Korean Actors Take Their Shot at Hollywood

Supporting roles seen as opening doors to larger parts

By Park Soo-mee

August 3, 2009

PHOTO CREDIT Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images

SEOUL -- At the Wednesday news conference for "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra," it wasn't Channing Tatum or Sienna Miller that caught the eyes of many Japanese fans who anxiously waited outside the hotel lobby to get a glimpse of their star. Instead, they all flew in to see the Korean actor Lee Byung-hun, who plays a supporting role in his first Hollywood live-action pic.

For Paramount Pictures, the film's distributor, this was a promising sign -- one that suggests the potential benefit of casting an Asian superstar to attract regional ticket buyers when marketing a quintessentially American film.

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