From an interview with Jai Courtney and Jason Clarke (full article here)
Jai, you also share scenes with Korean star Lee Byung Hun, who plays the new T-1000.
"He is a talented guy and I am fascinated with the work he did. His role demanded so much of him physically and it's challenging. He didn't have the most lines to say and he certainly had a very tough job. He is fantastic in the film."
Lee Byung Hun is starring in two of the hottest movies of summer 2015. He is part of the stellar ensemble cast of the upcoming action film, "Terminator Genisys" and leads the visually stunning period film, "Memories of the Sword."
In the fifth installment of the "Terminator" series, Lee portrays T-1000, the shapeshifting assassin who was a primary character in "Terminator 2: Judgement Day." In the latest film, T-1000 is a supporting role but one that drives the plot forward.
Directed by Alan Taylor, "Terminator Genisys" stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Clarke and Emilia Clarke. The film is scheduled for release on July 1.
Lee Byung Hun also stars in the upcoming period film, "Memories of the Sword." Lee portrays Deok Gi, who commits an act of betrayal. Jeon Do Yeon is Seol Rang, a female swordfighter who is betrayed by Deok Gi. She plots revenge against him by training her daughter as a swordswoman.
Rising star Kim Go Eun is Hong Ee, the young swordswoman who sets upon an arduous journey of revenge.
"Memories of the Sword" opens in theaters in August 2015.
Hallyu star Jun Ji Hyun leads the star-studded cast of "Assassination," a period film set within 1930's Korea. The spy action film focuses on the attempts of Korean fighters resistance who depart from China to assassinate a Japanese army commander. Jun is joined by top film star Lee Jung Jae, who previously appeared opposite the "My Love from the Star" actress in "Il Mare" and "The Thieves."
Assassination" premieres on July 22.
Han Hyo Joo is part of the huge ensemble cast of "The Beauty Inside," an upcoming arthouse romantic comedy. She portrays Yi Soo, a woman who is in love with a man who assumes a different body each day he wakes up. The role of Woo Jin, her lover, is portrayed by over twenty actors and actresses. The cast includes Park Shin Hye, Lee Hyun Woo, Yoo Yeon Seok, Lee Dong Wook, Park Seo Joon and Lee Beom Soo.
"The Beauty Inside" is scheduled to premiere in August 2015.
Hwang Jung Min follows the success of "Ode to My Father" with his portrayal of Detective Seo Do Cheol in "Veteran." "Veteran" also stars Yoo Ah In as Jo Tae Oh.
Summer is the time when the theaters are most competitive. July is near and blockbusters which cost more than 10 billion won, took the plates.
Distributors of these blockbusters spend many sleepless nights during the summer season. "The Admiral: Roaring Currents" set a record last year that no one can break, but this year, it's different.
Three distributors have come out with major films that no one knows of yet. There are only rumors.
However, each of these movies have a story to tell. The three distributors have no choice but to hold it in until the public has a say. -
Showbox – "The Assassination"
Showbox was first to throw out a hat into the ring.
Based in Shanghai in the 1930s, a group of assassins are called in to wipe out the pro-Japanese.
"The Assassination" comes out on the 22nd of July. Showbox gathered 10 million people with "The Thieves" in 2012 and is challenging its own record with director Choi Dong-hoon.
Showbox is determined to recover the loss of "KUNDO : Age of the Rampant" with "The Assassiantion". "Kundo" was first to come out last year but was no match for "The Admiral: Roaring Currents".
"The Assassination" stars Ha Jeong-woo, Lee Jeong-jae and Jeon Ji-hyeon.
- CJ E&M – "Veteran"
The second distributor CJ E&M is out with criminal movie "Veteran".
"Veteran" is about a group of investigators who track down a snobbish third generation plutocrat starring Hwang Jeong-min who starred in "Ode to My Father" last year. The movie is out on the 5th of August.
"Veteran" was lined up for release in May but internal reactions pushed it to August.
CJ E&M initially chose "Terminator Genisys" as its movie of the year but lost it and didn't have anything to bring about in the summer. However, "Veteran" came along and it became the savior that was going to recover the company image.
- Lotte Entertainment – "Memories of the Sword "
The final distributor is Lotte Entertainment. There were many ups and downs until it made its decision.
Lotte is coming out with "Memories of the Sword" at the end of August. At the end of the Koryeo Times, the best female sword fighter was a woman who had to hide her identity and sought to avenge her teacher and mother's death.
"Memories of the Sword" was initially scheduled to be released in fall last year but thanks to the Lee Byung-hun blackmail case, the movie was pushed from fall to winter, winter to spring and spring to summer. "Memories of the Sword" is unexplainable without Lee Byung-hun so it just waited for the right time. However, every good movie needs a good timing.
Lotte Entertainment is the only one without a 10 billion audience record. This summer, it hopes to break the record. The public's view of Lee Byung-hun is still not so warm although they have to admit, he's a good actor.
