7 Korean Actors & Actresses Who Have Been Cast In Hollywood Films
Meet Korea's Hallyu stars who have crossed over to Tinseltown!
Hallyu stars—longtime fans of Korean pop culture will know exactly what they are, but for the uninitiated, a Hallyu star is Korean celebrity, actor or K-Pop star, who has played a big part in the entertainment industry: Korean films and K-Dramas, music, fashion, and everything else in between.
Many of these stars have successfully crossed over from Korea to the rest of the world, and given the growing interest of Hollywood in the treasure trove that is the talent in Korean cinema and television, it comes to no surprise that the number of Hallyu stars has grown over the years!
We're seeing more and more Korean stars cast in movies produced in the West (the most recent news for which is a Hollywood movie for Crash Landing on You superstar Son Ye-jin and My Mister actor Lee Sun-gyun). This is long overdue to say the least, and in celebration of the actors and actresses who have paved the way for the next generation of Hallyu stars to make it abroad, we put together a gallery just for them.
Scroll through the gallery below:
Korean Stars in hollywood
Korean Stars in hollywood
Rain
Rain needs to be first on this list as he's definitely one of Korea's OG Hallyu stars that introduced Filipinos to Korean pop culture. Making his way to Hollywood twice, the actor and singer has starred in 2008's "Speed Racer" and 2009's "Ninja Assassin." One major reason for why Hollywood execs took interest in him was because of his impeccable dancing; they thought that they could put the talent to good use by casting Rain in martial arts-heavy roles, which he fulfilled to a tee.
Bae Doona
K-Drama fans will recognize her from the recently concluded season of horror/drama Netflix series "Kingdom," but Western audiences might know her from the epic fantasy film "Cloud Atlas." And epic it was not only as a movie, but also for her on-set experiences. Despite it being her first-ever Hollywood movie, "Cloud Atlas" had her star alongside Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugo Weaving, Hugh Grant, Susan Sarandon, and Jim Sturgess, among other top Hollywood stars.
Lee Byung-hun
When it comes to Lee Byung-hun, where do we even begin? He's starred in several Hollywood films, the two most notable of them being the "G.I. Joe" series and "The Magnificent Seven," where he was co-stars with Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, and Ethan Hawke. Lee Byung-hun has an established reputation as a leading man in Korean cinema, which makes it unsurprising for him to be one of the Korean stars to make it to Tinseltown. He recently won Best Actor for the film "The Man Standing Next" at the 56th Baeksang Arts Awards.
Lee Joon-gi
His boyish looks don't exactly make him look villainous, but those who've seen "Resident Evil: The Final Chapter," the very last film in the legendary six-part franchise, will say otherwise. As the story goes, Lee Joon-gi was specifically chosen by the film's director after he saw him perform a series of physically demanding action scenes. Once on the "Resident Evil" set, Lee Joon-gi apparently wowed everyone with his dedication, needing no stunt doubles to do his scenes for him.
Jun Ji-hyun
She adopted an English name, Gianna Jun, when she made her Hollywood debut in 2006's "Blood: The Last Vampire." Earning the film's lead role, she traveled to and from Argentina during filming and even underwent rigorous martial arts training to breathe life into her character. Another Hollywood movie that cast her as a lead was less physically intense, but was a much more emotional performance. She starred in "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan," a period piece depicting the difficulties of the conservative lives of Chinese women.
Daniel Henney
Daniel might have Irish American roots, but his filmography got a kickstart in Korea through the famous K-Drama "My Lovely Sam Soon." It was also there where he was first cast in the film "Spring Waltz" in 2006, an opportunity that would eventually land him a role in 2009's "X-Men Origins: Wolverine." He's starred in a handful of Korean productions since then, but has concentrated on his Hollywood projects that presently include "The Last Stand," "Shanghai Calling," "Big Hero 6," and "Mowgli."
Lee Chae-rin a.k.a. CL
The Korean rapper and singer, who was previously a member of South Korean girl group 2NE1, was in "Mile 22," an action-drama film headlined by Mark Wahlberg.
Photo Credit: W magazine
Other Korean-American actors have also made their marks on Hollywood, be it in film or TV. Though raised abroad, these actors have always been proud of their Korean heritage and have stayed in touch with their Korean roots by visiting South Korea and surrounding themselves with family who have kept Korean tradition alive.
That list includes:
Sandra Oh, who needs no introduction thanks to her work on Grey's Anatomy and Killing Eve
Steven Yeun, who The Walking Dead fans adore
Rick Yune, a.k.a. the bejeweled-faced baddie in James Bond film Die Another Day and Johnny Tran from Fast and Furious
Bobby Lee, who made people laugh with his antics in the Harold and Kumar series
Ki Hong-lee, who's definitely a familiar face for the younger set who saw the Maze Runner trilogy big screen adaptation
Train to Busan's Ma Dong-seok has already been made part of Marvel Studios' The Eternals cast, while Son Ye-jin and Lee Sun-gyun are expected to start filming with Sam Worthington next year.
Photos from @rain_oppa @doonabae @actor_jg @byunghun0712 @kihonglee @danielhenney @chaelincl and Gucci (Jun Ji-hyun)
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