AS KOREAN POP culture has become mainstream in Hong Kong, popular actor Jang Hyuk (left, in picture) is prepared to take his career a few steps further.
Starring in Fruit Chan's Public Toilet was merely a stepping-stone. Collaboration with Hong Kong film directors, Jang says, is the best way to make himself a household name not only in Hong Kong, but the rest of Southeast Asia.
'Fruit Chan's Made in Hong Kong was very impressive and making a film shot by digital camera in a totally spontaneous way was completely new to me. But there are so many [Hong Kong] directors I would like to work with,' Jang tells SYP.
'I really admire Peter Chan Ho-sang [Love Comrades, Three] and Wong Kar-wai [Happy Together],' he says. 'There's one scene where Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing and Maggie Cheung Man-yuk become one-minute friends from Wong's Days of Being Wild that stays deep inside my heart. I long to make films like that. I have just finished shooting Please Teach Me English, in which there's some elements that are similar to Wong's films.'
Jang's visit has nothing to do with negotiating any film deals, though. He was invited here to celebrate the first year anniversary of website KoreanStorm.com.
Founder, Benny Lau Wai-hang (right, in picture) has been presenting radio programme Korean Storm for five years. He says that compared to Japanese pop, which already has keen followers for the past few decades, Korean music and films are more easily accepted by Chinese.
