Hollywood actor Byron Mann (58) expressed his affection for his first Korean film debut, 'Soju War'.
The film 'Soju War', which was released today (30th), depicts the events that unfold as Jong-rok (Yoo Hae-jin), for whom the soju company is life, and In-beom (Lee Je-hoon), an employee of a global investment firm who only pursues results, confront the fate of soju for the people of South Korea during the 1997 IMF financial crisis.
Byron Mann is a Chinese-American actor known for his roles in films such as 'The Big Short' (2016), 'Skyscraper' (2018), and 'Bangkok Dangerous' (2018). In 'Soju War', he plays Gordon, the head of the Hong Kong branch of the global investment firm Solquin.
Byron Mann greeted the press in Korean, saying, "Hello."
Regarding his participation in 'Soju War', he said, "In 2023, my manager received an email from a Korean production company offering me a role. They said I would need to stay in Korea for about three months for filming, and I was curious why they approached me since I'm not Korean and don't speak Korean. But when I read the script, I found out that the character is a Chinese-American working for an investment bank. It was an interesting story."
He continued, "As I gained experience, my standards for films became more demanding. There's no denying that the Korean film industry is one of the best in the world. This applies to both films and TV. While working, I didn't realize the stature of Yoo Hae-jin and Lee Je-hoon, so I was glad to think of them as colleagues working together."
He added, "As for Korean films, I watched 'Parasite' at a promotional screening attended by director Bong Joon-ho a few months before its release in LA. I thought it would win the foreign language film award, but it ended up winning a bigger award. 'Parasite' is the most memorable for me. I think Korean films uniquely conceptualize genres."
Byron Mann also shared his thoughts on playing a corporate predator, a character close to a villain in the film.
He said, "Throughout my acting career, I've played many heroic characters and villains. I don't judge the characters I portray. I think about the intentions in the film. From an acting perspective, villain characters are often richer. Just look at the Joker in 'The Dark Knight', played by Heath Ledger. If a film doesn't have a good villain, it becomes flat. It loses its core. I don't see it as a big problem. I think about whether the character is interesting. I'm more drawn to villains than heroes."
He continued, "Before filming, I didn't know much about Korea's IMF period, so I did some research. It's something that happens in many countries. Large corporations or politicians go through significant ups and downs and sell off assets, and I learned that this is something that remains in the memory of many people in Korea. I thought about how much they learned and grew to become the strong nation they are today."
He also mentioned that before filming 'Soju War', he worked on changing his English lines to a more colloquial style.
He explained, "I had previously appeared in Chinese productions, and when I received translated scripts, there were often losses in context or subtle nuances. For a month, I worked with the production team to change the dialogue from a translated style to a colloquial one. I have many friends in the finance sector, so I included the direct language and slang used by finance professionals. When I work in Hollywood, I often find that my Chinese lines are quite awkward. So, if the colloquial dialogue comes out well, English-speaking audiences will find it more interesting and immersive, which is why I went through that process."
Regarding the Korean filming set, he said, "There isn't a big difference between acting styles in Hollywood and Korea. I found it fascinating that the Korean filming style strictly adheres to the storyboard. You can know exactly what scene will be shot and can adhere to the schedule."
He added, "Filming took place in Suwon. There weren't many opportunities for gatherings, but I spent a lot of time with the actors on set and had many conversations. Although there weren't many scenes with Yoo Hae-jin, we talked a lot in our free time. Yoo Hae-jin travels a lot and speaks English flawlessly. At the premiere, we also chatted in English and checked in on each other, and I felt grateful for that."
About Lee Je-hoon, whom he met most frequently in the film, he said, "He is a hardworking actor on set. He acts seriously and meticulously. We took many takes for our scenes, and he kept going until he was satisfied. That impressed me. About 30-40% of his lines are in English. That's similar to me acting in Korean in the film. When it's not your native language, you tend to think more and feel more pressure to perform accurately. But I could see how well he prepared and how he managed to handle this film."
During filming, he watched Yoo Hae-jin's film 'Taxi Driver' and Lee Je-hoon's drama 'Taxi Driver: The Series'.
So, what was his impression of Korea? He said, "While staying in Korea for filming, I was happy to find many places I liked. Coming back for promotions feels like coming to a second home. I'm currently staying in Gangnam, and it felt familiar. I liked the food, and I think overall, it's a top-level city in terms of modern aspects, polite people, and safety."
He continued, "I ate a lot of Korean food while filming. I went to barbecue places and had a lot of everyday meals. I go to Koreatown in LA about once a week to eat, so Korean food isn't unfamiliar to me. I particularly remember hangover soup. I remember it because it's the food you eat after drinking soju the night before."
Byron Mann described his first appearance in a Korean film as "the highlight of my acting life."
He said, "As I continue my acting career, I realize that I need to have an open mind without limitations. I shouldn't be picky about genre characters. I never know what character I might play. But I never imagined I would appear in a Korean film with Korean actors. So, I was really surprised. I'm not Korean and I don't speak Korean, but being part of a Korean film that tells a Korean story is astonishing. The experience of filming in Korea was also wonderful. I will never forget experiencing Korean culture and the film industry."
[Yang So-young, Star Today Reporter]
