EXCLUSIVE: Byung-hun Lee - The Stormshadow Interview
Byung-hun Lee is already a big star in Korea, and with his classic good looks and kick-butt role in the live-action G.I. Joe Movie, he's ready to become a big deal in outside of of Asia... CBM: Tell us about your character "Stormshadow"
Byung-hun Lee: Actually, I didn't have any idea of G.I. Joe and Stormshadow because in Asia it is not a well known cartoon. They didn't show it. When I first got the script from my agent, I was not familiar, so, I had to learn about the history of G.I. Joe and especially my character. So, I learned a lot from Stephen, Lorenzo and the other actors and actresses. As you know, Stormshadow has a lot of pride. For example, he doesn't kill anybody without any reason. He's a martial arts expert.
CBM: What martial arts are you involved with. I'm assuming Tae Kwon Do?
Byung-hun Lee: Right. Tae kwon do is my main martial art. And there is a little bit of difference between the styles of Snake-eyes and Stormshadow. Snake-eyes (Ray Park) is based on Wu-shu--which is Chinese, and Stormshadow is based on Korean Tae-Kwon-do. So Snake-eyes is more flash and movement, and Stormshadow has simple but strong movement.
CBM: Are you mainly using weapons in your fights? It seems as though Stormshadow always has his swords out.
Byung-hun Lee: I have swords, but I usually use my kicks.
CBM: There has been a lot of criticism of the live-action movie. What would you tell the critics to convince them to see the movie?
Byung-hun Lee: This is a light-hearted movie, and its good to enjoy and have fun. In Japan, Marlon (Wayans) told audience "Better Fasten Seat Belts." I think that was a good speech for this film.
CBM: What did you like best about working with Ray Park?
Byung-hun Lee: In the movie he is the enemy, and we hate each other, but in real life we are really good friends. We had to train a lot together before the production, so we are so close. And he is REALLY good at Martial arts. His movements are so flashy and skillful.
CBM: He said in an interview that you trained 5 days for the climactic fight scene between Snake-eyes and Stormshadow. Is that right?
Byung-hun Lee: Yeah, Yeah, of course. And there are a lot of fight scenes in this movie.
CBM: How about Sienna Miller? What is the relationship between Stormshadow and The Baroness? Is there a love interest there?
Byung-hun Lee: (Laughs) Yeah, actually we talked about that a lot--as a joke. As you know, the relationship between us is... Stormshadow is the Master for her. There is a line I say, "You are my best student." In the press conference in Korea, she (Sienna) talked about that maybe in the sequel there could be romance between Stormshadow and The Baroness.
CBM: What was it like for you to promote this in Korea? You're already well-known there, right?
Byung-hun Lee: It was really great. Sienna Miller and Channing Tatum, Stephen, Lorenzo, they all told me they'd never seen that kind of red carpet at a press conference before. There were a lot of fans and they were freaking out.
CBM: I'm assuming you're signed on for sequels?
Byung-hun Lee: Three. And I would come back to play Stormshadow if they make them.
CBM: Well, thank you for your time.
Byung-hun Lee: It was my honor. Thank you.
Byung-hun Lee: Actually, I didn't have any idea of G.I. Joe and Stormshadow because in Asia it is not a well known cartoon. They didn't show it. When I first got the script from my agent, I was not familiar, so, I had to learn about the history of G.I. Joe and especially my character. So, I learned a lot from Stephen, Lorenzo and the other actors and actresses. As you know, Stormshadow has a lot of pride. For example, he doesn't kill anybody without any reason. He's a martial arts expert.
CBM: What martial arts are you involved with. I'm assuming Tae Kwon Do?
Byung-hun Lee: Right. Tae kwon do is my main martial art. And there is a little bit of difference between the styles of Snake-eyes and Stormshadow. Snake-eyes (Ray Park) is based on Wu-shu--which is Chinese, and Stormshadow is based on Korean Tae-Kwon-do. So Snake-eyes is more flash and movement, and Stormshadow has simple but strong movement.
CBM: Are you mainly using weapons in your fights? It seems as though Stormshadow always has his swords out.Byung-hun Lee: I have swords, but I usually use my kicks.
CBM: There has been a lot of criticism of the live-action movie. What would you tell the critics to convince them to see the movie?
Byung-hun Lee: This is a light-hearted movie, and its good to enjoy and have fun. In Japan, Marlon (Wayans) told audience "Better Fasten Seat Belts." I think that was a good speech for this film.
CBM: What did you like best about working with Ray Park?
Byung-hun Lee: In the movie he is the enemy, and we hate each other, but in real life we are really good friends. We had to train a lot together before the production, so we are so close. And he is REALLY good at Martial arts. His movements are so flashy and skillful.
CBM: He said in an interview that you trained 5 days for the climactic fight scene between Snake-eyes and Stormshadow. Is that right?
Byung-hun Lee: Yeah, Yeah, of course. And there are a lot of fight scenes in this movie.
CBM: How about Sienna Miller? What is the relationship between Stormshadow and The Baroness? Is there a love interest there?
Byung-hun Lee: (Laughs) Yeah, actually we talked about that a lot--as a joke. As you know, the relationship between us is... Stormshadow is the Master for her. There is a line I say, "You are my best student." In the press conference in Korea, she (Sienna) talked about that maybe in the sequel there could be romance between Stormshadow and The Baroness.
CBM: What was it like for you to promote this in Korea? You're already well-known there, right?
Byung-hun Lee: It was really great. Sienna Miller and Channing Tatum, Stephen, Lorenzo, they all told me they'd never seen that kind of red carpet at a press conference before. There were a lot of fans and they were freaking out.
CBM: I'm assuming you're signed on for sequels?
Byung-hun Lee: Three. And I would come back to play Stormshadow if they make them.
CBM: Well, thank you for your time.
Byung-hun Lee: It was my honor. Thank you.
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