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Largest American Agency Calls Lee Byung-hun "Asian James Dean"

Hallyu star Lee Byung-hun is set to make inroads into Hollywood. Recently, the largest U.S. talent agency, CAA, has praised the actor for his role in the movie "A Bittersweet Life", calling him "the Asian James Dean".

Hwang Jung-wook, CEO of the local agency, Web, said in an interview on June 15 that Lee, who is managed by Player Entertainment, will advance into the Hollywood market in full gear after one year of preparatory positioning. "Unlike other Asian actors, he will not play sinister or comic roles in Hollywood, but will establish his presence there in a completely different way", said Hwang.

Hwang said the actor had already laid a solid foundation for advancing into Hollywood back in May at Cannes when he met with CAA representatives. Next week, some 400 CAA agents will watch "A Bittersweet Life", said Hwang.

CAA is the largest Hollywood agency, managing high-caliber stars such as Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, Hugh Grant, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cameron Diaz and Nicole Kidman, as well as famous movie directors like Stephen Spielberg and Jerry Bruckheimer.

According to Hwang, a CAA agent named Jenny Rollings was impressed by "A Bittersweet Life" when she visited Cannes, France during the latest film festival. At a conference that was held the following day which was attended by Lee and Web representatives, Rollings said Lee had enough potential to make a successful debut in Hollywood, and called him "the Asian James Dean".

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