Lee goes to Hollywood

The hallyu megastar is returning as the famously heroic Storm Shadow character in his upcoming sci-fi film “GI Joe: Retaliation”, the sequel to the 2009 flick “GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra”.

“In Korea, things can be flexible if an actor is sick or isn’t in his or her best condition,” says Lee.

“So if you are seriously ill, you can re-schedule your shooting schedule. 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.”

Both the 2009 and the upcoming film are based on American board game company Hasbro’s toy and cartoon series. While Lee is returning as the same Storm Shadow, the heroic character who works as a ninja bodyguard in the first film, other casts and director have been changed.

The upcoming picture is directed by Jon M Chu, with top Hollywood actors Bruce Willis and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as GI Joe operatives going up against Lee and his fellow Cobra Commanders (Arnold Vosloo and Ray Stevenson). The hallyu star said shooting the sequel was certainly easier than the first one, but the language barrier and getting used to the strict schedule were still challenges he had to overcome.

“I’d memorise each and every line perfectly before going to the shoot,” he says. 

“But I’d just forget every line – literally every single line – when I was told that I’d 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.”

Though he felt it was too “strict” at times, Lee says the efficient Hollywood system is a great learning experience.

“Compared to Korean movies, the pre-production phase is much longer for Hollywood films,” he observes. “Because they perfectly plan out everything in advance, the actual production period is a lot shorter. I think it’s a lot more efficient that way and maybe things can be done in a similar way here.”

Asked if it bothers Lee in any way that his Storm Shadow character can perhaps be regarded as another American stereotype of Asian men, the actor says he felt the character was “something that he had to do” in his foray into Hollywood.

“I didn’t necessarily decide to play this character because I loved it so much,” he says. “Right now I’m not given a lot of choices in Hollywood. I thought this character was something that I had to do as I take my first steps to break into their world. And maybe I will be given more choices if I portray this character very well, even though he may be another Asian male stereotype.”

Lee, 41, has appeared in several top Korean films and TV series. His breakthrough came in Park Chan-wook’s 2000 film “Joint Security Area”, in which he plays a border-guard soldier who crosses to North Korea nightly and forges a friendship with a soldier on the opposing side. He also starred in the 2008 Korean western, “The Good, the Bad, the Weird”, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2008 and was released in the US in 2010.

He is currently shooting his first period drama “King of Joseon”, which is slated for released later this year.

 

“GI Joe: Retaliation” is scheduled to open in Bangkok theatres on June 21.