Is it possible Rain could be an actor who has the same level of power as Bruce Lee?

Korean music star Rain has become one of the hottest commodities in Asia with his sold out concerts and passionate fan base, but he is now moving into a new venture in his career. : martial arts film star.

After giving acting a try with roles in TV and film, including 2008's "Speed Racer," Rain got his chance to emulate his favorite martial arts action stars with "Ninja Assassin".

"I'm a big fan of Bruce Lee, Jackie, Jet Li movies, you know," says Rain.

Rain stars as Raiza in "Ninja Assassin," a film about a rogue group of mercenary killers that trains orphans to become deadly weapons.

Raiza has a change of heart however, and decides to take his revenge upon the group and his master, played by legendary martial arts actor Sho Kosugi, vowing to kill them all.

Filming the energetic action sequences for "Ninja Assassin" forced Rain to be in top shape.

In one scene he does a handstand on a bed of sharp nails, a sight sure to make audiences flinch at first, but then stare in wonder.

"I just practiced standing upside down for a few months, and I had to make my body fit, like Bruce Lee, I trained for eight months, and I ate only chicken breast and vegetables, so, I learned a lot of martial arts, a lot," says Rain.

James McTeigue, who directed another revenge film, 2005's "V For Vendetta," says that although it seems like vengeance is a recurring theme in his career, it is not why he chose to make a ninja film.

"Yeah, I guess so, yes, I'm the 'vendetta' man. If you want to make a movie about a vendetta come to me," says McTeigue. "No, not really, this film, I was interested in doing a genre film, and it just so happened that that was the archetype of these kinds of movies that get made, and yeah, I was happy to do it, the one man revenge again, that's always good fun to do."

Rain has three acting projects coming soon, and he hopes that with the visibility he achieves in "Ninja Assassin," he will open himself up to more international audiences.

"Yeah, it's a very special opportunity for me, you know, I want to challenge myself to see where my limit is, so that's it," says Rain.

"Ninja Assassin" arrives in theaters on November 25.

Source: Donga.com & REUTERS