"Big Deal" Byron Mann cited Director Bong Joon-ho's "Parasite" as his most memorable work.

On the afternoon of the 30th, an interview with actor Byron Mann, who appeared in the movie "Big Deal," was held at a café in Sokgyeok-dong, Seoul.

"Big Deal" (distributed by SHOWBOX, produced by The Lamp) depicts the story of financial director Jong-rok (played by Yoo Hae-jin), for whom soju companies are life during the 1997 IMF currency crisis, and In-beom (played by Lee Je-hoon), an employee of a global investment firm who pursues only revenue, as they stake the fate of soju for the Korean people. The film is based on a true story related to the sale of the Jin Group.

Hollywood actor Byron Mann passionately took on the role of Gordon, the head of the Hong Kong office of global investment firm Solquin. He crosses over to Seoul to support the National Treasure Soju sale project led by In-beom (Lee Je-hoon), and is a character who does not hesitate to exploit others' weaknesses for personal and corporate gain.

Byron Mann, a Hong Kong-American actor and a leading scene-stealer in Hollywood, has demonstrated diverse performances in significant Hollywood works such as "The Big Short" as Mr. Chow and "Skyscraper" as Wu. He officially visited Korea ahead of the release of "Big Deal" and this is his first appearance in a Korean project.

Byron Mann noted, "Since I've been working for a long time, my criteria for choosing films have become increasingly strict. Movies now occupy most of my life, and I don’t want to have bad experiences or appear in bad films. It's also undeniable that the current Korean film industry is one of the best in the world," adding, "When I decided to participate in this project, I didn't know what kind of standing Yoo Hae-jin and Lee Je-hoon had. That was better for me. I just approached them as fellow actors. I had never lived in Korea, and I wasn't familiar with the filming environment."

Two years ago, while staying in Korea for three months to shoot "Big Deal," he smiled and said, "I always drink coffee during filming, but back then I didn't know how many cafés were in Korea, so I brought coffee beans from the U.S. But in Korea, there are cafés everywhere."

Byron Mann mentioned, "The background for choosing this film includes 'Parasite'. The only Korean movie I had seen was 'Parasite,' which I watched a few months before its release in the U.S. Director Bong Joon-ho was present at the screening. I was confident that it would win the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, but it ended up winning a bigger award. I've seen other Korean films, but 'Parasite' remains the most memorable. I felt that 'Korean cinema produces genres creatively without being constrained by money.'"

He has also appeared in collaborative works produced not only in the U.S. but also in many countries, including Hong Kong and Thailand. Regarding his experiences while working globally, he stated, "I live in LA, so I've built relationships with Korean actors. I can’t name them, but they are well-known actors. The common goal for actors coming to the U.S. is to seek more work in Hollywood. The same goes for actors from Korea, Thailand, China, and Japan."

Byron Mann emphasized, "(To enter overseas markets) language is the most important at this time. If I want to establish myself in the Korean film industry, I have to learn Korean. That way, I can empathize and immerse myself. The same is true for foreign actors entering Hollywood." He added, "Therefore, when Asian actors come to LA, they take English classes or get tutoring. Nonetheless, the reason it takes time to succeed is that no matter which country’s film industry you go to, building relationships with audiences takes time. Success is not guaranteed, and I have seen cases of actors returning home after failing."

Meanwhile, "Big Deal" was released in theaters nationwide on this day.

[Photo] Provided by SHOWBOX

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