[Focus] Lee Je-hoon Receives Overflowing Support for Desirable Expansion of His Domain

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Isul] It is a desirable expansion of territory.

Actor Lee Je-hoon is establishing a management company and embarking on an independent path. This new step taken with like-minded comrades is warmly welcomed.

On the 21st, Company On stated, "Lee Je-hoon has established Management Company On with partners who will help him realize new dreams," adding, "We will do our best to enable him to be active in various fields as an actor."

Lee Je-hoon announced the termination of his exclusive contract with his agency, Saram Entertainment, on April 1st. Without a significant hiatus, he quietly worked with the agency that had been with him since his debut for 12 years, and after long discussions, he decided to end their partnership.

Since then, the industry’s attention has been focused on him. Known as a diligent actor who works hard without any scandals, many companies expressed interest in working with him. Given his usually cautious personality, it is believed he went through numerous considerations before establishing his own management company.

Previously, in 2019, Lee Je-hoon co-founded the production company Hardcut with director Yang Kyung-mo and producer Kim Yoo-kyung. Now in his third year as CEO, he has been actively working as an actor while gradually expanding his scope by participating in overall film production. By engaging as a producer in areas he was not deeply involved in as an actor, his perspective has broadened. This experience has fostered his growth and likely served as nourishment in deciding his future course.

The industry generally views Lee Je-hoon’s move to establish Company On and pursue independent activities positively. Considering his 14 years of experience and know-how accumulated since his debut in 2007, and his steady groundwork for directing and producing, the prevailing view is that this will create synergy. There is strong support for the new challenges of this young actor.

Lee Je-hoon has also walked a solid path as an actor. He successfully led the SBS drama "Taxi Driver," which ended on May 29th with the highest ratings in its time slot, playing the main character Kim Do-gi. He received praise for showing a new side by taking on various roles, including his first action performance. As an actor, he continues to challenge himself and gradually erase his limits.

Following his roles as actor and CEO, he has also taken on the title of director. Lee Je-hoon is preparing to shoot a short film this summer about youth obsessed with stocks. As this will be his directorial debut, he is reportedly deeply involved in casting and overall production preparations. The film is scheduled to be released on the OTT platform Watcha at the end of the year and will be presented as part of the co-directing project "Unframed" alongside Park Jung-min, Choi Hee-seo, and Son Seok-gu.

Additionally, production company Hardcut plans to showcase a variety of genres starting with "Unframed," including the music romance "Class Time Her" co-produced with Naver Webtoon, the occult thriller "Phantom" co-produced with Climax Studio, the Spanish hit action thriller "Celda 211," and a remake of the crime noir "Trivisa" produced by director Du Ki-bong.

Lee Je-hoon’s challenge is just beginning. There is a strong voice of support for his path, which shows a desirable expansion of territory.

Photo=Company On, Production Company Hardcut

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.