[10 LINE] Jang Dong-gun

Jang Dong-gun

Jang Dong-gun
He is handsome. He is patriotic. And he has enormous support from the Korean people. He is willing to risk everything he has for just one person. He is capable of handling diplomatic relations with the U.S. and Japan. Well, of course, no such person exists in reality. But what if it were Jang Dong-gun? He is a top star for whom it has become only natural to play the role of a president. And that is the exact choice he made.

Park Soon-ae Television actress. She was the star of a detergent commercial in which Jang Dong-gun made his first appearance. Jang, who was studying for his third attempt at the national college entrance exam, decided to appear in the commercial to earn money for his studies. Only his topless torso appeared in the commercial where he was paid KRW 250,000 won for three days’ work and in the next commercial, he shot a cassette tape commercial in which his bare back was displayed against the background of a beach. By the time he was shooting his third commercial, he decided to apply to become a television actor because it would pay him 2 million won. Jang said of the time, “I had nothing to offer. I was supposed to lay out a future vision or something, but I had nothing to offer.”

Choi Yoon-seok
Director of TV drama. He was the director for Jang's television debut, MBC TV series “Our Paradise”. Jang’s role in “Paradise” was originally intended for teen heartthrob Kim Min-jong but Jang ended up getting the part when things didn’t work out with Kim. It was an unbelievable opportunity for newcomer Jang, who, at the time, had only appeared as an extra on a few commercial and didn’t even have his own manger. But it was understandable, Jang being the man he is. On the first day of shooting, Jang was told he could be replaced because he was not good enough but he was able to continue working on the drama by working hard such as starving himself for two days to shoot a scene where his character is so hungry that he steals dumplings.

Son Ji-chang
Television actor who co-starred with Jang in MBC TV series “The Last Game”. The drama, which represented the basketball craze at the time of its airing, was immensely popular. Some 16,000 teenagers showed up to watch the shooting of the basketball game scenes at the Jamsil Stadium and five got injured in the crowd. Jang gained an enormous amount of popularity through this drama, but at the time the public only appreciated him for his good looks, not for his acting skills. During his appearance on MBC drama “Iljimae”, he even heard that “the lead actor is hidden by the fantastic supporting actors”. Jang felt that getting judged on his looks was like “a homework that he had to solve” and “resented people who kept asking about his looks”.

Lee Sun-gyun
Actor and Jang’s classmate at the Korean National University of Arts. In the beginning of his life at college, Jang used to slip out of classes because other students would stare at him but gradually adjusted by befriending fellow actors like Lee and Oh Man-seok. Jang received good marks in classes where he used his body to act and enrolling in college was the first step that he took to shake off his limiting, pretty boy image. Seeing a handsome actor taking a break from work to study acting, the public began to view him in a different light.

Park Joong-hoon
Jang’s co-star in “Nowhere to Hide”. Park is famous for having told Jang, who was worried about his looks, “You were born handsome, what can you do?” Jang repaid this wise advice ten years later by appearing on the KBS talk show “The Park Joong-hoon Show”. Jang worked on film “Nowhere” as a student going to school, and learned to properly act in film by being “faithful and doing everything the director told [him] to do”. Jang regards “Nowhere” as his movie debut and the film, in which Jang had only a small role, gave him the new image as a serious actor who was working hard to improve his acting. After “Nowhere”, Jang -- who admitted that he “used to feel flattered when people told me I looked Adonis” -- said that “for an actor, there is nothing as dangerous as being caught in a single image” and wanted to play different types of characters in movies.