Stills and classic lines of Lee Byung-hun, Jeon Do-yeon and Kim Go-eun from the movie "Memories of the Sword" have come up.
During the Goryeo times when the sword was all mighty, a man betrayed a woman and she pointed a sword towards him 18 years later.
Lee Byung-hun stars as a go-getter, Jeon Do-yeon as a blind sword fighter and Kim Go-eun as a revenge fighter.
Lee Byung-hun is one of the most successful Korean actors who made it into Hollywood. He plays Yoo Baek, a character who is born from a concubine but with his outstanding swordsmanship and recourses, he reaches the position of mighty power.
To those who swear loyalty to him, he says, "You should have whatever you want, no matter what, as that's what's going to keep you alive". Yoo Baek is cold enough to betray anyone to get his chance at power.
Lee Byung-hun had to cover emotional acts as well as fancy wire-actions and fighting scenes in the rain.
Jeon Do-yeon, the Queen of Cannes stars as Wol So whose hatred for Yoo Baek lasts forever.
She tells him, "You and I must die. That's our fate". Wol So's emotional state is expressed ever so well thanks to Jeon Do-yeon.
Wol So is a blind fighter and Jeon Do-yeon managed to show her emotions without moving her eyes according to director Park Heung-sik.
Kim Go-eun appeared like a comet and earned the nickname 'the second Jeon Do-yeon'. She stars in "Memories of the Sword" as Hong Yi, a child who lives all her life trying to avenge her parents' death.
"Blood is washed away by blood. I am going to kill them when I turn 20". She learns how to fight with the sword from Wol So but to do so, Kim Go-eun went through training at action school.
Kim Go-eun said she felt her hands and sword becoming one and didn't fall back from Lee Byung-hun in wired-action or from Jeon Do-yeon in emotional acting. "Memories of the Sword" will be released in August.
Lee Byung-hun attended the Los Angeles premiere of “Terminator Genisys” at Dolby Theatre Sunday.
South Korean actor Lee Byung-hun was spotted at the premiere of “Terminator Genisys” Sunday afternoon at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
The actor, who is in the midst of filming “The Magnificent Seven,” flew into town from New Orleans, BH Entertainment said.
“Terminator Genisys,” the fifth film in the series, sees Arnold Schwarzenegger back as the Terminator. Lee plays T-1000.
Lee, one of South Korea’s top movie stars, has increasingly participated in Hollywood projects since his U.S. debut in “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” in 2009. He has since appeared in “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” and “RED 2.”
American film “Terminator: Genisys,” featuring South Korean actor Lee Byung-hun, amid much anticipation finally released Thursday, with reservation rates riding high over 50 percent.
Fifth in the coveted “Terminator” series which began in 1984, “Terminator: Genisys” stormed the South Korean silver screen industry on the day of release with a 54.5 percent real-time reservation rate.
Long-time lead actor Arnold Schwarzenegger paired up in this production with Emilia Clarke, who is best-known for her role as a charming dragon-breeder princess in HBO television series, “The Game of Thrones.”
Schwarzenegger and Clarke are currently in Seoul to meet with the press on the morning of the film release. They will grace a red carpet event later in the day to mingle with South Korean fans.
Schwarzenegger and Clarke talk 'Terminator Genisys' in Seoul
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Emilia Clarke have landed in Seoul to promote the summer blockbuster “Terminator Genisys“ directed by Alan Taylor, the fifth installment in the “Terminator” franchise.
As an actor who has become an icon of the “Terminator” series and a new face taking on the legendary role of Sarah Connor, they shared their different thoughts and experiences about the movie at a press conference at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Seoul, ahead of the local red carpet on Thursday night.
“I was very excited when I was asked if I was interested in doing another ‘Terminator,’” said Schwarzenegger. “I made it very clear to them that I would be delighted ... but it is very important that they have a great script and a great story.”
“When I was sent the script and I read it, I was over the moon about how creatively it was written and the great suspense, the surprises, the emotional rollercoaster ride, the great action and the way I was written,” he said. “I was a Terminator who is a protector, who (Clarke) calls ‘Pops,’ and a Terminator who that is also an evil machine, fighting for the machines. There is also an epic battle between the two Terminators, which I think people will enjoy.”
Meanwhile, Clarke described the prospect of playing Sarah Connor as a “double-edged sword.”
”I definitely felt a huge amount of pressure going into the movie, but one of the reasons I wanted to take on the role was because the iconic-ness that Linda Hamilton created in the first two movies inspired me,“ she said, referring to the first actress who brought Sarah Connor to life. ”The thing I prepared for most with this movie was that this Sarah Connor had such a different life experience coming into this movie. The Terminator went back to try and kill her parents at such a young age that it‘s changed her character, while maintaining the essence of who she was.“
In the film, John Connor (Jason Clarke), the leader of the human resistance, sends his right hand Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) back in time to protect his mother Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke). To Reese’s surprise, Sarah is already being guarded by a T-800 Guardian (Arnold Schwarzenegger).
