When K-Drama Actors Act In English

Hangul and English are very different languages and it's a challenge for speakers of one to master the other without an accent. But some Korean actors have taken on that challenge and worked hard to master their English for Hollywood productions.

Hyun Bin is one of those actors. If you enjoyed the few minutes that Hyun Bin speaks English during "Secret Garden," you may be curious to see him play an entire role in English. He played a Korean gigolo who lived in the U.S. in the Korean-Chinese-U.S. co-production "Late Autumn. And he speaks English for most of the 2010 film. His character befriends a Chinese immigrant. The language they communicate in is English.

Before the film began he attended a school in the U.S. and took lessons. Also, at the filming locations, he had a coach that helped with pronunciation. Even so, some scenes had to be re-dubbed in Korea.

"If moviegoers feel repulsed by the language, then no matter how well the movie is filmed, it's useless," said Hyun Bin in an interview for Naver Movies. "Even if the movie was filmed using our own language, it could be difficult to express the emotions one hundred percent. To convey emotions using a language that I've never used before, it was excruciatingly painful and difficult.

Bae Doona made her English-language debut working in the Wachowski film "Cloud Atlas." She took English lessons because she wanted the part. But if she had thought Hollywood might be interested in her, she might have taken them earlier.

" I wasn't looking for any Hollywood parts," she said in Movieline interview. "If so, I would have learned English earlier. I would have prepared. But I thought it might not be possible."

The actress is now working on her third Wachowski film. The producers had already worked with Korean actors as they cast Rain in the 2008 film "Speed Racer."

"I was kind of intimidated to speak English," she said at a press conference. I wondered what people would think and whether I was pronouncing things right, but then I started to think of it as the perfect opportunity for a Korean to learn English. When I auditioned for the Wachowski Brothers, I said to them that right then my English might not be perfect but just wait, I'll do my best. My English will improve."

Lee Byung Hun on the other hand, was ready for the call from Hollywood. Long before the "G.I. Joe" and "Red 2" sequels, he was working on his English. According to film critic Jeon Chan Il, the actor overcame the language barrier.
In an interview with Korea.Net, Jeon said, "Lee is able to speak English with reasonable fluency. He is well prepared and attractive."

Other actors may be wildly successful throughout Asia but not be able to make the transition to Hollywood roles because of the language barrier.

Case in point: Lee Min Ho. If you saw him in "The Heirs," you know his English skills are improving. When the American director Terence Chang flew out to see him, Lee was grateful and vowed to make the most of any opportunity that came his way.

"I will continue to work hard and prepare myself in foreign languages to succeed abroad," he said.