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Article translated to English by Wei Lin, captures provided by River with much thanks

Singapore's <Nan You> Magazine - April 2005 issue
prelude: X-posed

Interview by Hu Ying Wei
Photography by Veronica Tay
Styling by Jonathan Chia
Clothes by Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche

As soon as Lee Byung Hun, one of Korea’s four heavenly kings, came to Singapore, <Nan You> magazine definitely grabbed the opportunity to invite him to grace our cover; however to our regret, we were declined due to lack of time. However, we still did not give up, and thought of all sorts of ideas to get him to say ‘yes’. Finally we succeeded! I feel that Lee Byung Hun is the manliest of Korean stars. In television dramas, his characters are those of few words, but yet there is an aura of sadness deep within his cool and suave exterior, leading women to empathise and fall for him; to give him happiness… … he reminds me of the melancholic Tony Leung. With regards to this kind of man, I really wish to “x-posed” him, to let people see a side of him that they have never seen before.

Last year he attended to Ferragamo Party in Shanghai, and ended up being photographed with Maggie Q in the middle of dancing and making merry. This resulted in rumours that his then girlfriend Song Hye Kyo was unhappy when she saw the photos and thus resulting in the break-up. Don’t ask if all these were true, as said earlier they are all rumours, all I can say is that when I saw him smile at the camera, I was really happy, because <Nanyou> can show you the other side of Lee Byung Hun. However, he later requested that we did not use the photos with him smiling brightly, because he felt that his smile is too feminine. But, we decided in the end to “x-posed’ Lee Byung Hun, that’s why we published for you readers the photo of the ‘happy’ Lee Byung Hun that he axed. Will you fall in love with a man like Lee Byung Hun? In April, when you buy <Nu You>, <Nan You> will be free, enjoy!

ENJOY!
Jia Jing (editor)

During the photography session, Lee Byung Hun was requested to stand against the backdrop of a plain wall and keep the same pose but with different expressions. He amiably and naturally stood against the backdrop, and during the time when the lighting equipment was being set up, he would look into the lens of the camera and do some chest stretches. The notes that we collated stated that when he would pinch his nose whenever he is nervous, but at that time with over 10 people watching him at the photo shoot, there was no sign of any nervousness at all, probably because he is totally relaxed? His gaze reminds one of the “Byung” Chinese character of his name – a fiery flame that is burning within his magnetic gaze.

Cover Story

The forecast of the Korean Wave

In February, Lee Byung Hun came to Singapore to promote his photo book and his DVD box-set. At the same time, the Korean authorities had just announced that they would invest 2 billion Korean won to construct a ultra-modern entertainment City “Hallywood”, and the Chinese media gave this term the Chinese characters meaning “Korean Wave Central” The relevant authorities used the local culture to expand the local identity. Simultaneously, the authorities also gave some funds for the further development of Korean cinema, more freedom, more training and other benefits. The purpose is to allow Korean entertainment to slowly but surely enter the international economy.

But before this, "Korean Fever" has swept through Japan which is quite an incredible feat; Bae Yong Jun, Won Bin and Lee Byung Hun have one after another raised temperatures throughout the nation, causing even A-lister Takuya Kimura to reveal some from of envy. This is akin to giving a boost of confidence to the future of the Korean movie industry, and is pertinent in the development of "Hallywood".

With respect to the trend of Korean dramas and movies, Lee Byung Hun expressed that this is not coincidental; as Korea’s film production have improved significantly from past to present, in addition to that, artistes are sculpted into romantic gentlemen and ladies; the behind-the-scenes and in-front-of-camera skills and criteria have all been honed and fulfilled. As opportunities arose, Korea drama and film industry was naturally able to garner a significant overseas following.

A friend of mine who has the "Korean Fever" pointed out, Lee Byung Hun has an edge over the other Korean male actors because he is more “international”, and thus is more suitable for 'export'. Besides his English ability (low-timbre and sexy voice speaking in English is really pleasant to hear), one feels that his individual special qualities do not clash or have conflicts with the international standards. When I related this friend's opinion to Lee, his reaction was, "Really? She said that?" After which he paused for a little while and then smoothly said, "Well, in that case, I like her." He caught the rhythm perfectly, and his deep voice is rather suitable for this kind of humour.

The Asian lover in Western films

Conversing with this tanned, toned and though not so tall in height, mature man, I understood what my friend meant by him possessing the “international” quality. Last year, when Bae Yong Jun was interviewed Hong Kong, writer Michael, after seeing the photos in the papers, risked murder by Bae’s fans when he said, “How can he be a lady-killer? He is obviously a “lady”.” Although this remark was slightly caustic, Bae’s layer of make-up was indeed rather thick. As for Won Bin, he has a rather childlike quality, acting the leading role in <My Brother> type of movies, and constantly acting innocently, and is sometimes overly cute; when will he bid farewell to the young beautiful youth image and speedily mature and grow up? Zhang Dong Gun is gradually going the edgier route, with his riveting gaze, great physique and amongst the 4 Heavenly Kings, he can be counted as the one with the most movie opportunity thus far. Gentlemanly Lee Byung Hun reminds me of Chow Yun Fatt, Tony Leung, Song Tian You etcera, these Asian lovers in Western filmography, possessing maturity, determination, grace, flair and style.

He personally said, “I do not know if I really reached the international standard, but I hope I have. Becoming an international star is the dream of every actor right? Actors need a lot of people to share their craft, the more people the better.”