Together, they kick-start a plan to bring down the machines with the help of the Guardian.
Clarke said that the relationship between Sarah and the Guardian, or ”Pops,“ was central to her character. ”It‘s a beautiful father-daughter relationship that anchors this huge action spectacle of a movie and gives a gorgeous heart to it,“ she said, saying that she loved being able to bring out the sensitive side of the fierce character.
Fans in Korea will have a little extra fun with the movie, with a brief but very interesting fight sequence in the first half featuring Korean star Lee Byung-hun, who plays a T-1000 Terminator.
(Lee) was such a joy to work with. He was incredible,” said Clarke. “There weren’t very many special effects for the movements that he naturally had.”
“I remember vividly that first sequence I got to film with him. He was kind of mind-blowing. I spent a lot of time just watching him and reminding myself that I had to be acting.”
Schwarzenegger said he believed the continued success of the “Terminator” series could be credited to people‘s admiration for the machines.
“If you think about the first Terminator, the things he did was just extraordinary. Even though it was a villain, people admired the strength. They wanted a part of them to be like a machine, to have that memory, that quick thinking, quick reactions, quick solutions to problems and to have those fighting skills and less vulnerabilities.”
“People are fascinated with the character, and that’s why they keep coming back to see the movie.”
However, he did not say whether a sequel would be coming.
“I only take one Terminator at a time,” Schwarzenegger said. “I do not even think of another one. Even though I (would) look forward to it, we have to make sure there‘s a demand by the audience, by the fans, rather than us just saying we’ll do another ‘Terminator.’ The important thing is that people enjoy this one, and that it‘s successful worldwide.”
“Terminator Genisys” opened in local theaters Thursday.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is back in the game for the fifth installment of the “Terminator” series.
The 67-year-old actor and former politician arrived in Korea on Wednesday with on-screen partner Emilia Clarke to promote their latest project, “Terminator Genisys,” directed by Alan Taylor, just in time for its release here.
“All the Terminator movies that I have done always have been really great for my career, and I enjoy playing the character because it is such an interesting one to play - a machine that has a human element to it,” Schwarzenegger said about his affection for the franchise during a press conference Thursday at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in southern Seoul.
The former California governor last visited the peninsula in 2013, when he came to promote Kim Ji-woon’s “Last Stand.”
A reboot of director James Cameron’s first two “Terminator” installments, “Genisys” starts off in 2029 in a world that has been taken over by the machines under the self-aware artificial intelligence system Skynet.
As the leader of the remaining human resistance, John Conner (Jason Clarke) is on the verge of taking down the movie’s antagonistic robotic empire when he discovers that Skynet has sent its subordinates back in time to kill his mother, Sarah Conner (Emilia Clarke).
But when Sgt. Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) is dispatched back to 1984 to save her and reset the future, he arrives to find that Sarah was waiting for him all along with her longtime guardian Terminator, or T-800 (Schwarzenegger), who has protected her since childhood.
From there, the trio fights a fierce battle against Skynet in a desperate effort to prevent Judgement Day.
“I think people like futuristic and sci-fi movies,” Schwarzenegger said about the franchise’s lasting popularity. “[Time traveling] is a smart concept for an interesting movie. Also, I think they like the idea of a machine that has ultimate power and [can be] destructive. People were fascinated by these features, which is why they keep coming back for it.”
He added that when he first received the script, he felt as if he was “over the moon,” surprised by just how far the story line could go to encompass “suspense, surprises, emotional roller coasters and action.”
As audiences might expect, Schwarzenegger’s T-800 is no longer the ultimate symbol of power, as in the first two franchises, coming across a stronger, more villainous robot.
However, like the symbolic line “I am old, but not obsolete,” which the old Terminator repeats in the film, Schwarzenegger said he values getting older.
“Like wine, old cigars and cars, there are some things that get better as they age,” he said. “I think that line worked very well with the Terminator. It was an appropriate line, and I loved delivering it.”
Meanwhile, Emilia Clarke, who rose to fame through the hit HBO series “Game of Thrones,” admitted that she felt the pressure in playing Sarah Conner, portrayed by Linda Hamilton in the first two installments.
“I definitely felt a huge amount of pressure going into this film,” she said.
“However, one of the biggest reasons why I wanted to take on this role was because of the iconic-ness that Linda Hamilton created in the first two movies,” she continued, adding that the role was a “double-edged sword.”
The actress also revealed what it was like to work with Korean actor Lee Byung-hun, who appears in the first half of the movie as T-1000, a deadly shape-shifting robot.
“He was incredible to work with. There was no need to put in extra special effects for the movements that he actually had. I spent a lot of time just watching him,” Clarke said.
“Terminator Genisys” opened nationwide on Thursday.
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