"The Departed", the Hollywood remake of the Hong Kong film "Internal Affairs" starring Andy Lau and Tony Leung, won four Oscars including best director for Martin Scorsese, best picture, best adapted screenplay and best editing, at the 79th Academy award in Los Angeles on Sunday (local time). This also brought a Korean American into the spotlight: Vertigo Entertainment CEO Roy Lee, who was an executive producer on the movie.
Hollywood studios rely on Lee's Asian sensibility and network to find Asian movies suitable for remakes. He has had a hand in introducing almost all Asian horror movies that found an enthusiastic audience in the U.S., including "The Ring" and "Ju-on: The Grudge" from Japan. An adaptation of "A Tale of Two Sisters", a Korean horror film Lee picked up, will be completed by the end of this year. Lee was also involved in "The Lake House", the remake of "Il Mare", the first Hollywood remake of a Korean film. A remake of another Korean movie, "Addicted" with Lee Byeong-Heon and Lee Mi-yeon, will start shooting soon with "Grudge' star Sarah Michelle Gellar. Lee also introduced "My Sassy Girl" and "My Wife is a Gangster" to DreamWorks and Miramax.
Born to a doctor father and a teacher mother, Roy Lee worked as a lawyer after graduating from George Washington University and American University's Washington School of Law.
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