Here's To More Korean Talent Starring in Hollywood Movies!

Published on 2011/02/12 | Source

By Daniel Matthews

Did anyone get a chance to watch the film, "The Warrior's Way"? It was pretty recently released (back in December) and starred Korea's version of Brad Pitt, Jang Dong-gun. Regrettably I missed this film. I was sorely disappointed that I didn't see it, not because I was excited about the latest tale of ninjas and warriors and ninja-like warriors. No, it was because of the fact that this was one of the very few recent opportunities that I would have had the chance to see a Korean actor opposite a Non-Korean actress in a "love interest" type of role on the big screen.

I'll probably rent "The Warrior's Way" when it comes out on DVD or becomes available online, to support the film and see what happens to the characters. But until then, my mind starts swimming with different thoughts. Will this be the start of a larger chain reaction of Korean men playing opposite non-Korean woman in films and TV? Beyond this, could we be seeing more Korean actors start making crossover attempts as well? Not that Korean actors haven't already (Rain in "Ninja Assassin" and Lee Byung-hun in "G.I. Joe" come to mind), but maybe it'll start happening a lot more often. Even just once a year would be a nice pace. And, as I type, Taiwanese actor/singer Jay Chou is embodying his inner Bruce Lee, as the supporting lead in the Hollywood film, "The Green Hornet", released in January. Let it continue!

It's important that these types of relationships continue to grow with more Korean (or other Asian-born) actors/actresses being put in starring roles in Hollywood films. Not only does it give younger Asian Americans a chance to see someone relatable on the big screen. It helps educate a broader audience on different types of people, characters and roles. It also puts more attention on that actor's country of origin, which in turn opens more doors for other actors/actresses to make a breakthrough.

With all of the current attention on Korean Pop (K-POP), there's definitely no better time then now for someone to make that crossover. All of the irrefutable power that the supporting K-POP community has (the influence and buying power is insane!) creates the perfect storm of buzz, blogging and financials that make for this opportunity. These K-POP fans are wildly supportive, loyal and have become tastemakers online. As mentioned in a previous post, they've already made other K-POP celebrities winners of some very surprising awards (Jay Park winning a Mashable award and Rain winning Biggest Badass at the latest MTV Movie Awards). If this is happening, it means that there definitely is an audience, an interactive and supportive audience, for these crossovers. The crowd has spoken – let's see what Hollywood does next.