Former ‘Operating Man’ star Lee Kwang-soo returns to display screen in Vietnamese rom-com banking on his superstar
The room erupted in laughter when Lee Kwang-soo admitted he’d solely simply spoken the movie’s Korean title “Prince Alone” — a playful nod to his nickname “Asian Prince” — out loud for the primary time.
“I do not know, it is simply embarrassing,” he stated at Monday’s press convention at CGV Yongsan, visibly squirming at his personal discomfort. “Saying ‘Whats up, I am Lee Kwang-soo from “Prince Alone”‘ feels awkward popping out of my mouth.”
Director Kim Sung-hoon instantly seized the opening. “Properly, you realize, I am not solely positive how correct the so-called ‘Asian Prince’ factor actually is,” he stated, drawing extra laughs from the room.
The meta comedy was not unintended. “Love Barista” — the Korean Vietnamese co-production that opened in Vietnam final month and hits Korean theaters subsequent week — is actually a fan movie disguised as a cross-cultural rom-com.
The previous “Operating Man” star performs Joon-woo, a fading Korean superstar stranded penniless in Ho Chi Minh Metropolis after his supervisor by accident flies dwelling together with his passport and pockets. What follows is a culture-clash romance with Thao (Hoang Hua), an aspiring barista who has by no means heard of him.
It’s simply the type of lighthearted, brains-off leisure that lives or dies on star energy alone.
Joon-woo spends the movie biking by Lee’s well-worn “Operating Man” persona — the perpetually unfortunate, simply flustered man-child — whereas stumbling by numerous corners of Ho Chi Minh Metropolis with out money or dignity. The movie is a star showcase first, cultural change second, which means that a lot rests on whether or not you discover Lee charming sufficient to hold the skinny premise for almost two hours.
Kim traced the undertaking again to a 2018 journey to Nha Trang for a movie pageant. “The landscapes caught with me,” he stated. “We began speaking with Vietnamese producers about doing one thing collectively. I needed to discover how folks talk when language turns into a barrier — all these expressions and gestures you’d usually miss.”
The shoot introduced Lee again to Vietnam for the primary time since “Operating Man” made him a family identify throughout Asia over a decade in the past. “They gave me that ‘Asia’s Prince’ nickname in Vietnam first,” he stated. “So there was this private stress to do proper by them.”
Working with Vietnamese actors helped promote the cross-cultural dynamic, he stated, even because the language barrier made itself felt all through. Lee and co-star Hoang Hua’s huge peak distinction turned its personal operating gag — director Kim justified the casting by noting the abundance of tall, vertical timber in Vietnam that might steadiness the body. “Plus, once you’re already coping with somebody who’s principally 2 meters tall, a couple of extra centimeters do not actually matter,” he added.
The reunion with Lee marked 12 years because the pair collaborated on the musical drama “My Little Hero.”
“Time flies once you’re not paying consideration,” Kim stated. “We all the time talked about working collectively once more. This simply felt proper — a long-form story the place we might actually dig into what Lee does finest.”
What Lee does finest, apparently, is taking part in an outsized, nearly parodic model of himself. Joon-woo’s anxieties and self-consciousness as a world-renowned prime star kind of mirror the insecurities Lee copped to emotions about his personal profession. “The character worries continuously about shedding his spot, about youthful stars taking on,” Lee stated. “I do not give it some thought fairly that obsessively, however I get it.
“The underside line is that I am simply grateful to maintain working. I really like being on set — it energizes me somewhat than drains me.”
Nonetheless, the undertaking represents one thing greater than a star’s return to cinema. Korean productions have more and more turned to Vietnam as a co-production associate, chasing returns that the home field workplace alone can not assure. “Leaving Mother,” one other Korean Vietnamese collaboration that opened in October, pulled 2.2 million admissions in Vietnam final month.
Kim sees cross-border initiatives as needed somewhat than non-obligatory.
“Korean cinema’s in a tricky spot. We won’t simply depend on our dwelling market anymore,” he stated. “If we are able to construct one thing that feels authentically Asian somewhat than purely Korean or purely Vietnamese, that expands what’s attainable.”
“Love Barista” opens in native theaters Nov. 19.
moonkihoon@heraldcorp.com
