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发表于 2008-4-23 09:08
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原帖由 wwhyuk 于 2008-4-22 08:32 发表 [url=forum.php?mod=redirect&goto=findpost&pid=7022552&ptid=268599]
新加坡ARENA 2008.5月号的英文..
It's pouring outside and Jang Hyuk is over half an hour later, his earlier photo shot having run overtime.
Finally, the 31-year-old heartthrob hero of many a Korean movie and TV drama serial - Model, Windstruck, Thank You and most recently, Robber - is bustled into our photo studio by his entourage of four, including his Korean manager and the local film company guy.
Mercifully, Jang doesn't look the sort to throw a celebrity spit*. Nor does he look too worndown by two days of back-to-back interviews and shoots during this flying visit to Singapore to promote his first English film, Dance of the Dragon.
He's quiet, self-contained, wearing a neat black shirt and trousers. He bows politely when introduced, smiles a contained little smile.
Coffee is ordered, and we're good to go, with Jang's Korean manager, Linda Kang, sitting in as both minder and translator.
Jang had begun to learn English in Korea and, when he took the role in Dance - co-starring Jason Scott Lee and Singapore actress Fann Wong - he picked up a coach. His English still isn't fluent and is strongly idiosyncratic, coloured with imagery from Korean. At one point, trying to describe how he thinks, he uses the phrase "in my hair", realises it's not English and cracks up with laughter.
What was it like, filming Dance? In English. In Singapore. "It's just another movie," he says. He reconsiders and tries to elaborate, with Kang's help, explaining that he did not choose Dance because it was "international" as much as because he read the script and liked the role - it's how he selects any role he takes.
"Had a good experience, good relationship with crew, director , actress [Fann Wong] and the other actor [Jason Scott Lee]. All the results are good."
"There are so many people, so many other cultures [on the set]. At first, I [could] only gesture at something [because] when I'm nervous, my English is not so good." By throwing himself into the situation, he explains, he was able to build relationship and communicate with those he worked with.
So what was it like working with Fann Wong? He and his manager both snicker - every Singapore reporter asks that. And he ticks off his answers.1) She's professional. 2) A beautiful woman. 3) When filming, he would call her "mei mei"("sister" and "beautiful" in Mandarin, the first phrase she taught him). 4) She definitely qualified as "nice people".
In Dance, Wong is caught between two men, Jang and Lee, though Jang says, meditatively, that his character wasn't trying to "steal" the girl, unlike many of his Koran drama roles which were more just about falling in love and getting the girl. The relationships in Dance are entangled with both martial arts and dancing.
His bio says he's trained in martial arts, but does he dance? "Learned paso doble," says Jang. He sys he saw competitive dancing in Singapore and was intrigued by it.
He describes the relationship between martial arts and dancing as "similar movements of the body, but the difference is emotion". Dance conveys more of an independent, emotional story, and at first he "couldn't tell the story", though he got the steps down put*.
When the topic swings to Jason Scott Lee, he perks up. "A good guy, we share opinions about martial arts, and acted as each other's support. We had not a lot scenes together, but my major scene is a martial-arts scene."
Jang has been learning Jeet Kune Do - the martial art system developed by the late Bruce Lee - for eight years. Lee hay played Bruce Lee (Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story) and learned JKD under one of Bruce Lee's students. "Yeah, we talk about martial arts...and women." says Jang, with a sly grin, "...what guys talk about."
He leans forward and starts talking earnestly in Korean, his manager trying hard to keep up with translating, as he explains that, as an actor, he knows the value of being exposed in other countries. Which is why, when he is required to do promotions and publicity for films, he does. But as an actor, he feels that what is important is that everything he does feeds into making him a better actor.
He says he isn't trying to break into Hollywood simply because it's expected of him. If offered a good role in a Korean film and a not-great role in Hollywood, he wouldn't just jump at the Hollywood role. "In Korea, I'm already there [waving his hand high]. Now, a lot of people expect things of me, but I'm going to follow my heart and become a better actor. It's my job."
Does he have a dream role? "No dream role, am just open," says Jang. "[My recent role in drama serial Robber which just finished shooting] at the time, it was interesting, but that could change in future, depending on other roles.
