, have had a desire to play a role like that someday.
Playing the righteous role of Kim Do Gi, have you ever felt conscious about the idea that you should live morally in your real life as well? There have been many scandals and controversies in the entertainment industry recently.
If you intend to deceive someone, I think it's inevitable that anyone on the receiving end will suffer. I think what really matters in life is living with values. With so many incidents and cases surfacing these days, I sometimes find myself thinking about the kind of future I will live in. Rather than thinking, "Things like this happen, so I should be careful," I feel that I've simply carried into my actions the instincts I've had since childhood about good and evil — having been educated, read books, and exposed to media, talking about right and wrong and reflecting on it. I've never particularly thought that I needed to change myself. As for this series of incidents happening, I do think that, as someone who works in the entertainment industry, I need to be careful and mindful of such things.
A project doesn't happen only if one person does well. There are works that don't get released because of someone's mistake (like The Second Signal). I wonder if you tend to talk about and share those things with the people around you.
I don't try to force what everyone should obviously know, like basic common sense. But I do find myself concerned when that kind of thing causes the value of a work — its interpretations, and the efforts poured into it — to be overlooked. There's sincerity in the project that contains the hard work of so many people, and I hope those things don't end up fading away.
Why do you think Taxi Driver has continued to receive so much love all the way till Season 3?
It feels like people's stress with the world keeps piling up. I think people watch content hoping for catharsis and laughter to blow away the fatigue of everyday life, and Taxi Driver seems to have provided just that. The fact that these kinds of cases keep happening is, on one hand, unfortunate, but because they're portrayed in a thrilling and powerful way, people keep talking about them.
As the Taxi Driver series has continued, your character has matured, but hasn't it also been physically demanding? After all, there are quite a lot of action scenes.
That's right. So, I've been striving and making adjustments all the time to maintain my best condition. Doing intense action scenes has resulted in countless injuries, and at those times, I want to look healthier and cooler. I diligently manage my physical condition and follow good dietary habits. In the past, I didn't know whether vitamins would really have any effect on me, but now I think, 'It's better than nothing.' If I see them, I take them. I'm gradually adding more of them, starting with Omega-3. Going forward, I probably won't drink or smoke. Rather than staying only indoors, one should at least take a short walk and have fresh air regularly. Moving around, even a little, instead of staying in one place, is said to have a positive effect on health. Getting enough sleep is important too.
There are a lot of people looking forward to the next season.
I'm really happy and encouraged by all the talk about Season 4. I think the Rainbow Taxi team, including me, probably don't want to part ways just yet. I, too, really want to get back again.
