Korean actors playing bigger parts in international movies

Thanks to the Korean wave, or "Hallyu" boom, movie lovers can see more Korean movie stars in Hollywood films these days.

Most recently on July 29, a group of Japanese fans flocked to Seoul to see Korean actor Lee Byeong-Heon at a press conference to mark the launch of his latest movie "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" with his co-stars Sienna Miller and Channing Tatum and the director Stephen Sommers (who made "The Mummy 3" (2008)).

Lee Byeong-Heon captured the hearts of Asian fans on the popular SBS drama "All In" (2003) co-starring Song Hye-kyo, and also his movies including "A Bittersweet Life" (2005) and "The Good, the Bad, the Weird" (2008). Lee's filmography has attracted the attention of other Hollywood film directors like Steven Spielberg and James Cameron.

Lee will play Storm Shadow, a Japan-trained Korean ninja who is part of the terrorist group Cobra, in his first Hollywood film. Based on the G.I. Joe Real American Hero action figure brand, this movie tells the story of an elite American military squad that fights against Cobra, whose members intend to destroy the earth. Lee will appear in great physical action and fight scenes in the movie, despite the language barrier as a non-native English speaker.

Co-actress Sienna Miller, one of the hottest actresses and trendsetters in Hollywood, will play a femme fatale character, the Baroness, while star of "Public Enemy" and "CSI: Miami Season 3" Channing Tatum is Duke, a special operations forces commander, charged with the task of transporting powerful state-of-the art weapons. The movie will be released in early August.

Also, on July 26, Korean pop singer and Asia-wide music star Rain, or Jung Ji Hoon, showed a glimpse of his upcoming movie "Ninja Assassin" at a meeting with his fans in Seoul. Rain showed some never before seen still cuts and footage of the latest movie, and announced his plan for his next Asian tour "Legend of Rain" this August, while meeting some 3,000 global fans.

Rain also gave an impressive performance as Taejo Togokan in his debut Hollywood film "Speed Racer" directed by the Wachowski brothers in 2008. In "Ninja Assassin", directed James McTeigue, director of "V for Vendetta" and produced by the Wachowski brothers, Jung will play a leading role as "Raizo", a man who received special training from birth to kill ninjas. For this movie, Jung underwent special physical training and followed a strict diet to achieve a zero body fat physique. "Ninja Assassin" will be released in November this year.

Meanwhile, Korean actor So Ji-sub and Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi, the heroine of the 2001 hit "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Memoirs of a Geisha" (2005), have appeared together in the latest China-Korea co-production film "Sophie's Revenge".

So, the hero of KBS drama "Sorry, I Love You" (2004), and SBS drama "Cain and Abel" (2009) as well as the movie "Rough Cut" (2008), trained very hard to speak Chinese fluently, to play a handsome doctor named Jeff. In the movie, Jeff dumps his fiancée Sophie (Zhang) for new girlfriend Anna. This romantic comedy movie centers on Sophie's cute revenge plans to win back her man from Anna. Fan Bingbing is another Chinese actress, who will play the role of Anna, who steals Jeff's heart. "Sophie's Revenge" will be released in mid-August.

Another top Hallyu star Jang Dong-gun will make his Hollywood debut in "The Warrior's Way" next year. Jang will play Asian warrior Yang in this futuristic action movie directed by Korean director Sngmoo Lee along with co-stars including Kate Bosworth, Danny Huston and Tony Cox.

By Yoon Sojung
Korea.net Staff Writer