- In Robbers, my character had a lot of human emotion - happy, sad, everything is there, controlling the character was...[he tries a few words] funny? [A chance to display] different parts of personality." He thinks it over, slurping his coffee, and adds, "Maybe one day, a really bad guy..."
What was it like breaking of mid-career to do national service in Korea? That sets off another fit of laughter. Everybody asks that. And he says the PC thing: That it was a good experience, that he had put it off but that he had to serve, so he just accepted the situation.
He says he's heard about Singapore's NS, that once you get over the basic training, you can go out, on home leave. "In Korea, it's tough. Can't go back home; on base [often nowhere near home], you don't get visitors, you're with people from all over Korea, and you learn a lot of new things. You get a lot of time to think."
What new things? "Shoot a gun. Protect your boundaries [his manager explains he's talking about the North-South border]. Building camp." He enjoyed that bit and goes off into a bit of reminiscing about having to tear down the camp and rebuild it whenever the moved.
He enjoyed getting to teach other soldiers martial arts, as he was older. Plus, he left with the rank of sergeant. "What about in Singapore?" When told that rank at the end of your service period isn't fixed*, he mutters "in Korea, mostly you leave when you are sergeant".
Overall, he say, he found it particularly interesting to be able to reconnect with all kinds of Koreans, and it gave him a new perspective on life.
Onto the real Singaporean questions: What foods do you like? More laughter, as he blurts out: "Chili crab and Tiger beer. Tiger beer, in Korea, sometimes you cannot get [it] there. I'm stalker-fan of Tiger." Generally, he says, you can only get Tiger in Korea at certain pubs, but not in supermarkets.
What does he like about Singapore, then? "Shopping malls." The man likes to shop. His wardrobe is fairly eclectic, but when asked to identify his favourite outfit, it's "jeans and white house...no...white tee*" as he snorts with laughter at his slip. "Wear with cap and sneakers, I wear to fit the situation. No favourite designer. All mixed situations..." he says. His favourite colour? "like dark colours." he says, firmly.
It also comes out that he shops for action figures. With a gleam in his eye, he talks about his favourites ("three of Bruce Lee", he says, gesturing about 30cm to 35cm off the table, "limit editions") and says that Japan is paradise, what with its action-figure industry.
Does he have any movie icons? That simple question has him talking a warp speed. "BruceLeeAlPacinoRobertDeNiroSeanPenn...Is a lot, I like characters in the movies."
Rephrasing the question ("Just give us the top five...") gets the names of Al Pacino (he lists Pacino's best known roles and adds "Hot Dog [Dog Day Afternoon]. Al Pacino's early role - very different, the character is more like a woman's, more soft..."); Robert Deniro (again with his movie highlights); and Ethan Hawke.
He thinks a bit more, and adds "Tome Cruise" and qualifies that by saying that he admires Cruise's marketing ability. And Bruce Lee, not so much for his acting, but for his martial-arts prowess and his dedication to his students.
He throws in one more: Christopher Walken. "True Romance, his scene, he is Sicilian mafia and he shoots a man, not cruelly, he just shoots with a small smile, it's just something he does..."
Almost as a throwaway, I ask what he would have done if he had not gone into acting, and Jang smiles really warmly. "Teaching. I like it. I want to share with others..." he says. He doesn't really care if ther're little kids or older teens.
"Now, [I'm] not a teacher, but I like teaching just to help. When I was young, just started acting, was very curious but nobody taught me. It was..." he gropes for a word, "Stuffy." I suggest "constraining or limiting" and he grabs that. "Yes, and now, I want to help others."
When you meet people, he says, you have to break past the formalities and share what he has acquired through his life.
Winding down, there's still one more elephant-in-the-sitting-room subject -- Jang's newborn son, Tae Hui, and his planned, end-of-the-year-marriage to Kim, his girlfriend and mother of his child.
Simply saying "Congratulations on your new son" has him back in self-contained, discreet-little-smile mode, quite a contrast to the warmer chatterbox.
As his manager explains nervously that he's really very private, we wind up the interview. After all, we wouldn't want him to channel Pacino/Deniro/Walken. We still need our pictures....
谢谢liz/显赫的辛苦打字.. |
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