After South Korean actor Lee Byung-Hun's recent marriage to actress Lee Min-Jung (Cyrano Agency (2010)) on 10 August, it got me thinking about Asian actors and actresses in Hollywood, and it seems that he's one of a few who are having a decent go at carving out a career in Tinseltown. Granted, he's only been in three Hollywood movies so far, all of which are parts of franchises: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009), G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013), and the recent Red 2 (2013), but each film has had a pretty high profile, with Lee having some fairly substantial supporting roles alongside some big-name stars. With the exposure he is getting in films such as these, coupled with solid acting performances, is it possible for him to become the next Chow Yun Fat, or Ken Watanabe?
I first saw this actor back in 2009, when I saw the enjoyable action adventure The Good, The Bad, The Weird (2008) directed by Kim Jee-Woon (A Tale of Two Sisters (2003), The Last Stand (2013)), with Lee playing the part of "The Bad", Park Chang-Yi, the leader of a group of bandits on the trail of a treasure map alongside actors Jung Woo-Sung (The Warrior (2001), Reign of Assassins (2010)) and Song Kang-Ho (The Host (2006), Thirst (2009)). I had no idea who Lee Byung-Hun was at the time, but I do remember thinking while I was watching this movie, "This guy is cool! Who is he?", even if he did have some slightly dodgy facial hair!
Then, in 2011, I saw his performance as a government agent seeking retribution against his fiancée's murderer in revenge thriller I Saw The Devil (2010), also directed by Kim Jee-Woon. This film saw Lee's character, Kim Soo-Hyeon, go to great lengths, with scant regard as to how cruel or evil he might become, to avenge his loved one's death. I was really impressed with this film, although quite obvious in its intentions; it blurs the line between the monstrous killer and his wretched victim. It's a bloody film, with graphic scenes of realistic violence, and not for the faint-hearted; I enjoyed it immensely.
By the time I had first seen any of his films, Lee Byung-Hun had already had his breakthrough role when he starred in Park Chan Wook's J.S.A. Joint Security Area (2000) and had had further hits, such as A Bittersweet Life (2005), again directed by Kim Jee-Woon; he was building a reputation as one of Korea's most respected leading men. With his role as Storm Shadow in the G.I. Joe movies, and hitman Han Cho Bai in Red 2, Lee Byung-Hun's star is most definitely on the rise.
In recent years there have been quite a number of Hollywood productions trying to make their films more attractive to Asian audiences, with the inclusion of Asian locations and actors, in movies such as Battleship (2012), Looper (2012), and The Wolverine (2013). There's even the account of the flop remake Red Dawn (2012); when originally shot and completed in 2009, the villains of the movie were the Chinese, but then later many scenes were altered, when the decision was made to change the nationality of the invading forces to North Korean, so as not to upset the growing audiences in China, and lose any box office from that territory.
In recent years there have been quite a number of Hollywood productions trying to make their films more attractive to Asian audiences, with the inclusion of Asian locations and actors, in movies such as Battleship (2012), Looper (2012), and The Wolverine (2013). There's even the account of the flop remake Red Dawn (2012); when originally shot and completed in 2009, the villains of the movie were the Chinese, but then later many scenes were altered, when the decision was made to change the nationality of the invading forces to North Korean, so as not to upset the growing audiences in China, and lose any box office from that territory.
Asia is increasingly becoming an important market to exploit for these Hollywood productions. So does this mean we will be seeing more Asian stars in the future? I hope so!
Which other Asian actors do you think stand a good chance of making that crossover, and becoming a star in Hollywood? When will we next see an Asian in a leading role?
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