Kidnap Game: Two Extraordinary Actors - The Powerful Chemistry of Lee Joon Gi and Sakaguchi Kentaro

 

KIDNAP GAME

 

TWO

EXTRAORDINARY

ACTORS

 

THE POWERFUL CHEMISTRY

OF

 

LEE JOON GI

AND

SAKAGUCHI KENTARO

 

An interview with Mezamashi TV featuring Lee Joon Gi and Sakaguchi Kentaro, the main actors of Kidnap Game, offers something more intriguing than conventional celebrity banter: the language of chemistry. Lee Joon Gi plays Han Ki Joo, a world-renowned surgeon while Sakaguchi Kentaro plays Niide Toshiro, an elite detective.           Interestingly, as the conversation unfolds, a dynamic quietly emerges. The younger actor speaks with measured courtesy, while Lee Joon Gi responds with an equally controlled composure - an interaction shaped by cultural sensitivity, professional respect and an unmistakable awareness of seniority.           Yet the distinction between experience and youth remains subtly visible. Sakaguchi appears attentive to Lee; Lee, in turn, appears sufficiently assured to give Sakaguchi space. Lee is experienced, assured, emotionally commanding and generous enough to make the younger actor shine.   As the two actors discussed their filming experiences and impressions of one another, their interaction seemed carefully measured.   Sakaguchi is observant and respectful when speaking alongside the quietly commanding and more experienced Lee Joon Gi, creating an interaction shaped by deference, composure and mutual respect. There were no exaggerated declarations or overly familiar displays. Instead, their admiration for one another emerged through polite expressions, restrained smiles, careful words and unmistakable respect. It is almost as though their body language says more than their words. Their etiquette-driven exchanges maintain a smooth, respectful interaction, while also suggesting that the composed Lee Joon Gi has become remarkably comfortable navigating Japanese cultural codes of communication.     This is noticeably different from many press conferences in Seoul, where interactions between Korean celebrities can be considerably more enthusiastic, expressive and spontaneous. In the West, celebrity interviews can also function as highly strategic performances: stars are often carefully prepared not only to promote a project but also to protect and manage their public image. Here, however, the restraint itself becomes fascinating.     SEOUL    FREEZING COLD, BURNING INTENSITY       Sakaguchi Kentaro revealed that filming in Seoul took place during the middle of winter, with temperatures dropping to around −10°C.   https://www.instagram.com/jg_k_drama/reel/DbvHus2S5Ar/?hl=en It was brutally cold. Their hands were shaking, and strong winds made the conditions even more difficult. Yet one of their most memorable scenes was filmed under precisely those conditions. Lee Joon Gi and Sakaguchi Kentaro sat face-to-face during a relatively long scene that they performed in a single take. When they watched the footage afterward, they could actually see their hands trembling on camera. Despite the freezing conditions, Kentaro felt the scene turned out ‘super cool’.         There is something almost cinematic about that contrast: two actors sitting motionless and intensely focused on each other while their bodies were literally fighting the cold.     TOKYO   WHEN SURVIVAL BECAME CONNECTION       If Seoul tested their physical endurance, Tokyo appears to have tested something deeper. The actors shared numerous scenes in Tokyo in which their characters became emotionally connected. Their relationship developed with greater intensity, allowing them to explore a much more intimate emotional bond. Sakaguchi described the experience as the two characters being in a fight for survival together.       Lee Joon Gi spoke about their shared scenes in a different but complementary way: their characters found comfort and healing in each other. Their characters connected emotionally to each other. That emotional contrast seems to be at the heart of their relationship.         Lee was particularly happy that their Tokyo scenes carried so much passionate energy. He described feeling extremely happy - even ‘hot’ - that they were able to film such emotionally-charged material together.       From freezing Seoul to emotionally heated Tokyo, their journey appears to mirror the evolution of their characters themselves.     TAIWAN     The production also took the actors to Taiwan, where Lee Joon Gi and Sakaguchi Kentaro were spotted by fans and the press at Taoyuan International Airport.           Lee was carrying a large bag - and naturally, speculation followed. Since he plays the globally renowned neurosurgeon Han Ki Joo, it certainly looked like the kind of bag that could belong to a surgeon. But Taiwan revealed another side of the cast. According to Sakaguchi, the crew had a get-together there, and the atmosphere became much more relaxed.   