[INTERVIEW] Rain - Part 2

10: Getting the part for "Ninja Assassin" and appearing in "Speed Racer" have sort of become the surprising twist to your career in the United States. What did the Wachowski Brothers see in you to have asked you to audition for them?
Rain: I endured through everything. When I was shooting "Speed Racer", I held back from expressing my pain when I got sick, I went to set although I was having a hard time and I stepped up to go first with whichever task. My spine hurt as if it would snap while shooting the car racing scene. And the temperature inside cars in Europe during July goes up to 40 and 50 degrees. Wear a leather jacket on top of that, everything becomes painstakingly unbearable. So other actors would go into shoot for about 20 minutes and take one-hour breaks in between but I kept going until I finished the whole scene. And they really seemed to like that energy about me. I think I also adjusted pretty quickly to everything. I learned the action moves quickly too. And Asian action movie stars are usually smaller but I was tall so they were telling me that I had the body of a Westerner but the face of an Asian. The stunt team mentioned it first, the Wachowski Brothers heard them talk about me and they told Joel Silver. I won over their recognition in that order.

10: Your presence there has changed greatly over the past four years. Have you met with any other famous producers or actors other than the Wachoski Brothers during that time?
Rain: I think people may say something when I say this... (laugh) I'm with the William Morris Agency right now but before, I had gone to a firm called CA because they said they would be my agent. I was talking with the people there when they told me Tom Cruise was in the room next door and that he wanted to talk to me. I was thinking 'Why me? Does he know me?' when the president of CA stepped in with Tom Cruise. We said hi and talked for a bit. It was a really shocking experience... actually getting to actually meet someone I had always seen on screen since I was young.

10: So what is the significance of expanding your ground in Hollywood? You had said before that glory is important so I'm guessing Hollywood must have a special meaning to you in that sense.
Rain: It's about conquering. Every country denies it but everyone really does like American culture. It's due to the competitiveness of the country itself but I think winning the battle between cultures and minds is worth much more than winning a physical battle involving guns and knives. It's game over when you win over minds. So if I go to the heart of the U.S. and make my name known to the world through Hollywood, it'll mean that I have conquered the world. That's why "Ninja" is important. It's not just about the producers in Hollywood recognizing me but about the worldwide public recognizing me one day if I happen to pass on the streets. There are 1.3 billion people in China, 900 million in India and even over 120 million in Japan. If one Korean out of the 40 million on our country can make their name known to the world, it would be something much more meaningful than gaining glory. That's why I truly respect Kim Yuna and Park Chan-ho.

10: You're carrying out your activities on a global level now yet your self-consciousness of being a Korean has seemed to have grown stronger.
Rain: It's become much stronger. I really didn't like it when it seemed like someone was ignoring me because it would feel like they were making fun of not just me, but also my family and my country. They would say "Rain? What's that?", they wouldn't know where Korea is and would ask questions such as whether we have nuclear weapons and whether we're in war. Everytime, I would answer by saying that I'm from the country below it, South Korea, who made it to the semi-finals at the 2002 World Cup and is the home country of figure skater Kim Yuna. I guess it's sort of a national spirit I have in me -- I can't help being drawn to my own blood. And I'm so happy whenever I see Koreans overseas.

10: You must've been lonely. Did advice or support from people around you help?
Rain: Screenwriter Lee Kyung-hee of drama "Sang Doo! Let's Go To School" is always supportive. It's just that I don't tell her the details of the difficulties I'm going through or my concerns. I don't want to show her the weak side of me. And in director Park Chan-wook's case, I hadn't known it before but he really likes action pics like the "Matrix". So when I told him I would be working with the Wachowski Brothers, he told me he would be looking forward to the film. All their words of support helped.

10: On the other hand, you had also mentioned that seeing false reports of you in Korea was also a boost at times. What sort of articles stimulated you? (laugh)
Rain: Honestly, I wish people would only mention the facts. I can't help receiving harsh criticism when the movie itself is bad but I really don't like seeing distorted articles. There is one person in particular who I really don't get. He keeps telling distorted stories rather than the truth. For example, it's like this. He would write, "He says he's going to Hollywood but when on earth will he appear in a movie?" And when I appeared in a movie, he would then write that I am back after failing in Hollywood. I just beared with it although I thought of taking legal action at one point. And he came to me at the time and apologized but I saw later on that he was at the same thing again. So I'm just trying to concentrate on working really hard. That's why in a way, such articles actually give me a boost. (laugh)

10: Let's talk about a lighter subject. How do you feel when you see articles about actor Jang Dong-gun and actress Ko So-young dating? What are your thoughts on dating a celebrity?
Rain: There's no reason not to, as long as we share the same feelings for each other. It's not important whether she is a celebrity or not. I don't care about the nationality either.

10: What is your ultimate goal? Is there a certain point you are aiming for or will you simply keep putting yourself up for new challenges?
Rain: I want to see how far I can go. I want to test out how high my luck runs. And I keep pushing forward without a plan which is why I go through trial and error. But strangely enough, I've achieved everything so far. Who would've known I would meet [Park] Jin-young. I didn't know how I got to start acting in dramas and I don't know how I ended up working with director Park Chan-wook. Nor do I know how my name got on Time magazine's 100 Most Influential Person list. I've just ended up here somehow. And if "Ninja" does well, it'll make everything just perfect.

Reporter : Wee Geun-woo eight@10asia.co.kr
Photographer : Chae ki-won ten@10asia.co.kr
Editor : Jessica Kim jesskim@asiae.co.kr, Lee Ji-Hye seven@10asia.co.kr