Rain recently gave an interview where he talked about the hardships of filming his sports movie “Uhm Bok Dong.”

The movie is based on a true story about a South Korean cyclist who won first place in a bicycle race during the period of Japanese colonial occupation.

In order to prepare for the role, Rain began training in cycling at Korea National Sport University before filming began. He would ride 20 laps around a 420-meter (1378 feet) track 20 times a day and accumulated numerous small scars on his arms and legs.

In the interview, Rain said that the training was like a fight with himself. “I joined the athletes’ village before filming began,” he said. “I received 2-3 months of training from real national team coaches at Korea National Sport University. I trained like I was really in training for competition.”

He added, “After we began filming, it was tough beyond words. I would cycle for 8 hours on sandy ground under direct sunlight. It couldn’t be anything but difficult.”

“Every night, I knew I had to keep cycling the next day, and it became a source of stress,” he said. “Since I knew I would have to ride the moment I got up, I would enjoy the time I had off and sleep until the very last minute. Every day was so hard and I listened to calming music in order to keep the stress away.”

He continued, “When you study at your desk, you get tired and sleepy. Cycling became like that for me. I’d get tired and sleepy as soon as I got on the bicycle. It became a fight with myself. It was hell when I was riding in the blazing heat. It was summer so the days were long and I would hate the sun for not setting.”

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