Interview with Rain - Elle Magazine Nov. Issue

“My body will be ‘engraved’ with my wife’s name”
In his maiden movie , Rain got his own hair cut into a strange hairstyle, and acted as a mental hospital patient. However, the sacrifice of his image did not obtain the most ideal result. Just like their fascination and liking for Lee Young-jae in , the fans like to see Rain in more of a healthy and bright image, and even want to understand more of Rain’s true colors and feelings regarding the idea of romance in this world.
In actuality, Rain’s way of expressing love, could possibly be more rigid and extreme than Lee Young-jae’s. He says that once he meets a girl whom he likes, he will ‘engrave’ her name onto himself, or ‘take on a pair of wings on his back’. (??) “However, this ‘she’ will definitely be the name of my future wife.” This form of extreme expression is for Rain to express his own steadfastness. He is a person who will not give himself an escape route; once he begins with something he will follow through with it. And once he experiences love, he will not give himself any opportunity for excuses—such as the excuse of being too busy, or the excuse that he has too many fans—Rain wants to give 100% of himself to the one he loves. This is the kind of love he is searching out for; this is a man who regards much importance on love.

“The person on the stage can never be replaced”
In South Korea, Rain has been called “South Korea’s Michael Jackson”. He is enjoying this. “Michael Jackson is also an idol that I’ve worshiped since my childhood. There is probably no one who does not admire Michael Jackson as a singer; everyone thinks that he is world star. I have studied his performances, and I am diligently trying to be like how he is on stage.” In order to achieve this goal, Rain must accept vigorous training everyday; the longest time has been 10 hours in one day. No matter how busy, he guarantees himself 2 to 3 hours daily for practice. It is to the point where he doesn’t even think about eating or sleeping, a huge strain on his physical strength. But Rain says that he is currently so used to this kind of living condition, and although it’s been difficult, it makes him happy to think that he can train together with his fellow dancers. He did not refuse to talk about this: back in his younger days when he first accepted training, he had sprouted the thought of giving up. It was because the Rain at that time was an extrovert, felt a little inferior, did not like to be in public, and was unable to imagine himself performing on stage with all the attention. But now he thinks that that mindset is silly, “Because the fact that I’ve proven that I can succeed, that I can defeat myself, the thought of being persistent is worth to be proud of.”
The Rain on stage is also not lacking self-confidence. “I will forever think of myself as the best. Nobody can surmount me. The me that is on stage will have an extemporaneous performance, for instance when I rip off my clothes each time, there will be the differences of the atmosphere and mood at that time that will bring about different inspirations. I will always be feeling proud and feeling that I’m the best; when I walk onto the stage, I am then KING. However, I am extremely fortunate that I have remained modest off stage, always thinking that I’m following behind others.”“Developing oneself as a supporting role, is necessary in order to proceed in an orderly manner”
As South Korea’s third entertainer from the Korean entertainment world to enter into Hollywood (roughly translating this part because it puts Rain behind 2 other names whom I don’t know of), Rain decided to act in the newest large-scale and dramatic movie called ; directed by the famous makers of the hit movie , the Wachowski Brothers. Jerry Bruckheimer, whose works include the Hollywood blockbuster series of “Pirates of The Caribbean”, is the producer of this movie (I think this part is inaccurate, isn’t Joel Silver the producer?). At present, Rain has already attended the movie press conference held in Germany’s Berlin. AP, AFP and other key overseas news media, as well as the Wachowski Brothers, famous actors Susan Sarandon, John Goodman, Emile Hirsch, and Christina Ricci and so on were also present at the press conference. The astonishing thing is, that after Rain and the Wachowski Brothers met, the directors unexpectedly made changes to Rain’s role, increasing it even more.In , Rain plays the role of “Taejo Togokhan”. He is a talented and outstanding Asian race car driver who resists struggle in order to defend his family and their property. At first, when the invitation was first received from the Wachowski Brothers, the aspect of this role was not extensive. But after participating in last month’s movie press conference held in Berlin, Germany, the role was expanded. One of Rain’s assistants expressed, “It is determined that there is about 40 minutes worth of acting. As far as I know, if we account the movie by proportions, he stands among the first 5 main roles.” Because this is a racing movie, movement on the race course is inevitable. In the custom of having to reach speeds of 300 km/hour during races, Rain will not be using any stunt men but rather will be going forth on his own to battle those challenging scenes. Because of the high risk, the estimate for his insurance coverage will not be a small number. One of Rain’s assistants disclosed, “In the contract there are statements made regarding treatment and insurance given during the filming. Although at present it cannot be publicized, there is a sufficient price to repay Rain for not using a stunt man.” At present, Rain has already gone to Berlin to accept training with a special acting teacher. In addition to that, Rain will use majority of his time to work on his script and practice his English.
