Ésta es una entrevista hecha a Gianna Jun (conocida como Jun Ji-Hyun cuando actuó en My Sassy Girl) por Keith Lin de MSN Singapur. (Nada más para bajarle los humos a mi cuate el Shonen)
Gianna Jun: My Sassy Vampire Slayer
Remember South Korean sweetie-pie Jun Ji-Hyun from the mega romantic flick My Sassy Girl ? Well, Gianna, as she's known these days, has traded her trademark furtive glances and woe-be-told eyes for an ass-kicking body and a no-nonsense attitude in her latest movie Blood: The Vampire Slayer. The 28-year-old actress-model plays Saya, the last remaining blood-sucking vampire with an insatiable thirst for saving the world.
We caught up with the beauty, in town last week to promote the anime -inspired flick, in an exclusive interview and find out if our favourite Korean Girl Next Door has really crossed over to the dark side.
Q: What convinced you to star in Blood: The Last Vampire?
A: The movie producers offered me the role of Saya in the movie, and I immediately rushed to watch the anime film. I was so impressed with Saya's character, and thought it would be a good opportunity for me to star in an action-packed movie and reach out to a wider audience.
Q: Saya's character is a vampire. How easy was it to relate to that while you were filming?
A: I was really attracted to the idea that although she (Saya) was always wearing a school uniform and has a very school-girlish appearance, she had all this pent up anger within her. Character-wise, it was difficult to feel her because she's anime after all. But I could identify with her loneliness as an outsider to society. Everyone, from ordinary people to even actresses like me, has their moments of loneliness at least once in their lifetimes.
Q: Everyone's curious about your name change. Why Gianna?
A: Oh you see, my Korean name is Ji Hyun, and my friends and family there call me Ji Hyun-a, Ji Hyun-a. For this movie I had to have an English name because it's an international film, so I thought that instead of picking something totally unfamiliar, I'd go with Gianna. I'm planning to stick to it throughout the rest of my career, by the way.
Q: Your previous movies were mostly dramas or romantic comedies though. Was it difficult doing an action horror flick for a change?
A: Oh yes, I had to go through very tough physical training to develop the physique that Saya has. They (the producers) made me train in Los Angeles for two months, and then in Hong Kong and China for another two months.
I also had to go for martial arts classes and learn how to execute kungfu kicks properly. It was really tough. Before I got the part, I couldn't even run 10 minutes on the treadmill. Now I can run continuously for one hour! I'm really quite addicted to the whole exercising thing now.
Q: Cool. So you can defend yourself if someone tried to attack you now?
A: (laughs) Not really, the action and sequences in the movie are all choreographed. If I was really attacked in real life, I'll just use my beauty as my weapon!
Q: That's a really powerful weapon you have. Speaking of which, you are most remembered here for your girl-next-door role in the hugely successful My Sassy Girl. Has it been difficult breaking out of the sweet cutie-pie image and reinvent yourself as a serious actress?
A: As an actress, I don't care if the movie's an action flick or romantic comedy, as long as it has a good script. I really enjoyed my role in My Sassy Girl, and everyone seems happy with it. Forcing myself to adopt another image would be torturing for myself and the audience as well. If I can be a girl next door even in my 60s and people still enjoy watching me then, I'm fine with that!
Blood: The Last Vampire sneak peeks in cinemas here Thursday 28 May.
Pirateado de MSN Singapore
