‘Mr Sunshine’ actor Lee Byung-hun on how he missed out ‘Crazy’ role
SEOUL: South Korean actor Lee Byung-hun could have made an appearance in Crazy Rich Asians if not for scheduling conflicts.
He had worked with Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M. Chu on his first Hollywood outing, G.I. Joe, before and the director had issued an invitation for a cameo when he started filming. “Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to do it,” Lee said during the Venice International Film Festival.
In Mr. Sunshine, Lee, 48, plays the titular character, Eugene Choi, who runs away to America as a young child after his parents are killed by ruthless slave-owners. He returns to his homeland 30 years later as an American soldier who has to manoeuvre loyalties and rivalries both for country and love.
The drama, from the same production team who brought viewers the highly successful Goblin: The Lonely and Great God, is now the highest-rated Korean cable drama of all time in terms of average viewership ratings, unseating Goblin from the top spot.
The Netflix original has already garnered Drama of the Year and the Daesang award for best actor for Lee at the recent 2018 APAN Star Awards.
A return to TV had not crossed Lee’s mind before Kim Eun-sook, who wrote Goblin as well as Descendants of the Sun, approached him for the show. With his busy schedule, he had not watched either of her series although he had heard that “they were very genius”. “My manager had been asking me to do some drama, saying it was time. He said this was going to be a good opportunity. The writer is amazing and the director (Lee Eung-bok) is really good, there was no reason not to do it,” said Lee.