Rain says that the pressure of keeping up with this movie is not a small thing. But he understands that there are many Hollywood stars from supporting roles to lead roles, if they act wholeheartedly, there is possibility of even bigger disappointments. There is already limitation in the language ability, but being able to develop a supporting role, is a process one must experience to proceed in an orderly manner.
It looks like everything is going on smoothly. Rain is also continuing to mature and be at ease with his point of view in terms of developing his acting performances in a healthy way. Rain’s position in Hollywood is just around the corner.
Q: What are your future plans? Are there any plans for a new movie, album or concert?
Rain: The world tour that began in October 2006 is quickly coming to an end. After the tour ends in the US, I will fly to Berlin to work on filming the movie , a movie being directed by the Wachowski Brothers.
Q: What are your feelings and anticipation for this movie?
Rain: I’ve always liked the series of , and have always worshipped the Wachowski Brothers. Being able to work with them is an honor for me. When I saw the first part of an edited piece, the movie’s creativity and rich visual effects surprised me. The thing that I’m anticipating the most is the hope that I may learn much from these outstanding actors and team of directors.
Q: Let’s chat some about your feelings in participating in the Louis Vuitton Cup yacht race. Do you like the sport of yachting? What kind of activities do you usually enjoy?
Rain: I’ve never gone yachting before, and when I first started it didn’t make much sense either. However, getting the introduction by way of the television and correlated books, my understanding of this sport has been increasing. Because I like the water very much, also like to swim, surf, jet-ski and other aquatic sports. And other than that, there are many other vigorous kinds of sports that I like very much.
Q: Do you like this season of Louis Vuitton men’s wear?
Rain: I really like the new style of the fall/winter collection that I wore during the photo shoot in Valencia. They look very succinct, but the designs are very fashionable. This is the kind of clothing style that I’m always looking for.
Q: If you had the opportunity to choose your own life all over again, what kind of life would you choose?
Rain: Even if I had the opportunity to choose a completely new life, I hope I will be the person I am right now: an actor, a singer; there is nothing else that would bring me more joy and satisfaction.
Q: You challenge yourself frequently, acting in different roles. Then what is currently the type of role that you most want to attempt?
Rain: Every time I read a different kind of script, it gives me the impulse to take on new roles. The standard on which I choose a script is based on whether I like that character.
Q: Your fashion style and personal life status are very unique. What kinds of things stimulate your life’s inspirations?
Rain: I have said before, anything in life and anything that happens can bring the inspiration for me to create my dance. Similarly, they are also the inspiration to my fashion style and life. A person’s fashion taste molds the important element of his/her unique individuality. I think that the more I display the correlation between fashion and function, the more I can allow myself to approach my ideal image.
Q: You were chosen as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Has this brought any changes to your life?
Rain: The evaluations from and magazines have made me think that I have more personal responsibilities, and have brought me more opportunities to present myself before the Western audience. All of this is of great help in the development of my acting career.
Q: If you had the opportunity to travel into outer space, but you were only allowed to bring 3 things, what would you bring?
Rain: This depends on how long I’ll be gone for, but I think I would bring a MP3 player filled with pictures and music, my lover, and then also my cup noodles! Haha!
Q: Who is your idol?
Rain: I think right now I’m doing things that some people have never done before. You can say that I don’t have any special idol. Right now I am creating an idol by the name of Rain, and making him a highly important character.

Source: Baidu