Rain to debut in Hollywood film 'Speed Racer' in May

Korean pop singer and Asia-wide music star Rain or Jung Ji Hoon, 26, is spreading his wings to the world -- not in tour but on screen.
Thanks to his songs and charismatic dancing, followed by a modeling and acting career, he was dubbed one of the world's most beautiful people by People Magazine in 2007 and is to debut as a movie actor in a Hollywood blockbuster "Speed Racer" directed by the Wachowski brothers, director of the world-famous "Matrix" trilogy of films.
Ahead of the international release of Speed Racer on May 9, Rain spoke of his new acting career in Hollywood and his future plans in an interview with Yonhap News on Monday (Apr. 21).
Speed Racer is the story of a racing car driver named Speed Racer (played by Emile Hirsch) who is a natural behind the wheel and loyal to his family racing business. After turning down a lucrative offer from Royalton Industries, he finds a dirty secret that Royalton has been manipulating the race to boost profits. The only way for Speed to save his family's business and the sport he loves is to beat Royalton at his own game.
Rain will act as the owner of a car company, rival driver and friend of Speed named Taejo Togokan, a man who has Korean origins and much charisma. Having received a few offers to play leading roles in American movies before, Rain says he chose to act a supporting role in Speed Racer because he wished to become a Major Leaguer rather than a Minor League player in the American film industry. Rain says he learned a lot and did his best while filming. The Wachowski brothers later recommended he play a leading role in "Ninja Assassin" to be directed by James McTeigue scheduled to begin shooting on May 28.
Rain said he spent most of the time with production staff, even at meal hours and kept acting when other actors took a rest. He said he wrote in the Korean characters (Hangeul) for the staff when eating meals to introduce their beauty. As a result, Rain wore a racing uniform with the Korean characters for "Taejo Togokan" emblazoned on the sleeve.
Despite the language barrier as a non-native English speaker, Rain said he made efforts to speak English as naturally as possible with his English coach. He acted with Hollywood movie stars Susan Sarandon, John Goodman, Christina Ricci and Matthew Fox while filming. He also thanked his fans who visited the film shoot in Berlin.
Emphasizing the importance of the Asian market, Rain said the international movie industry should focus on Asian marketing and cast popular stars from Asia.
Rain plans to produce a special album for Asian fans in autumn after finishing filming Ninja Assassin in July this year and an English-language album later.
In February, Rain recently concluded a contract with the William Morris Agency, a New York-based talent agency that represents entertainers such as Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez and Russell Crowe.
Rain began his singing career after releasing his first solo album, "Bad Guy," in 2002, a huge success that was followed by other popular albums. He launched his acting career when he starred in the Korean television drama "Full House" in 2004 and the movie "I'm a Cyborg and That's Okay" in 2006.
McTeigue co-directed the hit Hollywood film "V for Vendetta" with the Wachowski brothers.

By Yoon Sojung
Korea.net Staff writer
Source: Rain-Union