Actor Lee Byung-hun is captivating global audiences with his voice acting, which is filled with his deep acting skills. Through the Netflix animation "K-Pop Demon Hunters" and the film "The King of Kings," he has showcased rich voice performances that transcend both English and Korean, making his presence felt in a new domain.
For Lee Byung-hun, voice acting is not a foreign domain. He participated in Korean animations such as "Armageddon" (1995) and "Mary Story" (2001), and returned to animation dubbing with "K-Pop Demon Hunters" after approximately 20 years. Notably, he stood out as the only cast member to handle both English and Korean versions of the dubbing.
He noted, "The English dubbing was initially planned, and the Korean dubbing was suggested later." He added, "The English dubbing was delicately refined in three sessions to reflect cultural differences in emotions, intonation, and nuances, while the Korean version could be recorded in just one day." He also emphasized that during the English dubbing process, he closely communicated with Sony Pictures and the local production team to enhance the quality.
He played the character "Gui Ma," who has a striking presence, and he chose a scene where he awkwardly sings along to the song of the Lion Boys as his most memorable line. He stated, "It was a point where a slightly clumsy and human side was revealed amidst Gui Ma's fearsome charisma, which made me ponder a lot, and I actually liked that aspect, so it stays in my memory."
Lee Byung-hun also voiced a total of seven characters in the film "The King of Kings," which was released last week and is currently ranking first at the box office, including the narrator Charles Dickens and the voice of the snake appearing in the Garden of Eden scene. He explained the background of his immersion in the role, saying, "It’s a story that can be enjoyed with children, so I approached it joyfully. The format of a father telling an interesting story to a child overlapped with my usual actions, which allowed me to act naturally."
Regarding the biggest challenge of voice acting, he expressed, "Unlike acting in front of a camera through visual media, where lines, eye contact, facial expressions, and gestures come into play, expressing the details of emotions solely through voice was not easy. I had to fully bring out those emotions with my own voice." He added that during the actual recording session, he actively engaged in voice acting by jumping in place and mimicking expressions.
In this way, actor Lee Byung-hun, who is taking the world stage, is now proving his deep acting skills through his voice as well, conveying another form of emotion.
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