GERMANY: South Korean pop star Rain wows the Berlin Film Festival with his silver screen debut in new Park Chan-Wook film 'I'm a Cyborg but That's OK'

Record ID: 402005

  • Title: GERMANY: South Korean pop star Rain wows the Berlin Film Festival with his silver screen debut in new Park Chan-Wook film 'I'm a Cyborg but That's OK'
  • Date: 15th February 2007
  • Summary: CROWDS AT THE RED CARPET
  • Embargoed: 2nd March 2007 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Germany
  • Country: Germany
  • Reuters ID: LVAA7KZ73T3A8LEIMLPLH15XVJ9T
  • Story Text: Korean director Park Chan-wook's much-awaited 'I'm a Cyborg but That's OK' had its international premiere at the Berlin Film Festival, where South Korean super star Rain showed that his pulling power extends to Europe, with loyal fans lining up the red carpet for the arrival of the singer-turned actor.
    South Korean pop star Rain not only learnt to act for his film debut.
    He also spent three months practising table tennis for scenes in the off-the-wall comedy "I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK" and having voice coaching in order to be able to yodel.
    The 24-year-old heartthrob, dubbed Asia's answer to Justin Timberlake, said he was pleased with his performance as a young man in an asylum who tries to rescue a fellow patient from the brink of death, and he plans to do more acting in the future.
    "I always wanted to be an actor, even as a young child growing up, so it was easy moving into acting for me. This particular picture, I wanted to do because it is an experimental film, the character is something you haven't seen before, it's not very familiar to people so it was a challenge for me to do it. And director Park obviously is a very, very famous and talented person and I enjoy his films as a fan as well so it was an easy decision for me to take this role," he told Reuters on Saturday (February 10), day after a screening of the film, which is in the main competition at the Berlin film festival.
    Rain, also known as Jeong Ji-hoon, found it liberating to play a quirky character far removed from his slick stage image.
    The singer, who has sold millions of records across Asia and has made it his stated aim to crack the notoriously difficult U.S. market, did some unusual training for his role that more established method actors would be proud of.
    "It is a very demanding role because I had to do a lot of things with this character. Not only is he a person who does things physically, and to prepare for this role I took lessons of ping pong for three months because I am not a good ping pong player and the same for the yodelling, it was another three months to get the yodelling song right. On top of that, Il-Sun is a character that not only has his own personality but also steals other people's traits so it's one person that has many, many characters within in the same movie, so that was something that was challenging for me. And another thing is his love for Young-goon, but that's not something I prepared for but was able to do by working together with the great actress Lim Soo-jung," he said.
    Made by revered director Park Chan-wook, the romantic comedy provided light relief in a selection of largely serious films that is typical for the hard-hitting Berlinale.
    For Park, "I'm a Cyborg" was a welcome change after his last film, the dark and violent "Sympathy For Lady Vengeance".
    There are scenes of killing in the comedy, but Park argues they are so heavily stylised and obviously hallucinations of a woman who thinks she is a robot that they are not disturbing.
    "Anyone making something like the 'Vengeance' trilogy would feel that it is stressful to keep going forward with that theme of vengeance and that is the reason for going for a lighter approach, the lighter feel that I went for with my new film," he said.
    He also has a serious point to make with "I'm a Cyborg", which he says addresses one of the most fundamental questions of all - why do I exist?
    Park said the lead character, played by Lim Soo-jung, looks at machines with envy, to the point of wanting to become one, precisely because they had a clearly defined purpose.
    He also sought to shrug off mediocre box office returns at home for "I'm a Cyborg", which he had expected to be his biggest hit so far.
    "I would think that the results weren't that disastrous. I was able to work with famous actors and I was able to express in free form what I wanted to express. I did have a lot of expectations for the film, however, I am not too disappointed because of these facts I just mentioned. And also, by using a film festival such as this one for launching the it, it will be a good way to present the film to the world and by actually showing the film to the world, I now expect a bit more from it," he said.
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