The secret was out: Lee Joon Gi loves eating, drinking and interacting with people. He apparently enjoyed spending time with the crew so much that he wanted everyone to gather together one final time after filming - to raise their glasses, say ‘Cheers’ and congratulate one another with a heartfelt ‘Good Job’.         That small detail perhaps reveals more about Lee Joon Gi than any carefully prepared promotional statement could.   He wasn't simply enjoying the production. He had become emotionally attached to the people making it. Lee himself said that he enjoyed working with the kiDnap GAME staff and Sakaguchi so much that he was genuinely sad when filming wrapped. His wish was simple: He wants to work with them again.       THE IMPRESSIONS   WHAT THEY REALLY SAW IN EACH OTHER       Perhaps the most revealing part of the interview came when the two actors described their first impressions of one another.   When Sakaguchi Kentaro first met Lee Joon Gi in person, his impression was that Lee was very gentle, easy-going and someone who was simply good to be around. But his admiration went much deeper than personality.   Kentaro observed that Lee Joon Gi does not merely perform an emotion on camera. What Sakaguchi seemed to recognise was not simply Lee Joon Gi’s acting ability, but the depth of his process. Lee does not appear to approach emotion from the outside in. He seems to inhabit it first, allowing the feeling to take shape internally before releasing it through his eyes, voice, movement and expression.  His performance is deeply internalised.           The magnetic Lee Joon Gi approached the work with such intensity and passion that everything connected naturally. For Sakaguchi, the experience of working beside such an actor was evidently substantial. His remark that he received something ‘very big’ from Lee carries particular weight because it comes from an actor who was observing the process from close range. Sakaguchi observes Lee. Lee embodies the experience Sakaguchi is observing. Sakaguchi himself is validating Lee Joon Gi's stature.           Yet, Lee’s admiration for Sakaguchi revealed another dimension of their relationship. Rather than speaking from seniority, Lee chose to recognise the younger actor’s own strengths.     He described Kentaro as pure and extremely hardworking; he was impressed. The experienced actor even remarked that the younger actor seemed like a leader on the set. Lee also acknowledged that he himself had learned from him.       There is confidence in that generosity. It demonstrated that Lee Joon Gi is an experienced actor who is secure in his own craft. There is a quiet symmetry to their admiration, but not necessarily an equality of experience. Sakaguchi’s observations repeatedly position Lee Joon Gi as the more seasoned presence - an actor whose intensity, preparation and emotional immersion gave his younger co-star something substantial to absorb.     THEIR CHEMISTRY MAY BE THE REAL STORY   The interview also appears to reinforce just how central the Lee Joon Gi - Sakaguchi Kentaro pairing is to kiDnap GAME, with both actors describing numerous shared scenes and a relationship that develops across different locations and emotional circumstances. Carrie Wong had previously revealed that she has the most scenes with Lee Joon Gi.     But the Mezamashi TV interview gives us another fascinating clue: Lee Joon Gi and Sakaguchi Kentaro may share one of the production's most important emotional dynamics. From the frozen streets of Seoul, to the intense emotional encounters in Tokyo, to the camaraderie of Taiwan, their relationship seems to have evolved both on screen and behind the scenes. Sometimes, chemistry does not need to be shouted. Sometimes, the most powerful chemistry is the kind that speaks through restraint. Perhaps that is what makes the Mezamashi TV interview so revealing. The chemistry between Lee Joon Gi and Sakaguchi Kentaro is not built upon competition, but contrast: youth and experience, observation and instinct, restraint and intensity. Sakaguchi brings an attentive, disciplined presence to the partnership. Lee Joon Gi brings the weight of experience - the kind that does not need to be declared because it can be felt in the way he listens, responds and inhabits a scene. From the frozen streets of Seoul to the emotionally charged encounters in Tokyo and the camaraderie of Taiwan, their journey seems to have produced something more valuable than simple professional chemistry. It has created mutual respect across generations and cultures. Sometimes the most powerful chemistry is the kind that speaks through restraint. The superiority of the assured and emotionally sophisticated Lee Joon Gi is shown through presence rather than proclamation. Sakaguchi’s observations help reveal why Lee is formidable.     The pan-Asian thriller, Kidnap Game premieres this October on Tuesdays at 9:00 PM on Fuji TV, VIU and Channel A.