[CULTURE] Hallyu in Hollywood
[CULTURE] Hallyu in Hollywood
  • Choi Jung-min (Editor-in-Chief)
  • 승인 2015.02.08 23:31
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South Korea’s position in Hollywood was quite unfavorable until recently. As the West used to think of China or Japan when it came to the East, a special case where South Korea had to step in did not happen very often, and even if

it did, it was mostly a case with negative aspects. Among the negative images, being a workaholic or a cash cow was the typical stereotype about the South Koreans. At the start of the 2000s, most of such stereotypes had disappeared, but the negative image had remained. The positive transition did not start from the people of South Korea but from something else. Until the 1990s, products “made in South Korea” meant nothing but cheapies in Hollywood. As China took on such image after the 2000s, however, South Korean products began to receive favorable evaluations. To illustrate, Al Pacino, the godfather of casinos in Ocean’s Thirteen (2007), longed for a luxurious cell phone which was made in South Korea. The influence of Hallyu is also worth considering. In Beastly (2011), a South Korean drama builds up momentum while bringing the main characters together. In addition, some strange things started to happen recently, which overturned the previous impressions of South Koreans. This is by virtue of the vigorous efforts of South Korean actors who have entered Hollywood.


It was in 2008 that South Korean actors started to advance to Hollywood in earnest. Jeong Ji-hoon, more popularly known as singer Rain in South Korea, played a supporting role in Speed Racer (2008), marking the beginning of the Hallyu fever in Hollywood. From the year 2009, South Korean actors’ advance to Hollywood became more aggressive. Jeong Ji-hoon was cast in the lead role in Ninja Assassin (2009), and Jun Ji-hyun starred in Blood: The Last Vampire (2009), making South Koreans proud of her. Then Lee Byung-hun consecutively appeared in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) and G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013), surprising the nation again. The reason that these movies starring Lee Byung-hun made headlines was that he was given more importance in the second part of the movie series. Although the movie did not become a box office success, Lee was favorably evaluated as having carried out the movie along with Bruce Willis, a top American actor, thus successfully debuting in Hollywood.
Lee’s blast did not end there. In the summer of 2013, he played a role in the follow-up movie of Red (2010), meeting Bruce Willis again. Red 2 (2013) was a box office hit, unlike its predecessor, attracting more than two million viewers in South Korea. Its success was mainly due to Lee Byung-hun, who played the role of a “Korean contract killer” in the movie. Ironically, this was the first case where a Korean actor starred as a Korean, as Jeong Ji-hoon and Jun Ji-hyun, and even Lee Byung-hun, in his previous movie, played roles akin to a Japanese ninja. It was somewhat natural for the West to do that for they cannot tell the difference between the different Asian nationals, but this did not sit well with South Koreans. Lee put such complaint to rest, however, by starring as a Korean in the movie. What’s more, unlike the previous characters he depicted, who had very few lines, he appeared as a comical character in Red 2 (2013), exchanging jokes with other actors and speaking Korean in the movie. He has done a lot of things as a Korean that other actors couldn’t do in Hollywood.


The Hallyu craze in Hollywood is still very much around. Lee Byung-hun was confirmed to star in Terminator: Genesis, which will be screened next year. In addition, BoA played the lead role in Make Your Move (2014), marking her debut in Hollywood. The biggest issue of the year was a Hollywood movie’s filming in South Korea, which lasted two weeks. This movie is a follow-up of The Avengers (2012), which was famous as it placed third in terms of all-time box office profits. In the movie The Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Seoul will be portrayed as an ultramodern city, which is a remarkable development considering that in the past, South Korea’s image was that of a poor, divided country. This movie is also becoming a big issue in the country as it will feature a South Korean actress. Kim Soo-hyun will play the role of a scientist who becomes a helper, increasing the expectations of the movie’s fans.
The movie market in South Korea has been growing rapidly; it is now the eighth biggest movie market in the world. The good part is that it still has a lot of possibilities to grow. ST expects more South Korean actors to enter Hollywood, and South Korean movies to also advance to Hollywood, like the movie Snowpiercer (2013), which was a big hit in other countries.


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