Interview with Eternals & The Roundup star Don Lee – Deadline

EXCLUSIVE: Korean-American actor Dong Lee (a.k.a. Ma Dong-seok) is playing the long game — and it’s paying off. Acting since 2005, the 51-year-old star broke out with Zombies in 2016. Train to Busan and has seen his career accelerate since then with leading roles in such local hits The robbers, The Bad: Realm of Chaos and this year The overview, which is the #1 domestic film of the pandemic as it approaches $100 million.

Lee also co-wrote and produced The overview, which he hopes to turn into something like Korean Fast and furious franchise. His big Hollywood break came with Disney/Marvel’s eternal, starring Gilgamesh.

Sometimes called “Korea’s Dwayne Johnson,” Lee is also developing a crime thriller remake The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil, which premiered at Cannes in 2019. It was made at Paramount under its US banner Gorilla 8, which produced alongside Sylvester Stallone’s Balboa – which is fitting, as Rocky is one of Lee’s career inspirations.

Lee is passionate about giving upstarts a chance to shine. With Korean content making waves, he is also eager to continue pushing boundaries and telling stories for the global market.

DEADLINE: Let’s talk about the success of The Roundup and how it helped launch local films back into the Korean box office.

DON LEE: By the time I was developing the first film in the franchise, I had already created eight stories for potential sequels. After the success of the first film and now with the second film produced and released, even I didn’t expect it to do as well as it did.

Even though I knew this movie was a fun action-comedy that hit all the right beats due to the ongoing pandemic, I didn’t expect it to cross 12 million at the Korean box office. But fortunately, because so many people watched and enjoyed this movie, it broke various records in the history of Korean cinema and helped bring the local box office back to pre-pandemic times, so the production team and actors are very grateful for this result .

DEADLINE: What do you think the appeal was?

LEE: I believe the key call is action first. I am always researching and trying to find new action moves that can help maximize the excitement and satisfaction of the action on screen, along with the realistic and powerful boxing action that I always use. Second, I think the audience enjoyed the intense crime story with the complex and sinister villains balanced with the naturally placed humor and comedy throughout the story. Third, the audience was kept on the edge of their seats and responded strongly to the simple plot, which was powerfully moved forward by the many twists and turns as well as the ever-changing new incidents in the story.

DEADLINE: What is the future of the franchise?

LEE: All eight films have already been approved, and if we continue with two additional spinoffs, it could be 10 films in total. In a way, this would be similar to Universal’s Fast and furious franchise as it is something we can continue to build on and expand for years to come. I have now completed the outlines for all eight films and most importantly I plan to showcase fresh stories, villains and action styles that are different from the previous films in each iteration.

DEADLINE: You have such an interesting experience growing up in Korea and the US, then building a career in Korea and now also starring in some big Hollywood movies – how has your time as a young man in the States influenced your career so far?

LEE: Since I’ve been watching Rocky when I was 15, I started boxing and training to become a professional boxer in Korea. But due to my family’s poor situation, I had to live with my relatives in Montana and work various hard jobs to earn money until I became an adult. However, I never abandoned boxing and to this day my previous training experience serves as the main basis for my action films. The many people I met and the variety of experiences I went through while working almost non-stop in the US to survive continue to help me tremendously as I develop authentic and unique characters and stories.

DEADLINE: What were some of the jobs you held in the States?

LEE: This is a long summary. … I cleaned buildings as a janitor, set tables in Chinese restaurants, washed dishes, clerked in a grocery store. I also bartended, did manual labor, sold clothes at swap meets out of my trunk, even had a milk powder business and much more. Other than those, the longest jobs I’ve held have been as a club hitter and physical trainer.

DEADLINE: I hear you have some kind of spiritual connection with Nomadland, and by extension Chloé Zhao. Why so?

LEE: Nomadland is a film that resonates with me personally. The scene where Fern [Francis McDormand] meeting nomads who have their own stories on this unknown path made me feel as if I met them too and became a fern myself. During the scene where Fern was cleaning bathrooms, I remembered the time when I also cleaned toilets as a janitor. So it reminded me of my own experiences in the US before filming The EternalsI became a Chloé Zhao fan after watching The rider and while shooting for The Eternals, I became an even bigger fan of Chloé Zhao and her unique voice as a director. Then, seeing Nomadland it touched me deeply in a very different, personal way.

DEADLINE: What was the process behind being involved The Eternals?

LEE: After the worldwide success of Train to Busan, I received many casting offers from Hollywood. I run a production company in both Korea and Los Angeles, so about six years ago I had the chance to meet Marvel’s excellent casting director, Sarah Finn, while I was working between Korea and Los Angeles After some time while filming in Korea, heard about my casting offer The Eternals through my manager. Then I had my first Zoom meeting with director Chloé Zhao and producer Nate Moore and decided to join The Eternals like Gilgamesh the same day. Since I’ve always been a huge Marvel fan, I was really happy and The Eternals it was a new beginning for me.

DEADLINE: How important is it to you to continue working in both Hollywood and Korea? What is your decision-making process when choosing a new project?

LEE: Whether it’s in Hollywood or Korea, I’m always eager to find fresh, new IPs and good characters as an actor, and it’s always my dream as a producer to create original and fun movies. I don’t think language is important. I believe that good content will always be welcomed by the global audience. Whether it’s Hollywood or Korean projects, I want to create more global and fun films that showcase my specialty of telling exciting action stories.

DEADLINE: As a producer, what do you do to foster new talent?

LEE: The most important thing for me while working in this industry is the character of the person. Because the work we all do involves teamwork, we need everyone’s understanding, cooperation and respect for each other. If someone makes the set uncomfortable or makes it difficult for others, no matter how talented they are, I just don’t work with them. After all, a big part of the reason everyone does this job is to have fun and because they love it.

Among people who have good character, there are many people who also have great creativity and skills, so I try to find these types of people and work with them to help them build their careers, even if they are new or older. – little experienced. I’m passionate about creating more opportunities for filmmakers and talent who just need someone to be brave and give them a chance. So you will see that most of the projects I produce including The Outlaws, The Roundup and many more, all directed by new or emerging directors who have already made successful careers in the business. This really makes me happy.

DEADLINE: Well The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil the first major project you’re remaking in the US? What else is to come?

LEE: There are currently about four film and television remake projects being developed and produced by Gorilla 8 Productions. Besides these, there are several other projects created with various studios in Hollywood that I produce, co-produce or star in based on original IP. I will gradually start sharing more about these projects soon.

DEADLINE: What do you think about the growing global appeal of Korean content? Korean audiences are among the most sophisticated and discerning, but it feels like only in the last few years is the rest of the world learning what Korea has known for a long time…

LEE: Although Korean content has just started to become more widely known thanks to streaming platforms, there have been many intricate and amazing Korean projects since long before that. Korean audiences have a unique and wide range of tastes, which has allowed our filmmakers to flourish and develop unique styles that combine genres and experiment with action in refreshing ways. I am very grateful that there is now a lot of interest from people all over the world and I want to let them know that there will be many more great projects coming out.

DEADLINE: And how do you feel about being called the “Korean Dwayne Johnson”?

LEE: Dwayne Johnson is not only much taller and more handsome than me, but he is also an amazing wrestler and a great actor. I’m a huge fan of his and got to say hi to him at Comic-Con a few years ago. So being called “the Dwayne Johnson of Korea” is a very generous compliment, but at the end of the day, I’m just Don Lee.