Kwak Kyung-taek
Filmmaker who directed Jang in “Friend” and “Typhoon”. “Friend” made Jang a blockbuster movie star and certified him as a bankable actor who had “good looks and good acting skills as well”. Like Tom Cruise, whom he is said to have studied, Jang had everything that a handsome actor could have. “Friend” and “Tae Guk Ki”, his two most successful films, had elements that could attract both male and female and the young and old. He portrayed the tragic life of a gang member in “Friend” while his crazy intense acting in “Tae Guk Ki” was enough to convince the viewers that he had “good acting chops”. As Korea’s hottest heartthrob playing a strong, impressive character in a blockbuster movie, Jang was able win the public’s affection on both aspects: as a handsome actor and as a great actor. There might be other actors who are either better looking or more talented than Jang. But there is no one possesses both qualities and is as well known and as appreciated as he is.

Beop Jeong
A buddhist monk who authored Jang’s favorite book “No Possession” and served as chairman on the “Life Share Association(LISA)”, an organ donation committee. Jang signed with the committee to donate his cornea when he dies. Working as a PR ambassador for LISA, Jang felt that it was “hypocritical to recommend organ donation to others” so he decided to do it himself. He also participated in the one-man demonstration [Korean stars took turns holding up a sign] to oppose the government's decision to reduce screen quotas for Korean films. He was quoted as saying, “I wouldn’t be so against the decision if the government could delay free trade of rice for ten years by decreasing screen quotas”. For someone who rarely appears on TV variety programs, he enthusiastically agreed to show up on a radio show for his close friend Kong Hyung-jin, threw a baseball at the opening season of the K-League and is rumored to be a “typography addict” who has a beautiful handwriting. He’s gorgeous, talented, does charity work and is very good at managing his personal life that no negative remarks were written about him in the “Celebrity X-FILE” [a collection of confidential, scandalous information on Korean celebrities which was leaked to the public in 2005]. Jang’s current position is far beyond a famous entertainer and is closer to being the ideal man that the Korean public can trust.

Kang Ho-dong
The emcee who lost Jang to Park Joong-hoon. Every variety show host, including Kang, wants Jang to appear on their program. But Jang says he is “not trying to build a mystique” but does believe it is “good to be mysterious to a certain extent and meet fans through his characters.” This attitude was effective for him in maintaining his charisma as a top star, but creates as much of a distance. Perhaps that is the reason why after “Friend”, his movies got bigger and bigger - from “Taegukgi” to “Typhoon” to “The Warrior's Way” -- and his characters also became somewhat far from that of an average man. Jang, along with Hallyu star Bae Yong-joon, currently has the biggest name and the biggest responsibility in Korea. Of course, he appears on television commercials where he can show himself as a human being but from a certain a point on, he has became a force that people have felt they can only meet on screen.

Jang Jin
Director of “Good Morning President”. “President” is by far the most perfect yet most unexpected choice that Jang has made. His character, who has immense public support, good looks and a flawless personal life, is perfectly fitting for Jang. But working with director Jang Jin, who has a unique sense of humor, was an unexpected choice. Pairing director Jang Jin with someone with an image like Jang Dong-gun's seemed almost awkward. Somewhat reminiscent of his role in “Nowhere to Hide”, Jang shared his screen time with two of Korea’s most respected actors Lee Soon-jae and Go Doo-shim and played his character differently than people had expected. Any actor can get drunk or fart in the role, but when President Jang Dong-gun does such things, it becomes something new. The early success of “President” could be due to the fact that people wanted to see both the “perfect guy” and “humanistic star” in the film. Just like that, Jang had entered another turning point in his career.

Playboys
A baseball team composed of Korean celebrities including Jang. Jang talked about Playboys in every one of his interviews for “President”. As a member of the team, Jang proves that he too is just a human being who wants to win and even spits our curse words during the games. This could be something that shows another change in Jang. The former extra and model has now become the hottest movie star who attracts ten million viewers and someone who is both “close and distant” from the public. In “President”, he shows the daily life of a head of state and takes a step closer to his people. Can Jang free himself from the weight of his famous name and show us a wider and more comfortable path to his career? Oh well, if he could, that would be the birth of the perfect human being.

Senior Reporter : Kang Myoung-Seok two@10asia.co.kr
Editor : Lynn Kim lynn2878@asiae.co.kr