Sunday June 14, 2009
Lee’s Hip Korea
By ELIZABETH TAI
A star talks about his upcoming Hollywood experience and being part of a documentary about South Korean pop culture.
IN Asia, South Korean actor Lee Byung Hun is a big star. He is, after all, one of the major stars of the hallyu (Korean wave), the surge of popularity that Korean pop culture has enjoyed around the world for the past few years.
Lee made his TV debut in 1991 in the drama Asphalt My Hometown after a successful audition for the Korean Broadcasting System in Seoul.
“It was just something I did as a whim but I ended up making it,” he says in a recent e-mail interview.
Since then, the 39-year-old actor has appeared in a number of Korean television series such as Beautiful Days (2001) and All In (2003), and movies, including last year’s blockbuster The Good, the Bad, and the Weird (2008).
But Lee is an enterprising celebrity who wanted to look beyond the camera: he dabbled in jewellery design in 2005 – he designed for Japanese brand Samantha Tiara – and in 2008, he released a best-selling Japanese single, Itsuka.
When asked which he preferred, acting or singing, Lee replies: “I am an actor. I like to act. Singing was just something I did for my fans.”
Lee, who speaks Korean, English, and “a bit of Japanese”, will be appearing in his first Hollywood movie soon: the summer flick GI Joe: Rise of Cobra, where he will play the villain, Storm Shadow.
Fans may be miffed that Lee’s face will be hidden for most of the film since Storm Shadow is always masked, but Lee doesn’t mind, saying that it is “true to the original character”.
To prepare for the role, Lee went through a fitness programme and had to undergo “action training” with other actors.
But in the end, the biggest challenge for him turned out to be dealing with the different language and culture, he says.
“It is hard to show certain emotions while speaking in a different language. I used to just worry about showing my emotions but in Hollywood I had to worry about language as well,” says Lee, who is currently filming the Korean drama, Iris.
“I hope people enjoy the film,” says Lee about GI Joe. “It will be a fun film that families can watch together.”
Many South Korean actors are taking tentative steps into Hollywood: Jeon Ji-Hyun recently starred in the Hollywood production Blood: The Last Vampire, and Korean-American actor Daniel Henny (star of the 2005 Korean TV series, My Lovely Sam Soon, and 2006’s Seducing Mr Perfect) is in X-Men Origins: Wolverine and, later this year, will be in the American TV series, Three Rivers.
Lee believes that this is a good thing: “There is no competition in my eyes. I hope that more Korean actors and directors make movies not only in Hollywood but worldwide.”
Speaking of roles, Lee has taken on yet another role – that of cultural ambassador. He will be profiled in the second episode of Discovery Channel’s Hip Korea, where he will introduce viewers to cool hang-outs, such as the wine bars of Apgujongdong and fashionable Myondong, and also talk about South Korea’s youth-driven pop scene.
“I thought that Hip Korea would be a great way to showcase South Korea and how Korean entertainment has evolved throughout the years,” says Lee, who filmed the documentary off and on from October last year to April.
“I would like people to remember the passion of the Korean people, and that the Korean culture is unique, and that Korea is a great place to visit,” he adds.
And when in South Korea, be adventurous, he advises: “I would recommend that tourists see and eat as much as they can because there is much you can do. If you are closed-minded, you may miss good things.”
‘Hip Korea: Seoul Savvy – Byung Hun Lee’ will premiere at 7pm on Thursday on the Discovery Channel (Astro channel 551).
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