[Movie Week] Jung Ji Hoon, go forward action hero…expecting for sequel?

-There was a piece of interview from Chad, stunt team member of ‘87 Eleven’. He has mentioned about movie related things and concluded that because of ‘Rain’, it made the movie remarkably. Also, he saw your training behind the scene. Do you feel you have been watched during your training?

They trust me. I believe if I did my best in ‘Speed Racer’, another opportunity will come. Although I felt extremely tired mentally and physically, I still worked hard in order to maintain my status. Also, message from related people, finally ‘Ninja Assassin’ was filmed.

-In fact, how did Rain be invited on this movie?

Wachowski Brothers had already mentioned me about the story when they prepared it. When I asked them who would play the leading role, they said ‘You’. They were very serious though, thus, I kept asking myself if ‘I want to do or not to do?’

-Actually, when you were filming ‘Speed Racer’, you had intentionally gone to do training. Are you planning to be an action star?

Firstly, in respect of training itself, it is very interesting. Secondly, although I am still young, I have already debuted 10 years since 1998. During these years, I believed that opportunities will come whenever it comes. Therefore, even I am doing this interview, I do my best. This is because I don’t know when the opportunity will come again. Same thing in ‘Speed Racer’, I believed if I did the best, chances would come. So far everything has happening after Ninja Assassin, I feel satisfied with time. Thus, no matter what I am doing, I do it with passion, then fortunate will come with it.

-Did you start training right after cast has been confirmed?

It looks like I keep training in this year after ‘Speed Racer’. Since November 2008, I continue on diet and training. Diet is making me tired.

-How was your martial art?

I have learnt Taekwondo and Seikido. Also, I took 3-4 months training class mainly for movie ‘Fighter in the wind’, in which was planned to film but it wasn’t at last. All of these helped me a lot.

-I have learnt that stunt team tried to compare you with other Hollywood actors stimulating you, right?

Chad and Dave from ’87 Eleven’ are very experience. They have worked for movies such as ‘Matrix’, ’300’ and ‘Bom’. They are the best stunt team in USA. They gathered the best Asian professional for ‘Ninja Assassin’ including champion of Thai kickboxing, Jackie Chan’s stunt team etc . They learnt martial art from them. Chad and Dave kept doing researches and wanted to produce a unique action film only for me. Scenes are such as flip-flopping in the fire, lower bottom movement and various new flip flopping movements etc.

-Per the comment of production crew, many people will call you ‘the new Bruce Lee’ or ‘the new Jackie Chan’. How do you feel from this comment?

Actually, I really enjoy it. ‘The new Bruce Lee’ makes people feel I am close to Bruce Lee’s standard. It sounds so great. Therefore, I am very happy. In USA, Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan are very popular; it seems like a stereo typed if I was named after them, ‘the new upcoming action hero’. If I become an action hero, I can make either romantic or others in my next movie without problems. So, when the day I may decide whatever I want to do in Hollywood, my career path will have unlimited growth.

-Are you familiar with basic computer graphic stunts effect in action movie?

I am fan of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. Before shooting ‘Speed Racer’, I basically watched all Jackie Chan’s movies. I really love marital art movies. However, I didn’t like traditional Kung Fu movie with those flying scenes. I love real fighting action movie. In ‘Ninja Assassin’ didn’t have any ‘unreal’ (computer graphic stunts scenes). We used swords, metal throwing stars, chains, bare hands etc.

-In the movie, the most special Ninja weapon is the chain. What is the most difficult during filming?

There were totally 3 set of standard movements during filming. It had about 6-7 video cameras around, each camera had 5 roll of films. On the first take, it used special len for whole picture. That special len is very experience. All the time, there were more than 70 people working on one scene together. When the chain had been used for fighting scene, the chain was broken. Due to the 3D CG animation, stimulated laser was plug-in at the ending part; it produced beautifully 3D image of chain. On the final take, with the effect of 3D CG animation, doing the same movement slowly, the chain looked like real in the scene. It was exhausted making this kind of shooting. Therefore, if sequel really happens, I need to work harder.

Source: Korean to Chin by 小曹曹@CloudChina
Chin to Eng by Cuckoo@NY