Thursday, April 26, 2012

'G.I. Joe' star Lee Byung Hun to be honored in Hollywood

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin 
MANILA, Philippines - Popular Korean actors Lee Byung Hun and Ahn Sung Ki will be honored in Hollywood by way of casting their hand and foot prints on the famous courtyard of the Grauman's Chinese Theater.
Lee Byung Hun at his press conference and as Storm Shadow.
(Photos by www.newsen.com and Paramount Pictures)

The ceremony will coincide with the opening of the Look East Korean Film Festival to be held at the famous theater on June 23 and 24.
Lee and Ahn will be the first Asian actors to be accorded with such honors. In 2002, Hong Kong film director and producer John Woo cast his handprint at Grauman's.
Lee was chosen for his works as an actor.  Among his popular films are "A Bittersweet Life," "The Good, The Bad, The Weird," and "I Saw the Devil."
Among his Korean TV dramas are "Iris," "All In," and "Beautiful Days."
He crossed over to Hollywood and made his debut on "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra," released in 2009 and grossed $302 million in the US and worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.
Lee Byung Hun will reprise his role as Storm Shadow in the sequel, "G.I. Joe: Retaliation," which will be released in the US on June 29, Philippines on June 20 and Korea on June 21.
His co-stars include Dwayne Johnson, Bruce Willis, Channing Tatum, Jonathan Pryce, Ray Park and Arnold Vosloo.
During a press conference in Korea for "G.I. Joe: Retaliation," Lee Byung Hun said he had to memorize his script using American accent.
“I’d memorize each and every line perfectly before going to the shoot,” the Korea Herald quoted him as saying. 
The actor added, “But I’d just forget every line--literally every single line--when I’m told that I’ve pronounced one word wrong while acting. Having to think that I somehow have to fix my pronunciation for that one word would just make me totally lost at the set. There’s a huge difference between making conversation in a foreign language and acting in a foreign language. I feel the most comfortable when I perform for pieces that are based on Korean culture. So I can’t help but feel that I could’ve done better if this were a Korean movie.”
He also compared the shooting process in Korea and Hollywood. He said in Korea, when an actor is sick, the shooting can be rescheduled.
"But that’s simply not the case in Hollywood. The production cost for each and every shooting day is just colossal there, so even if you’ve broken your leg you’d still have to show up at the set. Everything is pre-planned in every single detail, so you’d always start and finish each day’s work on time. I found the system very efficient, but also a bit scary and intimidating at times,” said Lee, according to the newspaper.

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