Graduating from Hanyang University with a major in French Literature, Lee Byung Hun is actually not as cosmopolitan as we assume. Contrary to our assumption that due to his subject major, he is savvy with regards to French films and writing, he is actually not too familiar with those.

“During my university days, I did not have a definite plan with regards to my future, when faced with the decision as to what subject to major in, I chose language as I thought I had sufficient linguistic skills. As to which language to learn, at that time I thought French was cool, that’s why I chose it.” He laughingly explained this as the reason why he only speaks a smattering of French, as when he was in university, he was already busy with acting and thus did not go further into exploring the language.

After he chose his course, the TV network also selected him, accepting his application to become an actor; going through the interviews and auditions and 3 month training period, he finally joined the ranks of the actor, and from then on, his life was changed radically.

Acting cannot be learnt

When he was young, Lee Byung Hun liked to go to the cinema on weekends. The cinemas had a unique smell, that of urine, peanuts, grilled cuttlefish and the smell of the architecture itself all combined together. This smell instead made him excited, it was a manifestation of his passion for the screen, but at that time he did not understand this.

From 1991 filming to date, besides getting fame and fortune, his biggest reward is the understanding of others’ feelings. “Actors usually get to interact with many normal people, thus are able to understand the thinking of different people; as well as their feelings and experiences. Therefore, when acting, one does not need to base his performance solely on imagination or to artificially create the character.”

Each time his juniors ask him for acting pointers, he would tell them that acting cannot be learnt, one must interact with a whole host of people, including lunatics. I think, this is one way through which actors balance themselves. Xiao Fang Fang once said during an interview, that an artiste’s work and life is actually very shallow, hence they need friends who are not in the same industry, so that they can understand the importance of living a humble life.

Not to be afraid of strangers; not to be afraid of understanding others’ feelings, these are the defining qualities that Lee Byung Hun gave to the so-called “Star quality”.

The Most Perfect Son

When the Korean audience had a poll to choose the most perfect man, Lee Byung Hun won by an overwhelming margin and even had another title which was that of the most reliable man. However he does not quite take this seriously as Korea has too many similar polls such as this.

"No, I am not perfect. Instead of saying that I am the most perfect man, why not say that I am the 'most perfect actor' as what the audience sees are the roles I portray in my work, but not the real me."

At this point, he reaches for a lighter and lights a cigarette, and adds on, "If I were a really perfect man, I would have succeeded in quitting smoking a long time ago." Everyone laughed at this remark.

Okay, Lee Byung Hun is not a perfect man, but is definitely a perfect son. When his father passed away 7 years ago, there were more than one report that showed his sadness and longing for his father. When he found out that his father had quite a large debt after he passed away, he shouldered the burden of clearing the debts with no complains, instead working hard to pay off the debts and finally cleared all the debts.

When he was young, when his father was drunk, he would sing a song, "When you come to San Francisco, please bring a flower... ..." The youngster he was at that time did not know where San Francisco was. Finally when he was on location in the States, he finally was able to make a trip to San Francisco. Being tired out from filming, he was sleeping in the car, but when he woke up, he was greeted by the awesome sight of the Golden Gate Bridge. An unknown sense of being touched welled up in him; he had finally arrived in the San Francisco that his father used to sing about.

Hitting a low point is not a reason to leave the acting circle.

What kind of life is the most perfect in Lee Byung Hun's opinion?

"I think that no one will term their life as being perfect, but, one must learn to be content." He says there is nothing that one can hold on to indefinitely, including happiness; therefore, possessing an optimistic outlook and attitude is very important; one must constantly remind oneself, "I am very happy."

I asked him, "Getting a good movie role is definitely a happy thing right?"

"No! Seeing myself on the big screen is the happiness feeling for me." He rapidly gave me the answer.

As an actor who still puts so much store by his own performance, this shows his unparalleled passion for his craft. Much earlier, there were reports that after his break-up with Song Hye Kyo, he was considering leaving the circle for a while to go abroad to study film and at the same time nurse his heartbreak.

After that, he said in a press conference, "One cannot think of quitting when he hits a low point. Because of a love of acting, as well as personally feeling that I can give a good performance, that is reason enough to be acting. No matter if I hit a high point or a low one, these reasons will never change, and there shouldn't be casual talk of leaving the circle."

From the looks of it, those earlier rumours were just the product of idle gossip. This Korean actor with one of the highest billing power will continue to act and find greater satisfaction in his work.

With regards to the future, he has his own thoughts and expectations, which is why he holds a tight rein on his life and this can be seen from some of his actions.

When our photo session with him was over, he requested to choose the photos. He sat down in front of the computer perusing the photos one by one. When he saw one that pleased him, he would let the photographer know so that she could make a note of it. Observing his choices, it was apparent that he mostly chose those that did not show him smiling. The make-up artiste, stylist and photographer who were by his side couldn't help but exclaim, "You're so good looking when you smile; do you not like your smile?"

He continued looking at his photos and said, "I don't like."

"Why?" we persisted in asking.

Without changing expression, he replied, "Because I smile like a girl."

Everyone present were tickled into laughter, the dashingly romantic character once again shows his deadpan humour. Perhaps soon we can see him in a movie character possessing his brand of deadpan humour on screen.

*translated by Wei Lin @ soompi.com 24/03/05 8:05a.m.*